9 Ideas To Create a Brilliant Employee Development Plan
Have you ever been so good at something that you got bored of it?
For me, I recall my days playing the video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour.
When I first started out, I stank.
But roughly a thousand virtual rounds of golf later, and I was a master.
See, the game wasn’t challenging anymore, so I lost interest. With that, I raised the difficulty setting to Tour Pro, which was a completely different experience that kept me engaged for the long haul.
You see, humans naturally seek adversity, to some degree.
And workplace learning is one of the best ways for people to challenge themselves (and advance in their careers).
Once you develop a killer employee development plan:
- Your workers will be more productive — almost like they’re doing the work of two people.
- You’ll keep your current employees engaged so that they don’t dump you for someone else that does invest in them.
- You can get your new hires operating at peak performance in lightning-fast delivery time.
This could be the game-changer your company has been needing to boost morale and efficiency.
But first, how did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the average worker? Let’s find out…
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The Evolving Worker
Workers are hungry for knowledge.
Now more than ever, people want to grow.
And the main culprit for this is COVID-19.
As millions of people lost their jobs (even if temporarily), it was a wake-up call.
The recession made people realize how important it is to acquire new skills — so that they’re still employable during uncertain times.
Learning new skills is so important to workers that 74% of them are willing to engage with learning materials outside of work, according to Curiosity at Work. Now, that’s dedication.
Then there are other workers who just want to realize their full potential. And without learning new skills, they simply cannot progress.
So the best thing they can do is find an organization that will invest in their learning and development.
Not only will investing in an employee development plan help attract and retain top talent, it will bring your better business outcomes.
For example, Harvard Business Review says companies that invest in employee experience generate 4.2 times more profit than companies that forego such investment.
Training Both New and Existing Employees
Training new employees should be a key focus for your business plan.
Because you want recent recruits to get up to speed on projects and learn the tech stack ASAP. As a result, they will reach optimal efficiency more quickly.
Plus, according to The Society for Human Resources Management, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with your company for three years if you deliver a great onboarding experience.
Although your employee development plan must account for new hires, it doesn’t end there.
Sadly, a lot of companies train new hires and then call it a day.
But that’s a fatal mistake.
As previously mentioned, workers are looking for more growth opportunities.
There’s a strong chance that your current staff might look for another company to work for if you can’t offer skills training.
But here’s the good news…according to LinkedIn’s “Workplace Learning Report 2022,” 79% of learning and development professionals agree that reskilling a current employee is cheaper than hiring a new one.
If you have proven talent right in front of you, why not help them develop skills that you’d otherwise need to hire new employees for?
What Skills Do Your Employees Need?
Well, honestly, every business is different.
Even more, not every department requires the same skills.
After all, a web developer doesn’t need to have the persuasion skills of a salesperson.
But there is some data on what skills most organizations take seriously.
For example, according to LinkedIn’s recent research on workplace learning, high-performing organizations are most focused on leadership skills.
But there’s also some survey data from resume-builder Zety.
Their research shows that 61% of recruiters and hiring managers say soft skills are more important than hard skills.
And the top two soft skills that companies desire are teamwork and communication.
The top two hard skills are analytical and high-level IT skills.
Okay, so now that you’re up to speed on why it’s time to create an employee development plan, let’s take a look at the first idea you can use for yours.
Idea #1 for Your Employee Development Plan: Use Subject Matter Experts
What’s that?
Well, when you write a case study, you might get feedback from your customer. So your customer would be the subject matter expert (SME) since they are the “expert” in how your product or service helped them.
In the context of your employee development plan, your SME is your highest-performing employee.
Actually, companies often use SMEs for the hiring process too.
The business will identify their highest performers then try to understand what knowledge, skills, and abilities they have — and they try to find a candidate that matches that criteria.
For developing your employees’ skills, you could have them work alongside your star-studded staff. That way, they see the optimal way to approach each task.
I guess you can think of this as a form of mentoring.
And get this…according to recent research from MentorcliQ, 91% of people who are mentored end up improving their competency in one or more areas that they were mentored on.
Idea #2 for Your Employee Development Plan: Make It Stimulating
Okay, so upskill training isn’t exactly the most thrilling thing in the world.
But there are certainly ways to make it more fun.
If a training session requires a lecturer, then make sure the person has a bit of a personality to make it more engaging. Some of the best TED talks come from colorful characters who make a connection with their audience.
And you could also do things like:
- Pop quizzes
- Interactive games
- Simulations/role play
- Partnering up
You see, these tactics make employee development more hands-on and stimulates the senses.
Using neuroimaging, Malaysian researchers have found that emotional stimuli enhance memory recollection by activating key brain regions, such as the amygdala and hippocampus.
So if you can make your training sessions more engaging, your employees will surely remember what they learned more readily.
Idea #3 for Your Employee Development Plan: Set Goals
Before you run a marketing campaign, you have clear goals in mind.
Well, to be more precise, you use SMART goals.
And before a scientist carries out an experiment, he or she formulates a hypothesis.
Just like in a marketing campaign or a scientific experiment, you need to have objectives to aim for in your employee development program.
See, without having a goal in mind, there’s no way to gauge success for your training.
There must be some specific deliverables you want to achieve. Maybe you want your employee to obtain a certification. Or to become a leader.
And you can measure results through questionnaires, managerial feedback, and tracking employee metrics.
To gauge progress, you could also administer self-assessments before, during, and after employee training.
Idea #4 for Your Employee Development Plan: Keep It Ongoing
Imagine if Tom Brady just stopped improving himself once he got drafted into the NFL?
He probably wouldn’t have seven Super Bowl rings right now.
Plus, despite being old for a quarterback, he’s still a league leader.
That’s only possible because he continuously trains himself both physically and mentally.
Just like Brady, employees need to continuously develop their skills. Especially as technology advances and changes business functions.
Once a new employee is at full competency, that’s great.
But don’t stop there.
As noted by CNBC, 94% of employees would stay at your company longer if you invested in them learning.
As you can infer, your employee development plan can’t just be for new hires.
Idea #5 for Your Employee Development Plan: Offer E-learning
E-learning used to have a bit of a stigma to it.
But today, the industry is worth nearly $300 billion, according to GlobeNewswire.
And it’s only growing more and more.
What’s great about e-learning is that if someone is busy, they can just continue with an interactive lecture at a later time.
Or if, for example, someone forgets how to execute a certain function with a new software, they can simply reference the e-learning guide.
By the way, e-learning also saves you money.
Just think about what the productivity costs of scheduling a group training session with an instructor are. Or, in some cases, the travel costs associated with training.
E-learning is a cheap, yet highly effective employee development tactic that’s both scalable and provides real-time feedback.
Idea #6 for Your Employee Development Plan: Aim for Small Training Sessions
Let me ask you this: Would you rather engage with learning material for eight hours straight or break it up into eight, hour-long sessions?
I imagine you would opt for the latter.
And you’d be in the same boat as most people.
According to Forbes, 58% of employees prefer to learn at their own pace.
The thing is, people only have so much time to get their work done.
And training sessions can be a little exhausting.
Honestly, your employees will just be thinking of their work if they risk falling behind on deadlines.
To remedy this, you need to provide flexibility.
And by allowing for small, microlearning sessions, your employees will have more peace of mind. Plus, since they won’t be as concerned about their projects going to the wayside, they’ll be able to put more mental energy into the subject matter being taught to them.
Idea #7 for Your Employee Development Plan: Don’t Forget About Managers
Managers are extremely influential when it comes to workplace outcomes.
For example, managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement, according to Gallup’s research.
A good leader will motivate the troops while fostering meaningful connections with subordinates — and in the process, empowering them.
But good leaders are hard to come by.
Gallup says just 1 out of 10 people possess the right talent to manage.
However 2 in 10 can manage at a high level if the company invests in developing their skills.
It’s easy to forget about your managers. After all, you might be more focused on onboarding new employees and teaching workers how to master new technologies.
But as the research suggests, managers can really impact workplace productivity and morale. So it’s imperative that you don’t skimp out on harnessing the skills of your leaders.
As it stands, a lot of companies are realizing this simple truth.
According to LinkedIn’s research, 53% of organizations prioritize leadership and management when it comes to workplace learning and development.
Idea #8 for Your Employee Development Plan: Hire a Specialist
Hiring a full-time specialist will free up time for you and get you better results from your employee training.
I mean, think about it…you’re already busy doing your own tasks all day, aren’t you?
And unless you have an HR background, developing an employee training plan is probably pretty new to you.
But a specialist will know exactly what to do to get the most from your employees.
It’s no wonder that more business leaders are catching on.
In one study, LinkedIn found that demand for learning and development specialists increased by 94% within just a six-month period in 2021.
That’s because a learning and development specialist will:
- Use surveys, interviews, and managerial feedback to decide what training needs should be prioritized.
- Provide training seminars to employees.
- Design training programs and manuals that fit your organization.
- Carry out administrative duties, such as scheduling training sessions, tracking costs, coordinating with attendees, and manage equipment and technology.
Now, you’re probably wondering, “Okay, great. But how much is this going to cost me?”
Well, at the time of writing this article, Payscale says the average salary for a learning and development specialist is $63,297. So pretty standard for someone with a specialized skill.
Idea #9 for Your Employee Development Plan: Ask for Feedback
You ask your customers for feedback so you can improve your marketing efforts, right?
Well, you can do the same thing with your employees to gauge how they perceive your development program.
Because without knowing their thoughts, you won’t know how to improve things.
Some questions you might want to ask include:
- How engaging was the training?
- Did you learn anything valuable you can apply to work?
- Were you happy with the time it took to complete?
- In what way(s) can the training be improved?
And there are plenty of other questions you can ask too.
Now, there are a few ways you can collect feedback.
Of course, the most obvious one is through surveys. You could ask employees to fill out open-ended questions, multiple-choice questions, or even use satisfactory scores.
To ensure more honest feedback, it might be a good idea to make the surveys anonymous.
Besides surveys, you could also simply have discussions with employees — either one-on-one or as a group.
And to make people comfortable with providing feedback, you or another leader can share your own criticisms of the training program.
In the end, this will give you the opportunity to refine your program — making it more engaging and effective at educating your employees.
Conclusion
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Your employees are the soul of your business.
Sure, you might have put all the blood, sweat, and tears into building your business, but your employees will heavily shape its future.
Really, you’re only as good as your company’s level of talent.
Whether that’s your leadership talent, technological know-how, or something else.
As more workers desire workplace learning opportunities, you need to craft an effective employee development plan. And the nine ideas laid out in this resource will help you accomplish that.
Now, with all that said, if you lack the time and the resources to plan for employee development the right way, then you have two options:
- Hire new talent
- Outsource your projects
If you don’t feel like dealing with the headaches that come with hiring, then outsourcing is your best option.
And if marketing is one of the business functions you need to outsource, then try Growbo’s $7-for-7-Days Trial today to see how we can transform all your online campaigns.
Now, before you go…
Are you creating an employee development plan soon?
Let me know in the comments below.
Keep Growin’, stay focused.
