Investing in Employee Development: Why It Matters

Why small businesses need to invest in employee development

A small business often does not have the luxury of a bigger business. If you are a small business owner, how does investing in your employees benefit you? Some of these benefits are:

• Performance improvement: If your employees feel satisfied and engaged in their work, they become more productive. By offering training sessions and helping employees grow, you will see a significant increase in performance. Who knows? You may even see some new skills in your employees you never knew they had. If you have not supported your employees, consider making the switch today and enjoy the results.
• Attracting and retaining top talent: There are plenty of talented people in the job market today. How do you make your company more attractive to these people? Simple, you need to give them a chance to grow. You need to show these brilliant individuals that you invest in your employees. They need to know that the company will support them and allow them to grow beyond even their own expectations.
• Discover new skills and talents: You can't always know what your employees can do when you hire them. How will you know whether an employee is ready for a leadership position if you don't give them a chance to prove it? As an employer, the best thing you can do is spend time with your employees to get a better sense of what they are capable of. While this may sound time-consuming, think of the ultimate benefit to your business.
• Gaining an edge over competitors: How can you keep up with your competitors if your employees aren't up-to-date on industry trends? If you offer ongoing training sessions, you can ensure that your employees are up-to-date on industry trends and best practices.

What does employee development look like?

Though there are many benefits to helping your employees grow, implementing an employee development program can be daunting. There are many questions that you need to answer. What kind of training should you offer? What do you hope to achieve? Will it be mandatory? These questions will depend on your company and the resources at your disposal.

The first step is to analyze which employees need the most training and in what areas. You can't know where to place the band-aid until you know where the bleeding is coming from. By identifying what you're doing well and what needs work, you can streamline your efforts to produce maximum benefit.

Once you have identified which employees need help and in which areas, make sure your goals and their goals are aligned. Discuss with your employees to determine what type of training they need, what they want to learn, and how they would like to learn.

A good employee development plan should address the following gaps:

• How the company and the industry are growing
• How many new leaders do you need to train if you plan a huge expansion in the next few years?
• Are you thinking of going into a new industry?
• Do you have enough people in place who are ready to take your company to that next level?

You can offer different options for learning styles. For example, you can have a lunch-and-learn session that creates a relaxed environment for your employees to learn. Online courses can also be a good option. Whether you give employees access to an online course, have them teach each other, or bring in guest speakers, the benefits of employee development are undeniable. What's the harm in helping your employees grow?

Pro tip: How to know if your development plan is working

You've spent time creating an employee development plan. How will you know it's working? Take time to talk to employees and get their feedback on what they would like more or less of. Identify any obstacles that make it hard for them to attend training sessions, like too much work or interruptions, and figure out how to make it easier for them to attend training sessions.

Top ten employee development ideas

If you are thinking of implementing an employee development plan, below are some ideas on how to go about it.

• A good onboarding experience: You've probably heard the expression, "the first impression is the last impression." The onboarding stage is the only opportunity you may have to convince your employees to stick around. Remember, new employees don't know much about your company, and if you fumble the ball here, it will be very difficult to change their opinion of the company later.
• Providing training programs for existing employees: Learning should not stop after onboarding. If you want to continue showing you care about your employees, it is crucial to provide regular training. Ultimately, this will strengthen your brand and reputation. You can leverage Speechless solutions here. We have a broad network of speakers and niche experts ready to engage your employees and leave them better equipped.
• Consider a lunch-and-learn session: The fastest way to get to your employees is through their stomachs, right? Consider turning an expert's presentation into a lunch-and-learn session. Employees can bring their lunch, or you can cater for it. Employees love these sessions because they have a narrow scope, don't take too much time, and make smart use of their time.
• Encouraging personal development: How is your employees' mental, intellectual and physical health? Encourage your employees to stand and walk around every few hours. It is not healthy for them to spend so much time seated. You can also ask them questions geared towards understanding their mental health. Are they frustrated? Overworked? Is everything okay in their personal life? What can you do to help?  
• Shifting to microlearning: Believe it or not, no one finds day-long conferences and static PowerPoint slides enticing anymore. If you overwhelm your employees with too much information in one sitting, they will likely forget it within 24 hours, making it a complete waste of time. Microlearning can help you counteract this problem. Take all the information you want employees to learn and break it down into smaller chunks that will take your employees a few minutes to complete. Since microlearning doesn't overwhelm employees, it leads to better retention and completion rates.
• Making the training more fun: How do you capture your employee's attention? You can incorporate video lessons and virtual simulations into your training plan. Keep in mind that there is a right way to incorporate videos and virtual simulations. Don't just record an hour-long video and send it to employees. IT is important to ensure the videos are fun, interactive, and no longer than two minutes to ensure employees find them fun. You can also incorporate some quizzes after the video or virtual simulation.
• Implementing a mentorship program: Why should you implement a mentorship program? A mentorship program helps new employees understand the company culture and policies and helps non-performing employees excel and become the best version of themselves.
• Emphasizing soft skills: Yes, it is hard to see the value of these skills in the workplace. However, you may find that skills like critical thinking and problem-solving will come in handy in helping your employees become more self-reliant.
• Rewarding your best employees: Your employees will be more motivated to complete a training program if they know a reward is waiting for them upon completion.
• Investing in mobile learning: In this day and age, who doesn't have a smartphone? Apart from being convenient, mobile learning increases completion and absorption rate since employees can access their phones anywhere, anytime.

Excited about Equipping Your Employees? Count Speechless In

At Speechless, we are excited about helping businesses unlock the potential of their employees. We match you with speakers who are experts in your field and areas you want to develop your employees in. Hop on a call with us today, and let's discuss tailored employee development programs for your business.