Employee Development – Why is it Important?

Companies who include employee development as an integral part of their brand message has a lot of positive effects on the employees and the organization. Majority of the industries also encourage businesses to invest in employee development and consider it as part of their retention program.

Therefore, the question now is why employee development is essential? Here are some of the answers that ever recruiter, HR professionals, and managers should know.

Employee Development – Benefits for the Employee

Career Competencies

Employees seek professional development as they learn soft and technical skills which are required for their role in the organization. Intensive training programs also help employees be prepared for the changing environment of the company. It also prepares the employees to cope for future requirements of their position or promotion which could lead to job satisfaction.

Employee Satisfaction

Development programs for employees indicate that the company cares for the employees which they will reciprocate by becoming loyal and satisfied with the firm. It’s not a secret that spending money and giving value to the work to employees benefits the organization in the long run especially as it lowers employee turnover.

Increase in Confidence

Employees who have undergone employee development reported having an increase in their learning confidence and confidence in themselves. The result is especially high among employees who have no experience in their current role in the organization. It provides them with the opportunity to be confident in handling new tasks or role.

Motivation in the Workplace

Employee development scheme fosters motivation among employees and also enhances relationship among co-workers and their managers. Being motivated in the workplace does not only result in positive personal outlook, but it also improves the work environment. Classes among co-workers provide employees with the opportunity to interact with each other and understand one another.  

‘Halo’ Effect Outside of Work

Having a positive experience in the workplace creates a ‘halo’ effect on the life of the employee. In this manner, their life outside the organization also gains a positive impact and the people around them are also affected by the benefits, motivation, and satisfaction they get at work.

Employee Development – Benefits for the Employer

Employee Engagement

Focusing on developing employees establishes employee engagement in terms of their daily activities within the firm. Engaging in the company’s mission and goals and achieving strategic imperatives are some of the benefits of employee development in the firm. The process allows them to identify their role in the organization and what step they should do to showcase their skills within their role.

Organizational Learning

If the company encourages develop knowledge in your workers, the firm also sees growth in terms of learning and moving towards one direction – organizational success. Education encourages innovation and awareness which positively affects the values and mission of the company.

Application of Skills and Knowledge

The employer benefits from the skills and knowledge acquired by the employees in the class and could result in an additional valuable resource of the company. The trained employees can also be a valuable source by sharing their skills and knowledge to others which could help the organization in terms of, for example, language or IT enhancement, in the future.

Market Positioning

Employee development is beneficial for the company as they can use this as a selling point of the organization during the attraction and hiring process. It can be used as a positive point for talents to choose to work with the company in developing their skills and abilities. Moreover, it can also be used by the HR as part of their retention plan in order to lower staff turnover. A dynamic learning environment in the workplace is one of the critical reasons why employees are loyal and motivated to be part of the company.

With all of these, it is then essential for companies to develop a strategic employee development plan and practice. This is the case primarily as these practices benefit the employees and the employer. Therefore, work with a business and HR consultant in developing these platforms to ensure that the strategies applied are the best for your employees.