Why Employee Development Needs to Be Personal
By Fay Capstick
We all know that employees who are happy in their jobs perform better and are more loyal to their company. However, paying lip service to employee development isn’t enough. Employee development needs to be an active process, and, most importantly, it needs to be individual and customised to every employee. This week we will look at employee development and why the individual approach is the best way.
What is employee development?
Employee development just means helping employees to acquire new skills. No job is static. Things change and new skills are needed. New skills can help an employee progress in their career. This means that companies that actively develop their employees are upskilling their workforce and helping increase the value of their staff.
Employee development is particularly important as the AI Revolution gets started, as it means that most people will need to learn new skills to make the most of what AI will have to offer in the workplace in future.
Why is employee development important?
Employee development is important because as well as benefitting the employer, it benefits the employee. Employees who feel that their skills are being developed are more likely to have a positive experience with their employer, more likely to stay on with their employer (employee retention is directly related to the experience that an employee has with the employer) and will positively promote their workplace to peers.
For the employer, by improving the skills of your workforce you improve the skills base available to you. This will help you to achieve your business goals. This is very important in a fast-changing economy or business environment.
What are the four types of employee development?
There are four types of employee development: assessment, formal education, job experience and interpersonal relationships.
Assessment: This is in the form of frequent feedback from managers, co-workers and customers, to assess the skills and performance of a worker. This can then lead to review meetings where the employee’s performance and progress are discussed. This lets the employee see whether they are meeting their set goals. This will be highly individual to the employee and provide a reassuring point of contact with managers. It can also be a way of deciding whether any formal education or training courses are needed.
It is important to note that employee review and development needs to occur at all levels. 360-degree feedback and help assess managers.
Formal education: This is structured training. It can happen in the workplace, on-site with the provider, or via remote learning. It may lead to a formal recognised qualification that the employee can add to their CV.
Interpersonal relationships: Again, these develop on the job. Managers need to be observant and collect feedback, as employee interaction can help signpost what employee development might be needed. This could also be via formal or informal mentoring.
An obvious leader might be identified as a potential for management training. However, individual development is the key factor, and not everyone who could be a great manager wants to be one.
Job experience: On the job is where most of an employee’s development will happen. It is something that will slowly develop as they settle into a job, interacting with peers, customers, and clients. Hopefully, new skills will be developed this way and employees will grow and extend their capabilities. This will be an individual experience that will largely come down to how much an employee pushes themselves. Regular assessments will establish how much employee development is appropriate.
What is individual employee development?
This means that all forms of assessment and employee development need to be tailored to each individual. No two employees are identical in their skill set and goals. Everyone responds to challenges differently. Some people will be keen to progress up a career ladder and do it quickly, others might not want to go this route. Find out what it is that is motivating each staff member and work with that. There is no cookie-cutter member of your staff, and there is no cookie-cutter way of helping their development.
What is the most important thing a manager can do?
The most important thing that a manager can do is listen to their employee. Learn about them. What are their skills and life experiences? What areas can be developed? Find out what their goals are and how you can help them be reached. Or perhaps, for some individuals, it isn’t the right time in their career or personal life for development to happen. Respect that and regularly check in to see when it is the right time.
Final thoughts
At Parker Shaw, we have been at the forefront of the sector we serve, IT & Digital Recruitment and Consulting, for over 30 years. We can advise you on all your hiring needs.
If you are looking for your next job in the IT sector please check our Jobs Board for our current live vacancies at https://parkershaw.co.uk/jobs-board