Employee development is a strategy for improving your current employees’ skills and developing new skills to support the goals and needs of an organisation. When done correctly, employee development is a long-term investment that can help companies stay updated with the industry’s best practices and boost employee engagement.
The Business Impact of Employee Development
Employee development, or professional development, includes any professional training program or education that a company provides for employees to support them in progressing their careers.
This process covers a variety of professional certifications, learning opportunities, courses and mentorship programs, all created and offered to help employees upgrade their skills or gain new skills. As a long-term investment, companies save much money that would otherwise be spent on sourcing, interviewing and hiring new employees. By prioritising staff development, all team members will evolve together in accordance with the latest industry trends.
Employers who invest in further education of their employees see higher employee retention rates, bigger revenues and more engaged staff. Additionally, professional development is set to improve employees’ knowledge to advance in their careers, not just to learn new skills for a particular role.
How to Attract and Retain Top Talent Through Employee Development
People are always keen on growing their careers, but surveys show that organisations face many challenges when looking for ways to help employees grow. Successful learning and development programs will provide opportunities for personal and professional development that clearly communicate how employee and personal growth is essential to the organisation.
Since one of the biggest threats to companies is not investing in employee growth, here are a few ways that can improve company culture:
- Creating a learning culture within the company
- Help managers become business leaders
- Create individualised learning programs
- Make your growth opportunities clear
- Motivate your employees
- Encourage various learning opportunities on a daily level
Build a Culture of Learning
Building a culture of learning takes some time, but the benefits of it are huge. By developing a culture of learning, employees feel empowered and prepared to reach their full potential while, at the same time, allowing companies to grow their business.
A company with a well-established learning culture believes in career development and education as the pillars of employee growth and improving performance. This approach involves taking external information and other tech advancements and helping internal teams learn, upskill and create a well-prepared, highly competitive organisation. The learning culture helps companies stay resilient and allows for a confident workforce to be created, but it also helps to:
- Improve job satisfaction
- Lower the employee turnover rates
- Gain a competitive advantage
- Boost employee engagement
Transform Managers into Leaders
Teaching managers how to become leaders is key to having a successful organisation and an excellent team. By offering various learning and development opportunities, managers can develop a new leadership style to support employees and facilitate an effective employee development strategy.
Managers are responsible for upskilling and reskilling employees. As an organisation, the focus should be on helping and creating tactics that help managers carry the responsibility of becoming great teachers and leaders.
Encourage Team Learning Opportunities
Another way to retain top talent is to encourage team learning opportunities. These opportunities allow employees to acquire new skills, behaviours and connect with their peers. Team learning opportunities show employees that you respect them as team members and care about their career progression, contributing to lower employee turnover rates.
Within an organisation, team learning helps foster a sense of belonging and allows employees to feel more connected to their leaders and teammates.
Mention Learning and Development Opportunities in a Compelling Job Description
A well-written job description makes the biggest difference in finding qualified candidates. It should contain more than just adding employee responsibilities but also give a better picture of your organisation. An effective job description should also explain the company culture and how your organisation offers various learning and development opportunities.
Share Stories of Career Transformation on Linkedin Company Page
There are many ways to communicate your company’s vision and mission. However, the goals and values of your company allow employees to see what you as a company stand for clearly, and they are more likely to identify with them.
Employees want to know that they can trust and support the place they work in. For that reason, sharing stories of career transformation on social media like LinkedIn, celebrating employee success and showing support can help you build an organisation filled with people that appreciate the place they work in and also support the company’s purpose.
Retain Top Talent with Career Growth Opportunities and Upskilling
Data shows that the lack of opportunities for career development is one of the biggest reasons employees quit their jobs. Retaining top talent may be challenging, but providing a clear path to future development and helping employees progress in their careers prevents high turnover rates.
One of the best ways to retain top talent is to have each employee identify clear goals to work towards and develop a personalised plan focused on their strengths and interests. Additionally, offering training opportunities and creating various mentorship programs can guide employees through their career paths within the company.
Job Satisfaction and Employee Harmony with Employee Development
Employees are truly satisfied with their job when more opportunities arise. Some of the opportunities include participating in diverse projects and avoiding getting stuck in the monotony of the role. Employees are more satisfied with their job when they know they have an individually created career path and room for growth.
Having room for growth within a company can encourage employees to stay happier for longer. Happier and more satisfied employees contribute to the development of a workspace harmony which allows for a relaxed, stress-free environment. Studies show that working in a stress-free environment and having support from colleagues and leaders leads to increased employee productivity and performance, and some employees even develop new and creative solutions or products.
Importance of Employee Development
Employers who invest in employee development allow their employees to expand their skills, helping them in their current and future roles. This brings a lot more value and directly benefits the organisation, such as:
- Increase retention rates
- Attract top talent
- Boost productivity
- Improve employee engagement
- Allow employees to reach their full potential
- Increase profits
The biggest impact, however, is made through investing and seeing employees as your biggest assets, especially when they learn new things and gain even more skills and experience.
Olive Recruit Supports Partners with Employee Development Programs
Olive Recruit collaborates with employers that offer career growth and learning opportunities.
Our team can help you increase job satisfaction, boost productivity and improve employee engagement. By making employee development a crucial part of your organisation’s culture, you will see your business evolve and grow.
If you want to reach your goals and take your company to the next level of success, contact us today and find out how we can help.
