Companies with the most talented, capable, and high-performing employees are
generally the ones that succeed. Employee career development is an initiative taken by
companies to enable the training and growth of employees within the organization.
This allows not only employees to grow but also organizations to fill in the gaps created by
emerging technologies and a shallow talent pool to fill these positions. Employee career
development has emerged as a significant driver of engagement and retention. Employees
now want more opportunities to hone existing skill sets, explore new disciplines, and
progress to positions of leadership.
98% of employers are using career development tools for their employees, but only 26% of
employees are happy with the results. 3 out of 4 respondents said they were “alone” in
formulating their career path, without adequate support from employers.
Despite companies already using career development tools, over a quarter of employers want
to invest further – indicating an abundance of tools in the HR technology market, but still not
achieving the desired outcomes.
the following strategies to promote the development of employees –
- Job training and continuing education help to fuel employee career growth. So, you’ll
want to encourage team members to pursue relevant business courses and workshops
that will further their career advancement. Virtual learning opportunities are a must for
many teams right now, and fortunately, there are many affordable options available. - Establishing a formal mentoring program might be one of the smartest moves a
company can make at any time — for itself as well as for its workers’ personal and
professional growth. Mentoring can also be an effective tool for onboarding remote
staff. - The human brain thrives on variety, and job rotation is a smart way to shake up your
workers’ daily routine. Consider allowing employees to work in different but related
departments or positions. (A job rotation program can help to facilitate this.) These
opportunities will help your team members gain new skills, more appreciation for their
colleagues’ duties and a better understanding of the business. - Hard work is a prerequisite for career advancement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean
committing to an endless series of lengthy workdays. Encourage your employees to
work smart, maximise their efficiency, and leave time and energy for their interests
outside of work. This advice is especially important for remote team members who may
find it difficult at times to keep work and life separate.
Employee development is a process in which employees improve their knowledge, skills and
career prospects with the support of their employer. This can be achieved through professional
training and skill development opportunities, mentoring, job shadowing, stretch assignments
and more. Employee development goes beyond acquiring skills for current roles to help
employees move forward on their individual career path.
What does Modern Employee Development Look Like?
Modern employee development programs should be structured in a way to offer fair and
inclusive opportunities for all employees. This means processes and programs should be
formalized and transparent, while being easy for employees to understand and access. These
programs should also be scalable across the organization—which means minimising the
manual work that HR professionals have to do to keep these programs running and effective.
Employee development is the process of improving employees’ competencies and skills or
helping them develop newer ones to support the organisation’s goals. Employee development
programs are programs designed to help employers achieve this goal. They improve employees’
skills and abilities, either to help them succeed in their current role or to prepare them for a
different position they could potentially occupy within a company.
Why Is Employee Development Important?
Employers who invest in staff development help their employees hone strengths and grow
skills, which better equips them for their current roles. This adds more value to the work they
do and directly benefits the business.
Take a look at these six reasons that further prove why employee development is important – - EMPLOYEES WANT CAREER GROWTHNo one wants a dead-end job at a company that doesn’t value its people. Record numbers of
employees have left their jobs in search of better work-life balance, pay and benefits, which
has been coined the Great Resignation. Another reason why employees are quitting jobs is
lack of professional development opportunities. - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS RETENTIONEmployee development is a long-term investment that can help retain and grow your talent.
More than 4 million U.S. workers quit their jobs in June 2022, and 40 percent of people
surveyed in six countries in 2022 indicated they plan to leave their jobs. So dedicating
resources to employee retention is more important than ever. - EMPLOYEES STAY AT COMPANIES THAT INVESTS IN STAFF DEVELOPMENTIf companies invested in staff development, 94 percent of employees would stay longer,
according to ClearCompany. People development is an attractive employee benefit. If you
don’t start investing in your team and developing your employees, they’ll find someone who
will. - EMPLOYEES IN TRAINING COURSES ARE MORE PRODUCTIVELearning and development opportunities improve productivity. It’s as simple as that.
Allowing employees to build their skills and knowledge increases their confidence, allowing
them to complete work more efficiently and effectively, according to Indeed. - COMPANIES THAT INVEST IN EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT ARE MORE
PROFITABLE –
Not only are employees who participate in professional development more productive,
employee development also boosts profitability. Research from the MIT Sloan School of
Management showed that an employer’s year-long soft skills training program led to a
roughly 250 percent return on investment within eight months.
CREATING A SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Evaluate your company and long-term goals.
Create employee-specific development plans.
Provide development offerings.
Evaluate your efforts and solicit feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is employees career development?
Career development is the support that an organisation gives to its employees’ professional
growth, particularly when they move to a new position or project within the organisation.
Coaching, mentoring, skill development, networking, and career planning are all common forms
of assistance.
How do you develop an employee career path? - Update Your Organisational Chart. First, if you don’t have an org chart, create one.
- Define Job Positions.
- Track a Roadmap For Each Skills Track.
- Identify Training Needs.
- Create Training and Development Programs.
- Document Your Career Path Program.
- Map Each Employee’s Career Path.
Why career development is important to an employee?
Career development increases employee motivation and productivity. Attention to career
development helps you attract top staff and retain valued employees. Supporting career
development and growth of employees is mandated by the Philosophy of Human Resources
Management.
How can you improve employee skills?
There are a number of ways you can support employee development: individual coaching,
workshops, courses, seminars, shadowing or mentoring, or even just increasing their
responsibilities. Offering these opportunities will give employees additional skills that allow them
to improve their efficiency and productivity.
What are examples of development plans for employees? - Land an internship in a sales department.
- Work on verbal and written communication skills.
- Receive various sales certifications.
- Become a junior salesperson.
- Increase sales numbers each year.
- Receive management certifications.
- Apply for sales manager positions.
