When you bring a new employee on board, it’s usually with the assumption that this person will grow from a professional standpoint over time. What isn’t always taken into consideration is how that growth will happen. The type of employee development your business needs doesn’t happen on its own, instead it needs to be encouraged and nurtured.
There are countless reasons why you’d want to make an investment in developing your workforce, including the fact that employees with skills that have been cultivated are more likely to stay around, contribute greater value to your team, and save you the costs of hiring and onboarding new employees.
It takes more than a solid corporate training program to continually develop your workforce. In fact, the most effective way of building the professional skills of your team comes through the more subtle ways that you encourage it. Here are just a few examples.
Be a Role Model
Leading by example is one of the most important steps you can take to encourage development among your workforce. When team members witness the management team making conscious efforts to polish their professional skillsets, it provides them with the incentive to work on building up their own.
Openly Communicate and Provide Feedback
It’s near impossible for employees to work toward professional development when they don’t have a working idea of what their strong and weak points are. Taking the time to communicate with your workforce and providing consistent feedback provides team members with a foundation to grow off of.
Test Their Limits
Lack of trust on behalf and employers and a lack of self-confidence among team members rank high on the list of reasons why workforces remain stagnant. If you want growth, you have to take chances and that means encouraging your team to step out of their comfort zone and stretch their professional capabilities.
The next time you’re looking to delegate a new task or responsibility, try approaching someone that you know has the drive and potential if given the opportunity.
Provide High-Quality Learning Opportunities
Continual team development often comes as an afterthought for many companies. If your efforts haven’t extended beyond an occasional meeting to update your workforce on new procedures or policies, then it’s time to consider providing them with real professional growth opportunities. Think along the lines of professional workshops, conferences
Help Them With Professional Networking
Networking can be one of the most effective tools for broadening your workforce’s professional circles and introducing them to development opportunities that they’ll get excited about. As someone with feet firmly established in the industry, you have the opportunity to help them with this process. Provide them with tips, introduce them to network connections, and place role models within their line of sight.
Let Us Help You Build a Great Team
Encouraging development among your workforce begins with building a team of exceptional employees. As a provider of professional staffing services, this is where we can help your business shine. We’re committed to helping you build a strong team with the most skilled employees. Contact Top Notch Personnel today to discuss your workforce needs.
