Employee Skill Development: Everything You Need to Know

Employee turnover is a real problem that many companies need to take seriously. Companies’ HR teams and leaders need to find viable ways to retain their staff and provide them with opportunities to grow and advance in their careers. To be able to retain your employees, you need to learn some effective methods of employee development, when to use those methods and how to successfully implement them into your business. Here is everything you need to know about employee skill development.

What is employee skill development?

You’ve probably come across this term many times by now because employee development is also known as professional or staff development and it refers to the process of professional training with the support of the employer.

The point of this training is so that employees can improve their skills and enhance their knowledge and in that way advance in their careers.

However, employee development is more than just enhancing and shaping an individual’s skill set for a particular role. It’s an opportunity for individuals to advance on their own career paths.

And while the employer is the one that should encourage and provide learning opportunities, ultimately it’s up to each employee to take this opportunity seriously and do something with it.

Benefits of skill development

Investing in employee skill development can be very beneficial both for the employer and employees. One of the most obvious benefits for the employer would be the retention of staff and lower turnover rates, amongst other things.

Employees are always on the lookout for better opportunities and benefits, higher salaries, improved work/life balance, and so on. If you implement a good skill development plan you can reap many benefits and some of them include an increase in performance and productivity, attracting top talent, and continuous improvement and engagement of staff.

Skill development methods

Knowing which skill development methods are the best for your circumstances can help you focus and maximize production, and ultimately reach full organizational potential. Here are some of the methods that you may find useful.

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Training

As its name suggests, this first method includes training employees through different types of lectures, exercises, podcasts, video material, simulations, or group/individual assignments.

A formal approach to the training would be classroom-based training led by an instructor, downloading RTO materials, and enabling eLearning courses. On the other hand, an informal approach is watching YouTube videos, self-study, listening to podcasts, and reviewing blogs posts and similar content.

The point of training is to help employees gain new skills by allowing practical learning and assignments that will prepare them for new roles and duties.

Team building

A very popular way of encouraging employee development is team building. The whole purpose of team building is to motivate people to work together, develop their strengths and work on their weaknesses. It’s about collaboration, coordination, and improved interpersonal relationships at the workplace.

Mentoring

Another very good method of employee skill development includes mentoring or coaching. A great mentor can help anyone advance in their career, develop their skillset, and excel in any role. Having a workplace mentor has proven to be a great method for both employees and employers.

A mentor can be an experienced worker who is willing to give instructions and directions to workers, help them complete tasks, assign projects, monitor their work and improvement, and give feedback. Having a mentor in your company can be also beneficial both for the mentor and mentees alike.

Team interaction

Working with a bunch of people who you don’t know, or worse, dislike is very difficult and can seriously affect your productivity at work. This is why employers should encourage team interactions, interpersonal communication, and building relationships in the workplace.

Employees should also know that they can talk to their employer about anything without any hesitation. An employer should encourage questions and participation, start discussions, simply motivate and encourage the workers to be active participants in improving the business.

Feedback

This method is closely connected to the previous one. By allowing employees to share their opinions, make suggestions and share input, their efficiency in the workplace will be increased and they will feel like a vital part of the company.

However, employers also need to do their part. It’s up to the employer to give feedback, listen to and understand their employees, evaluate the progress, and look into shortcomings and similar things that will create a collaborative and diverse work environment.

Read also: Best Tips to Help Employees Grow and Develop

And that’s everything you need to know about employee skill development. It’s beneficial both for employers and employees as it can create an enjoyable working environment. If you decide to focus on employee skill development you can expect a more productive and loyal workforce, and you can also expect your business to flourish and grow at a more rapid pace.