Employee development is an investment. It is not just the best way to grow your team, it’s also a strategic business move that can help you reach new heights of success and growth.
Why? Because employee development is an investment: in people, in business processes, and in the future of your company. It helps boost productivity and improve performance by increasing morale among employees — and those benefits ripple out into all aspects of your organization for years to come.
If you want to promote employee development, it is important to create a culture of learning at your company. That means promoting self-directed learning, offering opportunities for employees to learn on the job, and providing a structured training program in which everyone can participate. It also means using technology to promote learning, collaborating with interns on new projects, and creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing what they have learned with each other.
Here are 5 actionable solutions to promoting Employee Development in your workplace.
1. Create a Structured Training Program
Structured training programs are an important part of your Company’s culture. In addition to helping build a positive relationship with existing employees, it also helps attracting top talent into the business. This is because both talent and employees want to work with businesses that are also interested in growing and developing the people in the business. Structured training programs don’t have to be elaborate and expensive. It can be as simple as creating a program around ‘customer service’ to ensure that all your clients/customers receive a consistent experience from your team. Such programs can be created both, in-house or outsourced to an external HR Consultancy.
2. Offer Opportunities to Learn On-The-Job
Learning on-the-job is one of the best ways to help your employees improve their skills and abilities. For example, you can offer a top performer to shadow his/her line manager for a set period of time to learn new skills required for his/her next promotion. This will not just promote engagement but also allow you to build ‘bench strength’ as a part of your succession plan.
This is an excellent way to help your employees learn new skills while also protecting the Company. In addition, it gives you a better chance of retaining your employees by making them feel like they are being challenged and rewarded for their efforts.
3. Use Technology to Promote Learning
The Internet has made it easier than ever to deliver training, track progress, answer questions and share knowledge.
- Video: When you need an engaging training tool that promotes learning through visuals, consider using video. Whether it is a short clip or a full-length tutorial, this type of content will engage your employees and make them feel like they are in the classroom rather than listening passively from their desktops.
- eLearning: If you want your employees to learn at their own pace without having to attend live events or take time off from work, eLearning is the best option for delivering content without requiring them to be present in person. This type of course can be delivered online or as part of an app for smartphones and tablets – whichever works best for your team members’ schedules!
- Gamification: This method rewards people with badges when they complete certain tasks within a certain amount of time (or meet other criteria). For example, if an employee gets all 19 correct answers on their quiz before anyone else does then they might receive additional points towards their next promotion – which encourages others who may not have been doing so well at first but eventually catch up with their peers later on down the line
4. Collaborate with Interns on a New Project
Interns are a great resource for new ideas and innovative approaches. They are often eager to learn, open-minded, and eager to share their ideas with you. Interns can also help you learn about new technologies or processes that could benefit your business in the future.
The best way to ensure that interns are successful is to set clear expectations from the beginning. If you have specific projects or tasks in mind, make sure that those are communicated before starting work.
An effective way to do this is to create a written internship agreement. An internship agreement should include information about the duration of the internship, what tasks will be performed, how those tasks will be evaluated and compensated.
5. Coaching
Coaching is a great way to open up a dialogue with an employee and get them invested in their own success. It is also a great way to keep employees engaged and motivated.
- What would you like to achieve this year?
- How do you think this project could go better next time?
- What are some things we can do together next week so that I know how things are going for you at work?
These are just a few ideas for how to use coaching as a leadership tool. There are many more — and the best way to learn is by doing.
Conclusion
Employee retention is very important for organisational growth, and one of the most effective ways to retain talent is through investment in their growth and development. Employee development is the key to maintaining a healthy workforce and keeping employees engaged with their company. When you invest in employee development, you are creating an environment where employees can grow their skills and feel supported by their employer.
As one of the best HR companies in Dubai, we can help you design and implement employee growth initiatives in your organisation. We create customised leadership and coaching programs for corporate businesses to ensure your employee growth and business success.