It’s extremely difficult to find good help these days. That’s exactly why many companies are offering development opportunities to their current employees.
“The Upskilling Imperative”
Deloitte calls it “the upskilling imperative,” suggesting that providing development opportunities not only helps companies but also helps the workforce by preparing them for the jobs of the future. They even suggest companies with a strong learning culture are 92% more productive and likely to develop new processes and products. Surveys show employees who receive professional development opportunities from their employer are 15% more engaged at work and 34% more likely to stay in their jobs.
Organizations need to offer employees development opportunities. Here are six suggestions for how you can pull it off.
Six Ways to Promote Employee Development Opportunities
Employee development initiatives are a way to invest back in your workforce. This can help with retention and improve employee productivity. As part of this process, ensure that you are selecting the right kinds of opportunities your employees want. Surveying your workforce before developing a program of this type will ensure that you create the right kind of opportunities at the right time. Some of the typical development opportunities that may work well in your business include:
- Online training sessions. This can be an in-house training program or an external with credentials. These can be taken in a group or as an individual. Make sure, no matter the type of session, that you create recognition for going through the training. This will help the employee feel good about completing the training but also help promote the initiative to the rest of the team.
- Supervisor mentorship and coaching. You may not think of managerial coaching as a development opportunity, but it is—again, assuming this is what the employee wants. Most employees want more direction and feedback. Having a mentor or coach helps employees go through a continuous learning experience that can be very positive and beneficial.
- Learning in the traditional classroom is always a go-to for employers. With the growth of remote work, this option may be slightly less feasible. However, training a classroom of workers on site not only ensures they have the skills you want but also gives them crucial bonding time together.
- Peer coaching and mentorship, in some ways, may be more beneficial than having a manager train your teams. Mentoring programs offer ways for employees to bond together while sharing important cultural and educational information.
- Cross-training creates value in your workforce. It allows employees to avoid burning out or just getting bored with their existing job. It can even help you with staffing when people are out sick—you’ve already got someone potentially to fill the gap.
- Stretch assignments are the perfect challenge for your workforce. These tasks offer employees new skills to learn and greater responsibilities. Again, though, make sure these learning opportunities actually matter to the workers themselves.
Contact Lingo Staffing Today
Organizations that offer their employee’s skills training and other development opportunities are more likely to engage and retain their workforce. But if you’re searching for new employees to add to your team, Lingo Staffing has it covered. Talk with us about how we can help you reach your hiring goals.
