Offering learning and development opportunities to your employees related to their role is beneficial to both you and your employee. Employees value having time and resources to grow their skills through well-structured programs, and employers directly contribute to the success of their team with more well-rounded and educated staff.
Learning and development can take many forms, from job shadowing and mentoring to formal classes or tuition reimbursement. However you choose to offer these opportunities, here’s why you should!
Maintaining Skills, Process and Consistency
There are many skills that aren’t used every day in regular business operations, but may be required from time to time. But if your workers aren’t getting regular practice, they can gradually lose those skills. Ongoing employee development programs ensure that you have successful new hires and that your team members maintain all necessary skills while learning new ones.
Training and development programs help ensure all your staff to “hear the same thing”. This promotes consistencies with policies, procedures, standards, and thoroughness of technical training. Combining a formal training program with a thoughtful mentoring program greatly increases staff “know how” and provides soft skills to do their jobs.
Also, employee training and development programs provide an opportunity to cross-train staff. This can provide adequate back-up in critical positions and allows you to maximize your workforce when short staffed.
Leveraging New Technologies
Ways of conducting business change fast, and smart companies remain up to date with the latest tools and technologies. Ongoing learning and development courses help to ensure that employees know what’s coming down the line and are ready to deploy new tools as you roll them out.
Keeping Up With Trends and Regulations
Industry standards also change frequently, and employees need to know the latest rules, regulations, and trends. Providing ongoing learning and development ensures that they remain in compliance. It also helps your company stay competitive.
Boosting Morale
It’s human nature to seek new growth opportunities. If you leave your employees to stagnate, they will quickly become bored and disengaged. Learning and development programs show that you value your workers and their growth, and can help them feel more motivated. A company learning culture helps promote career growth, improves employee engagement, and candidly, is interesting. This boosts morale, ultimately improving productivity.
Reducing Turnover
Employee turnover is expensive in both time and money. Developing your existing staff helps to reduce turnover while preparing them for future growth opportunities within your company. On-going development and training programs helps retain employees. It can actually save you money in the long run, while also keeping your teams together.
Attracting Top Talent
A reputation for prioritizing learning and development isn’t just good for your current employees. It also helps you recruit the best and brightest new candidates. It’s a job hunter’s market, and they want to know that there is a pathway to long-term success.
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