Continuous Employee Development Pays Dividends

By Mark Dolinski, VP of Professional Development and Training, GRCA

As the costs of the Great Resignation continue to grow, companies need more ways to attract and retain employees. One clear approach is to offer more training and development — according to a 2019 LinkedIn study, 94% of employees said they would stay with their employer if it invested in their development.

Do you remember the 1970s and the 1980s? Neither do your employees! Just like polyester suits and mullets, times have changed (for the better!). Today the expectations of employees and the dynamics of the workplace are totally different, even vastly different from ten years ago. One of the most telling distinctions of employers who retain and attract top talent and create an environment of innovation and productivity is how they view continuous employee development.

In the past some organizations followed the mantra that developing employees would lead them to leave the organization and take better jobs elsewhere. Today’s mantra may be do you really want employees who do not want to grow and develop new skills that will help you stay competitive in an increasingly competitive and evolving marketplace? A recent Harvard Business Review study indicated 82% of employees and 62% of HR directors believe that workers will need to hone their current skills or acquire new ones at least once a year to maintain competitive advantage in a global job market.

The level of skill and knowledge of your workforce frequently is the difference between success and failure. When employees learn new skills and knowledge, they are open to seeing new possibilities and take the steps needed to innovate and improve processes, products and services. Continuous growth and learning of the individual pays dividends to the organization as new perspectives lead to challenging the status quo, which is when innovation takes place on the shop floor and in the corporate offices.

The similarities in continuous employee development between those in corporate offices and those producing the goods and services are closer than you think. Investing in the development of employees at all levels of the organization boosts employees’ level of commitment and motivation. This investment creates a nimbler organization with employees who embrace a growth mindset.

The Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA) has recognized the important role we play in helping organizations develop their employees. Our programs are designed to challenge the perspectives, skills and knowledge of participants is a safe environment where participants test new concepts and ideas while learning from peers of other organizations.

Now is the time to plan how you will help your employees lean into a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset. Offering professional development opportunities, mentoring programs and rotating employees into new positions all support creating an organizational culture that enriches the employee while growing the skills of your employees. The pandemic has forever changed the workplace and continuous employee development is now a core element in every organization for developing, retaining and attracting an engaged and motivated workforce.