“64% of Gen Z and millennials would leave a job that fails to provide professional development opportunities.”

(January 2021 issue of TD Magazine, page 9)

Someone recently asked me to speak to a group of leaders on the importance of employee development.  I said, “tell me more!”, and she went on to tell me all of the trainings they were interested in offering within the next year.  The list was impressive, but she was shocked when I asked, “what else?” – she thought they were doing so much already.

As a trainer and facilitator, of course, I love for organizations and teams to include “classroom-type” training in their plans.  Some of my favorite topics include Time Management and Goal Setting, CliftonStrengths®, The Five Behaviors®, and Creative Problem Solving.  These sessions can be helpful for individuals, teams, departments, and entire organizations, including employees at any level of the organization.

But when I ask, “what else?”, I mean that there are so many other options we can include in individual or organizational development plans.  Consider:

• Mentors*
• Coaches – internally* or externally
• Book clubs
• Lunch or coffee with a leader or executive
• Higher education
• Partnership with a community college or trade school
• Certifications
• Leading internal projects or stretch assignments
• Technical skills
• Opportunities to gain broader company knowledge through rotational programs
• Opportunities to gain broader business or industry knowledge through conferences

“56 % of employees say they do not receive any mentorship or coaching from their managers.”

(December 2020 issue of TD Magazine, page 17)

Why is employee development important?

The chief reason for both employees and employers is that employee development enables them to do their jobs better. It can also lead to increased pay and opportunities for the employee to advance – which benefits the employer, too, because it creates better retention and engagement!

Don’t forget the side effects of these additional learning opportunities as well:

• More appreciation for their company, which leads to more engagement, which leads to longer retention
• Better succession planning
• Higher productivity
• More opportunities for employees to share that they work for a great company

What are you or your organization doing to support employment development?  What else could you be doing?  Purple Ink can help – reach out to us for more information on how we can work with you or your team to design an employee development plan that goes beyond training!