Companies with a focus on employee engagement and development are more productive, profitable, and successful. There is no denying that employee development practices should be implemented into your workplace in 2021. However, this is often easier said than done. While many aspects of employee development can be achieved through activities such as mentoring, cross-functional projects, and goal-setting, technology can help you develop employees more effectively. With the right employee development software, you will be able to simplify the way that your company develops its employees, which in turn, will drive business success.
1. Improve Employee-Manager Interactions Through Coaching
Research has shown that one out of four employees leave their jobs, and approximately one-third of that turnover can be attributed to unsupportive management and a deficiency in development opportunities. With software, managers can simulate interactions with their employees and vice versa. This one-on-one approach helps employees to be more productive and engaged, thus enabling them to be better prepared and developed for their success with the company in a more vibrant learning community. In these online exchanges, managers have a more transparent view into their employees’ progress. By being able to keep tabs on the development of their employees, coaches can more easily help their employees to be the best they can be, thus building a better relationship with their direct reports.
That said, coaching does not have to be done by one’s manager. Employees can also benefit from the knowledge and experiences of other members of the organization, whether that be a peer who is exceling in the same position as the employee, a colleague who is senior to the employee, or someone from another functional area of the company. Technology can facilitate interaction between the two parties and maintain a record of their communications. With technology, both the employee and the coach will be able to monitor these interactions in real-time, thus helping to easily assess development progress.
A formal mentorship program can also accelerate an employee’s understanding on a variety of topics. A software tool that helps your employees connect virtually with their mentors through check-ins or live chat is a great way to encourage frequent communication. This means that employees can also connect with mentors without meeting face-to-face, and they can keep a documented record of their communication.
2. Decrease Training Time and Cost
A recent study indicated that 40% of employees who do not feel like they have received proper training are more likely to quit their job than their counterparts who have received proper training. Providing training as a means of upskilling and reskilling employees improves morale and reduces turnover—both of which can be extremely costly to your business.
However, sending every employee to a training session can be costly, time-consuming, and inconvenient. When compared to the typical classroom training, software training programs offer a wide variety of advantages. While some in-person training and development programs can be beneficial, many can be replaced with online solutions at a much lower cost. With an online training program, you can efficiently reskill, upskill, and train employees at a fraction of the cost.
Keeping in mind that change is inevitable, having an online program makes it easier for you to make your necessary revisions to training programs in real-time, whether it be a simple update to the system or a revision in the course material. This keeps your company and employees up-to-date with information surrounding your business and its demands at all times while using an online employee training software.
3. Empower Employees with Self-Driven Development Programs
With self-driven development programs, employees can either volunteer or be encouraged by their employers to take on new tasks and assignments. The goal of this type of program is to empower an employee to practice new skills or learn something new. In order for this to be successful, management must have a firm understanding of its employees and the areas which they need to work on. By using a personal development plan software, managers can easily track their employees’ goal achievement and career progression and easily offer assistance.
Simulations have become a popular development task due to how engaging and effective they are. Employees are able to learn the skills they need to thrive in their industry, all from their computer or mobile device. This is extremely beneficial in taking hypothetical knowledge and applying it to a real-life setting so that the employee can be exposed to and learn how to deal with such tasks.
Employee development programs keep the ball rolling for employees to improve upon and expand their knowledge and skills within the company. With software, employees can monitor their own progress while they gain these necessary competencies. Opportunities like this help to boost employee’s morale as they feel empowered and trusted by their company which in-turn helps their productivity levels. With on-demand training programs, development software, and libraries filled with training content, employees will be better equipped to stay up-to-date on industry trends and new skills. This will help them to continually evolve and better develop themselves for the workplace, thus leaving your company successful.
The cost associated with not training and developing your employees far outweighs the cost of using an employee development program software. As the world keeps developing, so should you, and the best way to do so is to go digital!
