Importance Of Training And Development For Employees
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Employee training and development programs are essential to the success of businesses worldwide. Not only do these programs offer opportunities for staff to improve their skills, but also for employers to enhance employee productivity and improve company culture.
They also can reduce employee turnover and a 2020 Work Institute study shows just how important that can be for a companys bottom line. Voluntary employee turnover, according to the report, costs U.S. businesses more than $630 billion annually.
Its no surprise that employees who get regular opportunities to learn, develop, and advance are more likely to stay with a company. Bob Nelson, author of 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees, reports that learning and development are among the top factors in employee engagement.
Employee development is the continuous effort to strengthen work performance through approaches like coaching, training sessions, and leadership mentoring. Training is a specific event that teaches new information or skills, often provided to new or newly promoted employees. Both are key functions of corporate human resources staff, who typically are responsible for planning and implementing these efforts. A bachelors degree in human resource management can help prepare you to lead training and development programs at your organization.
Why Is Professional Development Important
Employee development not only empowers employees or boosts employee morale, but it allows your staff to hone their skills and talents through new knowledge. When providing employees with new abilities, companies also lower their turnover rate. Businesses with higher employee morale will likely invest time and money in learning and development strategies. Other than that, it makes room for career advancement and helps your staff become quick learners and key performers. Investing in outcomes directly linked to business performance ensures that your employees will be vital long-term contributors to your companys success. In short, employee development helps boost business competence and increases employee loyalty and motivation.
Creative Employee Growth And Development Ideas
Employee development is an important part of creating a culture of continuous learning within your organization.
Unfortunately, many small and midsize businesses dont have a big budget for the latest and greatest advances in employee development. Because of that, leaders often make the wrong assumption that any company-sponsored professional development is financially out of reach.
The good news is, even if your company lacks the deep pockets of a major corporation, you can still absolutely build up your employees knowledge and have them learn new skills.
In this article, you will learn:
- Why career development training programs are important
- What to do before you start employee training
- Cost-effective employee development ideas
- Why its important to invest in your people
- Learning and development must-haves for todays workforce
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Engaging Employees With Career Development Workshops
Posted on 10 March 2022
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An Australian business wanted to support their employees and increase their level of engagement in planning and developing their careers, as well as improve employee retention.
The business wanted to provide additional options for career development and planning for their employees and enhance engagement, so that their employees could explore the full variety of career options within the organisation. Enhancing staff retention was also a key driver.
The business partnered with Directioneering to develop a tailored career development program, focusing on personal branding for their employees.
We provided a series of career development workshops across three states for both managers and employees, aligned with the organisations personal development plan process, so that development options for employees could be included.
These workshops focused on enhancing employees skills so that they could have meaningful career conversations and effectively use career development tools. Focusing on an array of career exploration tools designed to build self-awareness, employees were encouraged to focus on their personal brand.
- Great to know our organisation supports us and is encouraging us to invest in ourselves.
- The pace of the workshop was brilliant. Happily surprised by the content and relevance!
Invite An Expert From Your Network
Reach out to your network of business associates and clients to find experts who are willing to speak to your employees about a topic, either virtually or in person. Its a win-win it flatters your professional contacts, and your employees will learn something new. Your contact may also return the favor by asking you or someone from your company to present to their employees or peers, which could eventually lead to new business for both of you or, at least, positive word of mouth about your company.
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Dont Ignore Traditional Resources
Theres still value in traditional approaches to education and development. For example, trade magazines and journals most no longer printed, but all available online are always reliable sources of industry news and trends.
Furthermore, some employees may still want to access recorded, self-paced presentations.
Its a matter of knowing your employees and their wants.
Achieve Together Preparing Yourself For The Process
Wed., 8/24/22, 12:30 4:30 pm
This offering for non-represented employees will provide an overview of the Achieve Together performance program. This interactive workshop will also include planning and practice activities such as creating and communicating goals, engaging in productive check-in conversations, and optimizing your coachability, to prepare you to fully engage in your own performance development process with your manager.
Presenters: Colin Gerker-Junsay, Sr. Talent Strategy Partner, People & Culture, and Lisa Rykert, , Career & Professional Development Lead, People & Culture
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Paint The Big Picture
Reminding employees of their unique contributions to the companys mission adds meaning to their role. It can also increase their motivation to expand their responsibilities and advance in the organization.
Dont assume they already know how their work adds value, however. Offer regular insights into how their day-to-day actions make a difference to the organization. In your regular updates to team members, be sure to highlight the firms progress toward key objectives. And acknowledge individual employees for specific achievements that are helping to drive the company toward those goals.
Become A Dwi Champion
Development Workshop is a private, not-for-profit Corporation. We are driven and guided by our mission, which is to assist individuals who have a disability or who are disadvantaged to recognize and to achieve their chosen level of economic and social independence.
As a leading provider of quality rehabilitation services with over 40 years of success, Development Workshop is not only a great place to launch your career in the service of others, but to develop and hone your business skills, too.
The complexity and breadth of our business, which includes providing rehabilitation and job placements to manufacturing and marketing, ensures that opportunities are not only challenging, but personally rewarding as well.
Development Workshop is a great place to work. We offer:
Full-time
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Breaking Down Employee Training And Development
Even though the terms training and development are used interchangeably, there are a couple of differences between the two concepts. The differences are related to the scope of their applications. Essentially, a training program comes with very precise and measurable goals such as learning how to perform a particular procedure with accuracy or how to operate a piece of machinery.
On the contrary, a developmental program centers on acquiring broader skills that can be applied in a wide range of situations. They include skills such as decision-making, communication, and leadership.
Continuous Learning Begins With You
Possibilities are endless when you take the initiative to learn and grow as a professional at Yale. Developing an Individual Development Plan with your manager can open the door to a new career direction. Completing your Talent Profile helps your manager understand your background and the unique skills you bring to Yale. Build confidence by sharing new knowledge with colleagues or find a mentor by joining an Affinity Group. There are numerous opportunities at Yale to learn and grow.
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Management And Leadership Training
According to the report, 32 percent of respondents said they were most interested in management and leadership training. Though this is a broad category, the effect of fostering confident leaders is unmistakable good managers can improve employee engagement and overall retention.
One of the best ways to encourage manager development is by offering online courses. At University of Massachusetts Global, for instance, professionals can enroll in classes like and . In addition to reviewing relevant case studies, students engage in interactive assignments and receive support from dedicated instructors. Webinars also offer an effective learning opportunity that allows employees to engage from their desks. For an in-person option, try hosting internal workshops that are run by high-level managers who share insight and offer practical tips.
Tips On How To Integrate Professional Development At Work
- Professional development is most effective when integrated into peoples daily work. Employees can make the most of career development by giving employees more control and offering flexible learning opportunities.
- Consider using e-learning platforms and e-courses such as Udemy courses to make learning and workplace training more convenient, particularly for remote teams. Online learning makes it easier for your staff to learn at their own pace and anywhere they want to.
- Capitalise on team collaboration platforms such as Slack, where teams can easily communicate and learn from each other daily. Encourage using these platforms to share industry knowledge and business insights.
- Online surveys are an HR managers ally. To lead others also means to learn from them. Conduct regular employee surveys to identify your employees needs. Encourage feedback to understand what could be improved whenever offering a workshop or training. Professional development is not a one-off activity and needs continuous evaluation for you to tailor opportunities that help your employees thrive.
- Embrace failure. Ensure that workers are aware that failing is not only acceptable, but also the norm. Encourage team members to see these situations as an opportunity to grow to remove the stigma associated with failure. Risk-taking will then be more prevalent among people.
Discover our learning and development activities.
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Collect And Act On Feedback
Gathering feedback from participants is one of the many strategies to enhance your training. This is because the trainees know what’s happening and what needs to change for the training to be effective. There are many methods for collecting feedback, such as surveys, focus group discussions and questionnaires. Your plan strategy may require adjustments and improvements over time, considering training progress, team member input and new business objectives. A flexible approach to training enables you to alter the course in response to new information and insights.
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Cover Letter Writing Practice Lab
Thurs., 8/4/22, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Heres a common scenario: You come across an ideal job posting and youre eager to apply. However, you feel stuck because you want to write that standout cover letter to communicate that you are the most skilled and enthusiastic candidate for the role. Yet, you are not sure how to best focus your message. In this experiential practice lab, we will review the purpose and elements of compelling cover letters. We will share examples and guide you through writing your own exceptional draft cover letter. For optimal engagement, please come to this practice lab with a selected job posting of your choice that you would like to use as the focus for your cover letter draft.
Presenters: Linda Lundberg, , Transition Services Lead, People & Culture and Lisa Rykert, , Career & Professional Development Lead, People & Culture
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Define Roles And Responsibilities
The next step is to outline the roles and responsibilities of the identified roles. Defining roles is essential because when employees understand what they’re required to do, they’re better positioned to do it. An effective personal development plan starts with an evaluation of the existing roles. Setting up a small group with key people from different levels in the organisation helps you define job descriptions. In the end, clear roles enable better internal controls, enhance process management and improve operational efficiency.
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Training And Development Help With Reducing Employee Turnover
Considering the costly prospect of employee turnover, companies are seeking ways to keep employees on board. Training and development are important to reducing employee turnover.
The Work Institute study shows job characteristics such as training comprised the fastest-growing category of reasons for voluntary turnover up 117% since 2013. And, in 2019, educational technology company Instructure released results of a survey showing that 70% of U.S. employees say they are at least somewhat likely to leave a current employer and take a new role with an employer that invests in training and development. The following are some ways that employee training and development are key in reducing employee turnover.
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Use Career Development To Meet Todays Staffing Needs
Its time for companies to get creative with their staffing plans. Im not saying to end traditional recruiting as we know it. But thinking about an employees career development can help organizations meet both their current and future staffing needs.
If you want to learn more about using career development as a part of your hiring strategy, join me and the Criteria Corp team on Tuesday, June 4 at 10a Pacific / 1p Eastern for the webinar Future-proof Your Workforce by Hiring for Trainability. And if you cant make it for the live session, go ahead and sign up anyway to get the recording. I look forward to seeing you then.
Teamwork And Interpersonal Skills Training
It may seem like investing in technical skills is the most sensible thing to do, but dont overlook soft skills. Competencies like emotional intelligence, communication and collaboration are just as important. These are the types of skills that keep your departments thriving.
While some critics may argue that these skills cant be taught, there are certainly ways to develop these competencies with the right training. There are plenty of informal exercises that can help workers improve their communication, collaboration and creative thinking.
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Better Teams And Collaboration
Teams function more efficiently when they exchange experiences, ideas, information and skills. Organisations rely on people to learn if they want to remain competitive. Understanding the organisation’s goals and cooperating to achieve them is necessary for each team member. The key to successful teamwork is team learning. Initiatives in learning and development teach participants how to collaborate and help one another. When team ties are strong, they’re more likely to engage with their work.
Training And Development Assist With Improving Company Culture
Improving company culture is another benefit of providing employee training and development programs. Chris Dyer, author of the 2018 book The Power of Company Culture, reports that training and development opportunities are in line with attributes he calls the key pillars for a strong company culture:
- Transparency Communicating about organizational details such as staff feedback and financial status
- Positivity Accepting challenges by building on an organizations strengths
- Measurement Collecting, measuring, and evaluating information.
- Acknowledgment Praising and rewarding good work
- Uniqueness Advancing a companys unique qualities
- Listening Encouraging active listening that leads to action
- Mistakes Fostering an environment where employees learn from missteps
Dyer notes that company leaders should be open about the importance of training and development to the company and its employees as part of a positive culture. The following are among the ways training and development programs can help improve company culture.
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What Is A Learning And Development Plan
A learning and development plan is a course of action detailing how you want to handle employee development to help them meet organisational objectives. Learning entails obtaining the knowledge and abilities required to carry out one’s professional duties. Development is the process of broadening an employee’s knowledge in line with their personal and organisational objectives. Learning and development promotes employee engagement in the workplace and improves financial and business outcomes, staff productivity, performance and innovation. A personal development plan includes the following elements:
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why learning and development are necessary
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what organisational goals the plan aims to achieve
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which people require development
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when development may take place
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how and where the training may take place
When finalised, your personal development plan serves as a road map of where you want you or your team to be at the end of the timeframe you’ve established. Although this is your main goal, your strategy may also include other goals, such as succession planning, employee happiness and creating a talent pipeline that continues to meet goals.
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Professional Development Activities And Ideas For Hybrid Teams In 2022
Professional development is the ongoing process of learning and acquiring skills, with employee career advancement being the primary goal. Professional development can be anything from public speaking training to a diversity and inclusion workshop- these activities serve as a means for employees to improve their job performance through learning.
According to Slack, employees given professional development opportunities have higher job satisfaction, are more engaged and therefore more productive at work.
In this article, we discuss the role and importance of professional development, then activities and ideas that business owners, team leaders, and HR managers can implement in their company.
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Get The Human Resource Skills To Support Strong Training And Development
Training and development programs provide a host of benefits. They enhance employee performance, boost employee productivity, reduce employee turnover, and improve company culture. Explore the importance of training and development programs for employees and employers by pursuing a career in human resources.
Maryville Universitys online Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management can equip you with the knowledge and skills to help companies provide effective employee training and development opportunities. You will focus on areas such as critical evaluation, cultural effectiveness, leadership, consultation, communication, ethics, and relationships management with a foundation in business concepts. And you will learn about these topics in a flexible, online curriculum that offers opportunities to pursue a masters degree along with your undergraduate training.
Discover how Maryvilles Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management program can help you pursue your career goals.
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