When it comes to growing your organization and fostering greater employee engagement, an employee development plan may be the solution. Consider trying these steps and see if an employee development program would be beneficial to your colleagues and overall business.
Create Opportunities
To help an employee reach their full potential, make sure to provide them with opportunities to improve their skills and learn. This can be done in a variety of ways. One option is to create special projects that require specific attention to areas where the employee wants to improve. If the employee is hoping to perfect their public speaking skills, ask them to work on an internal presentation about one of the projects they are currently working on.
Another idea is to get them in touch with a career mentor. Ideally this would be a supervisor or senior advisor in their field of choice who can advise them on the best ways to elevate their career. Alternatively, if the employee wants to build their leadership capabilities, put them in touch with someone that they themselves could mentor.
Lastly, provide networking opportunities in the company so employees have a chance to talk with people in other departments and learn more about what goes into each part of the organization. This will allow them to gain a better understanding of what they do and how that intersects with other people’s work.
Make it Personal
Each employee is different which means everyone’s goals should be personalized. Take the time to sit with every individual and discuss their motivating factors and areas where they’d like to improve. A great way to do this is to identify development activities, like those mentioned above. Once you have a clear set of goals established, you can come up with a timeframe and deadline for them to work with, and if they’d like, offer some check-in points to track their progress and address any concerns that may arise.
Ask for Feedback
The only way to truly know if the employee development program is a success is to ask the people participating in it. Take time to talk to employees about how they feel it’s going, where it could be improved, and if they have any ideas for further opportunities for growth. This will ensure that everyone feels valued and appreciated, and in turn will help the program be a success.
Employee development programs are a great opportunity to motivate and encourage employees on their path of personal and professional growth. Try these tips today and enjoy the win-win benefits that can come from higher employee engagement.
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