Learning and development opportunities have found their way to the heart of company policy and procedure. Employees have come to expect that their careers ambitions are supported and advanced by their employers.
Of course, there are many advantages to prioritising employee career progression. Organisations that offer learning, development, and promotion opportunities will retain its team. Your employees and their skills are more likely to stay within your walls. Not only will employees feel valued and engaged in their work, but you’ll offer innovation, boost productivity, and increase motivation.
Of course, talented employees may fly your nest, but they won’t forget your support. You’ll reap the benefits when they remember you were an employer who nurtured their skills. When you’re advertising for that senior position, they’ll be eager to return!
Here are some ways in which employers and managers can support the career ambitions of their teams.
Take a personal interest.
Managers should regularly meet with employees to discuss their learning needs and career ambitions. This personal contact demonstrates genuine interest, making staff feel valued and nurtured.
Your conversations should help your team to create a personal career map so they are able to visualise how your business can help them reach their goals. The map should identify milestones and your plan will highlight how both you, and the organisation, will help them reach each target along the way.
Prioritise and promote training and development.
Employers should encourage team members to pursue learning and development. Time should be taken to highlight learning opportunities when they arise, offering and advertising them to teams.
Virtual opportunities such as webinars are readily available and have become more affordable, especially since the pandemic.
More recently, learning budgets have taken a hit, and extending these opportunities may make negotiations trickier. However, employee learning is an investment and it’s arguably more costly to lose dispirited employees to competitors! ROI is a key metric, and investing in learning and development will rarely disappoint.
Perhaps you can distribute the learning more widely by asking your attendee to feedback to their colleagues as part of the learning model.
Mentoring and job sharing.
Creating a mentoring scheme is a cost-effective way to support the learning and development of teams. It is a reciprocal relationship that motivates and educates each party.
Senior staff members pass on their insights and offer professional guidance while up-and-coming employees deliver fresh perspectives and emerging technological know-how.
Rotate employee roles.
Diversity and variety keep your employees motivated and interested. It allows them to develop new interests and extend their skills, knowledge, and career prospects.
Job rotation is one way in which employers can support this idea. These opportunities will extend their understanding of other’s jobs and have more appreciation for their colleagues’ duties. It also gives a greater understanding of the organisation and the industry.
Join the dots.
One function of employee development is to enable the organisation to meet its goals. Employees want to know their work is contributing and making a difference to the bigger picture. By reminding the employee of their value, you will add meaning to their work.
Managers should take time to offer these insights to teams and communicate how their day-to-day work is making improvements.
Create succession plans.
Succession planning allows employees to see that their position in the company is valued and that you’re willing to invest in their development. You should try to create a succession plan for every position in your organisation. Employees can then visualise their progression within the business and see how they may evolve in the future. It will also give employees the drive to learn the skills and knowledge needed to advance their careers.
Are you looking for more ways in which you can support your employees?
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