Driven and focused employees are the driving force behind every successful business. Whether you’re running a local retail store or a global conglomerate, your employees dictate the future of your organization.
As an employer, it’s up to you to identify effective ways to boost employee engagement and productivity. That, in turn, highlights the need for investing in the all-around development of your employees.
Employee development encompasses all the tools, perks, and resources you provide to your workers to help them excel at their job. It involves more than asking them to attend a few seminars and providing them with periodic bonuses.
In this blog, we’ll discuss a few useful strategies to invest in employee development. But let’s first understand why business owners and employers must focus on employee development.
The Importance of Employee Development
Here’s the thing – nearly 70% of employees in the U.S. report feeling disengaged with their jobs. Such employees are more likely to feel dissatisfied and demotivated at work.
This, in turn, will take a toll on their productivity, and even compel them to look for better opportunities. It’ll escalate employee turnover at your company, and result in heavy financial losses.
On the other hand, 93% of employees believe that they’d stick to their current job for longer if employers invested in their careers. When employees have access to the right tools and training, they’ll feel more motivated to contribute to your company’s growth.
When workers know their employer cares about their growth and wellbeing, they’ll be more engaged and devoted to their jobs. Also, they’ll be better equipped to perform their job.
Investing in employee development isn’t just beneficial for your workforce. It helps skyrocket your revenue and reduces employee turnover. Also, it boosts job satisfaction and encourages employees to go out of their way to accomplish business goals. It even helps you attract and retain new recruits.
So, what are the best ways to invest in employee development at your company? Let’s find out.
Focus on HR Training
The human resources department plays a key role in employee development and engagement. It is, therefore, important to invest in the right HR training programs to keep the department abreast of the latest laws and regulations governing employee welfare and labor rights.
Similarly, the right HR training courses will equip your employees with current procedures and trends in the industry. It’ll help HR professionals formulate employee-friendly policies and prioritize the welfare of the workforce.
Even though human resources training is an ongoing process, the associated benefits make it worthwhile to invest in these programs.
Define a Concrete Onboarding Strategy
Have you been struggling to engage and retain new recruits? Attracting top talent with the promise of career growth and incentives isn’t enough. You must ensure that new employees have a seamless transition to their job.
That emphasizes the need to develop a rock-solid onboarding program. Make sure new recruits are briefed in advance about the company culture and team hierarchies. Also, they should have a clear idea of how the first day and week at work will pan out.
It’s just as important to provide them with access to relevant software, equipment, and resources on their first day. Additionally, you could host a team meeting to welcome new recruits, and help them connect with their coworkers.
Hassle-free employee onboarding is even more important for today’s remote workforce. In the absence of proper onboarding, it’s easy for new employees to feel unengaged and unproductive.
Provide Opportunities for Career Advancement
The ultimate goal of employee development is to provide the workforce with opportunities to take their career to the next level. It involves identifying and encouraging them to participate in the right training programs.
While generic training courses for developing leadership and interpersonal skills work for everyone, most employees would benefit from specialized training related to their domain. It’ll help them upgrade their skills to perform better at their job.
Apart from training programs, you can also share relevant and useful resources with individual employees. It’ll help reinforce your employer brand and position your company as one that prioritizes employee development.
Motivate Your Workforce With the Right Employee Development Strategies
Getting through the workday and receiving a paycheck at the end of every month shouldn’t be the only goals driving your employees. The onus is on employers to implement suitable employee development programs to engage, motivate, and inspire the workforce.
Start by providing HR professionals with adequate training about resources, technology, laws, and regulations. Also, build a concrete onboarding program and provide employees with ample opportunities to learn new skills and reach greater heights in their careers.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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