Now would be a brillian
t time for organizations to be thinking about how to engage their employees, and keep them happy, motivated and productive. There’s a lot of “activity” in the work world these days with data indicating that employees “ain’t too happy,” and that many of them are looking for new, more appreciative work environments. A recent Gallup survey showed that only 22% of employees are fully engaged and thriving.
What does that mean for you? When employees are engaged and thriving they are more likely to maintain strong work performance and less likely to leave. And we all know how costly it is when employees leave.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has identified 18 critical factors that contribute to employee satisfaction and engagement. Four of those factors are related to an employee’s professional and career development:
1. Job-specific training
2. Organization’s commitment to professional development
3. Career development opportunities
4. Career advancement opportunities
Employee development is an essential tool in building workforce capabilities and helping your organization compete in the ever-changing marketplace. Yet according to a SHRM survey that ranked employee satisfaction with the 18 critical factors, employee development is seriously lacking. In fact, the four related factors – job specific training, commitment to professional development, career development and career advancement – all ranked in the bottom half of the list, with career development/advancement right at the bottom.
Why is that? Because employee development is so often an after-thought, or the first thing to be eliminated when times are tough.
Employees need to feel valued, connected, challenged and recognized. Providing them with opportunities to build on their strengths, learn new skills and prepare for the future needs of the company demonstrates in a very real way that they are integral to the organization and its success. And when employees feel that kind of connection they will be more engaged and loyal.
Development can happen in many different forms: on-the-job training, personal development, cross-functional projects, coach and/or mentor, special projects, stretch assignments, training courses, reading and personal study, online courses, peer coaching, job shadowing… The important thing is that it is available and encouraged.
And it does make a difference. According to the SHRM survey, workers with training available to them were more committed (48% vs. 39%) to their work, were happier (45% vs. 37%) and were more excited (30% vs. 14%) about their jobs.
Till next time,
Karen
