Your employees are critical to the success and growth of your business. Without them, you and a handful of managers would be left with running the entire show by yourselves, and of course, you probably wouldn’t be successful for long.
This means that cultivating and supporting employee growth is as critical as having enough staff on hand to handle operations. You stand out in your industry, spend a lot of time and money hiring the right people with the right stuff for your business, and continue to keep them happily employed. However, this means more than just decent pay and employee benefits.
Supporting their growth is paramount to your success, and if you keep the following tips in mind, you’ll have a much better chance at maintaining the staffing levels you require.
1. Recognition & Rewards
One of the first areas that many in management tend to trim down or not even do at all is taking the time regularly to spend some “quality time” with each employee. While your pay solutions, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance are important, it’s critical to provide positive feedback on a regular basis.
And we do mean “regular” and not just on annual reviews.
Supporting employee growth means letting them know in no uncertain terms how important they are to the business’ success. With options like talent management software, you can track their learning and performance from one central solution and while you definitely want to point out areas of potential improvement, educating them on the areas they are meeting or exceeding metrics is equally important.
Plan one-on-ones at least once a month if not more often because failing to provide positive feedback and rewards along with the negative is imperative to their growth.
2. Identify & Cultivate Their Skills
You likely have employees that are excellent in their current positions but could their skills and potentially be of better use elsewhere within the organization? Implementing cross-department training can support employee growth and professional development.
Not only that, but it can also improve communication between the departments, spawn new ideas, and increase the efficiency of the organization overall. Additionally, this type of practice can educate those skilled employees on different aspects of your business.
3. Shift as Necessary
Your employee’s skill levels change over time and you need to be aware of it at all possible times. Conversely, to help thwart turnover and lower productivity, you have to find new and creative ways to keep employees engaged and loyal to the business.
Two long-term strategies that provide the foundation for employee growth are utilizing shifting growth initiatives that match the business needs while incentivizing your employees. Furthermore, as the company grows and revenue improves, one of the first areas you should invest in is your most valuable resource – your employees.
4. Utilize Mentoring & Coaching
Another way for you to support employee growth and professional development is by implementing mentoring and coaching practices. Support their growth by creating a culture that encourages support, training, and communication. Encourage your employees to pass on skills to their coworkers via mentoring.
This can help groom potential trainers, supervisors, and management staff and when you couple this with building an environment where they aren’t afraid to ask for help, you’re building an excellent foundation to promote their growth.
Retaining your valued employees is important and if you focus on helping them grow within the organization, they are likely to enjoy their position more. Which means the potential for higher production value and retention.
Failing to focus on employee growth can result in you overlooking those with the skills to help your business grow even more. Not to mention the fact that if you ignore them and their potential, they are much more likely to seek employment elsewhere.
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