Modern workplaces must be able to pivot and react to developments in the world. Much of that ability comes at the employee level. Businesses are rapidly seeing that employees are not just resources but investments to overall success. It is essential to have an employee development process to ensure success. For example, any business can use tried and true methods.
The Need for Flexibility
The ability for a business to pivot is critical in the modern workplace and at the most foundational level that comes with diligent employee development. Leadership needs to recognize and hone the talents of employees. One of the most radical changes to the overall conception of work is the prominence of the hybrid workplace. The modern, decentralized concept of work – where many employees may be working from home and the office – generates new challenges and considerations.
In such cases, employees may benefit from an employee development process featuring training in software and skills that may not have been necessary for a purely in-office setting. However, with the decentralized nature of working from residences and using personal equipment, they can benefit from networking and security software training. Such training helps employees develop into independent and reliable satellites of the more significant business and makes them more knowledgeable in general – able to help themselves and others out in the field.
An employee development process that emphasizes learning is a strong strategy for any business, as it has become increasingly apparent that employees of many industries seek opportunities to learn. A 2022 study conducted by LinkedIn showed that motivation to learn is essential to employees – be it staying up to date in their fields, indulging their curiosity, or moving them toward their career goals. Opportunities to upskill are highly desirable in the workplace.
6 Benefits of an Employee Development Process
Considering that there are overall benefits to employee development and upskilling, it helps to see more specific examples. While employees find opportunities for their personal growth to be desirable in the workplace, employers should also understand that such opportunities benefit their industry.
Boost their Engagement
Engagement is a founding principle to maintaining a good workplace for employees and an employee development process can help promote engagement among workers. The warning signs of employee disengagement are numerous and best avoided by allowing staff to learn and grow. The more committed an employee is, the better the performance – an employee looking forward to growth opportunities ends up more engaged with their work.
Hone their Potential
Few employees begin their job as perfect workers but can quickly develop into strong contributors through an employee development process. Employees carry a great deal of potential that should be recognized and developed. Failing to provide development opportunities means a lack of recognition for what they can become.
Increase their Productivity
Productivity is something that is best achieved through satisfied employees. Productivity concerns are also more common than ever, given the hybrid work environment is rapidly becoming the norm. Giving employees opportunities to build new skills and develop new talents keeps them motivated. This, in turn, increases productivity.
Attract Potential Candidates
With so much evidence that potential recruits seek opportunities to upskill in their employment, offering a competitive employee development program is an intelligent strategy. Building your recruiting process with your employee development examples is a proactive move. Emphasis on internal mobility and training can be an attractive lure to prime candidates.
Increase Employee Retention
Given the anxieties around the idea of quiet quitting, countless employers are eager to figure out what it takes to retain those workers who may feel frustrated. However, the answer should be obvious, given the other benefits of providing employees with quality training and educational opportunities. Quiet quitters may feel withdrawn from work because they may not get enough out of their jobs. So, why not show them there are skills to be gained? Peer feedback examples can be shared with the team during an evaluation.
Increase Overall Profits
Many of the prior points culminate in a single bottom line: trained, motivated employees work harder and invest more of themselves in the company and that company increases profits. The return on investment in employees is always high. Moreover, many examples of employee development processes show a relationship between training programs and increased profits.
Where to Begin: Employee Development Examples
Building an employee development program can be a challenging one: for example, is the program built around skills across divisions, or are new skills to be introduced depending on how an industry pivots? Thankfully, many resources exist that can help in this regard – among the best is Engagedly.
The mechanics and process of helping employees to develop skills are easily managed through Engagedly’s platform, enabling continuous development and offering opportunities for feedback to help motivate staff. The organized and flexible learning management system allows teams to develop new upskill opportunities as the need arises.
Beyond software solutions, Engagedly has several resources worth exploring. Building an employee development process comes from a developing feedback process. Engagedly Academy has free online courses to help make mentorship strategies that can pay off as development programs roll out in your organization. Webinars provide valuable insights.
Utilizing these free resources can be an efficient way of understanding the processes your employees desire to see in their work – building your skills to help employees find their opportunities is a winning move.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is employee development?
Ans. Employee development is the process of upskilling employees by giving them training and guidance to learn new skills.
Q2. What are the 4 approaches to employee development?
Ans. The 4 approaches to employee development are job experiences, assessment, formal education, and interpersonal relationships.
Q3. How can you motivate employees to learn new skills?
Ans. You can motivate employees to learn new skills by:
Promoting mentoring programs
Creating a positive work environment
Discussing and creating a development plan for employees
Promoting e-learning
Get In Touch With Us
Kylee Stone
Kylee Stone supports the professional services team as a CX intern and psychology SME. She leverages her innate creativity with extensive background in psychology to support client experience and organizational functions. Kylee is completing her master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational psychology at the University of Missouri Science and Technology emphasizing in Applied workplace psychology and Statistical Methods.