Modern workers can afford to be picky about which companies they work for. Job-hopping is no longer as frowned upon as it once was, and many people (rightfully) feel they can only advance in the workplace by moving to a new company.
Employers today must offer more than a competitive salary to attract and retain top talent. Workers also want a robust employee rewards program. That’s why development opportunities for employees are so vital.
Development opportunities benefit employers and employees alike. People Operations teams that focus on employee development and retention can address team members’ skills and career aspirations while boosting productivity and future-proofing their workforce.
What are employee development areas?
Employee development areas are the crucial skills employees and their employers work together to enhance. These could include leadership skills, interpersonal communication abilities, technical proficiencies, and more.
Team members shouldn’t be left to pursue their career goals alone—companies and managers must nurture their talents and skills. Employee development is important because it empowers people to realize their full potential, fills gaps in a company’s needs, and promotes a culture of self-improvement.
Everybody wins when you upskill your team members and establish defined employee development processes.
Why invest in employee development?
Career growth will keep your team members happy in the long term, and your organization will reap the benefits. Workers will perform better when they see opportunities to move up in their jobs. Managers who strive to motivate and improve their team also increase organizational confidence, empowering employees to make decisions based on their expertise and wisdom.
Key areas of professional development: 10 examples
Unsure how to upskill your team members? Let our professional development examples inspire you with ideas to elevate your team.
1. Goal-setting
A successful employee development program requires team members to set goals. Breaking longer-term goals into smaller chunks makes them more achievable.
You can assist your team members in setting goals using the SMART method, which stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-based
Frame professional development goals in a way that drives team members to achieve something specific in their development plan within a given timeframe.
2. Professional skill enhancement
All team members need the professional skills to carry out their daily duties. In many industries, such as software programming, these job-specific skills evolve continuously in the workplace. Skill development ensures your people stay updated on the latest advancements in their fields.
You can help them develop skills in several ways:
- Technical training: Classes teach employees how to utilize relevant tools and techniques.
- Certifications: Industry-specific programs deepen knowledge and confer credibility.
- Soft skills workshops: Courses and simulations improve workers’ confidence and control during internal and client-facing interactions.
3. Cross-functional knowledge
Team members who learn skills outside their existing realm of knowledge benefit in numerous ways. They gain a broader perspective on business challenges and streamline communication with other departments.
As an employer or manager, you can help your team members gain cross-functional knowledge through the following opportunities:
- Cross-training: Key members from each department can provide training on their areas of expertise.
- Job rotations: Employees work in various departments, expanding their operational understanding.
- Product knowledge training: Ensure all team members understand the company’s products and services, connecting their daily duties with customers’ needs.
4. Conflict resolution
Conflict between team members is inevitable. However, careful handling of disagreements promotes personal growth, problem-solving skills, and improved working relationships.
Conflict resolution doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but you can help employees develop it with tried-and-true techniques:
- Mediation courses: Show leaders how to handle conflict impartially.
- Crisis management simulations: Simulate potential altercations and how to address them.
- EQ development: Help team members examine their emotions and those of their colleagues to better manage tension.
5. Adaptability
You can’t predict every possible scenario—your team members must be able to adapt and take changes in stride. Whether it’s a dynamic industry, fickle clients, or company restructuring, employees should expect the unexpected.
Here are several methods to hone your team’s adaptability:
- Change management training: Teach workers to effectively prepare for and implement organizational change.
- Cross-training: Knowledge of other departments and their duties increases transparency and understanding during change.
- Building resilience: Specialized activities can teach employees to manage the stress of change.
6. Organizational skills
Organization is vital for every worker—it’s the key to optimizing productivity. Organizational skills improve time management, lower stress levels, and encourage self-sufficiency.
You can help your team members develop organizational skills in a few ways:
- Quarterly planning sessions: Open up planning processes to show how goals and deliverables are laid out for the coming months.
- Time-blocking workshops: Teach employees techniques to get the most out of each day.
- Project management courses: Build understanding among leaders of various project-planning techniques that suit different objectives and workflows.
7. Active listening
A good listener learns faster, shares ideas clearly, and improves collaboration. They can also help resolve conflicts and strengthen team bonds.
Active listening means making eye contact, avoiding distractions and interruptions, and asking follow-up questions. Listening and communication skills are essential for managers but equally vital for entry-level hires seeking to grow into leadership roles.
Teach your team members listening skills in the following ways:
- Communication workshops: Share specific techniques to improve interpersonal communication and empathetic listening.
- Role-playing scenarios: Encourage employees to practice active listening with each other through simulated interactions.
- Emotional intelligence courses: Formal instruction can encourage team members to exhibit active listening and recognize social cues from others.
8. Integrity
Integrity in the workplace means being honest, transparent, and reliable. Integrity is often intrinsic to people’s personalities, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be taught. There are a few ways you can help your team members learn integrity:
- Setting a good example: Always admit to your mistakes, be honest, and remain respectful. Your employees will follow suit.
- Encourage reporting of misconduct: Always take it seriously when workers see unethical behavior and say something about it.
- Avoid favoritism: Treat everyone like a valued, respected member of the organization.
9. Productivity
Time management or productivity issues in one step of a workflow can disrupt the entire organization. That’s why productivity is a professional development goal all team members should strive for.
Being productive means knowing how to get through your work no matter what the day throws at you. Enhance productivity and time management skills with these approaches:
- Focus techniques: Share research on concentrating, eliminating distractions, and managing time. Examples include the Pomodoro Technique, body doubling, and cognitive training.
- Mindfulness and meditation workshops: When your team is present in the moment, their focus will improve.
- Stand-ups: Quick daily team meetings help prioritize work for the day without interrupting momentum.
10. Leadership
Managers aren’t the only ones who need leadership skills—everyone can benefit from leadership training. Employee development is about preparing people for the future and turning them into the leaders of tomorrow.
The hard and soft skills that make up leadership abilities have many positive effects, increasing employee commitment, accountability, unity, problem-solving, and productivity.
Try the following methods to teach your team leadership skills:
- Leadership training programs: These courses teach leadership theories and put them into practice.
- Mentorships: Pair junior employees with senior managers to preserve institutional knowledge.
- Financial workshops: Show employees how to budget, forecast, and use resources efficiently.
Keep talent engaged with growth opportunities and competitive rewards
Investing in employee development is crucial for retaining top talent and building a thriving, future-forward workforce. However, development opportunities alone aren’t enough—employees must feel valued and motivated through recognition and rewards.
Oyster’s Total Rewards helps you provide incentives that will push your team to go above and beyond. Our global employment platform makes benefits administration a breeze, ensuring that you always offer industry-leading and legally compliant compensation packages.
Win and retain global talent by offering competitive, country-specific salary, equity, and benefits with Oyster.
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FAQs
Want to further develop your understanding of employee development? Look no further.
How does self-awareness influence employee growth and development?
Self-awareness promotes conflict resolution, helping workers recognize their shortcomings and how others might react to them. It can also improve stress tolerance and guide them through uncertainty. These are all essential skills in a dynamic workplace.
Why is ethical leadership crucial for fostering a strong organizational culture?
Employees take their cue from their leaders. Managers can set a positive example for employees at all levels by modeling ideal behavior. Ethical leadership promotes a more inclusive culture that helps people feel optimistic about their working environment.
How does cultural competence impact the success of employee development programs?
Cultural competence recognizes and celebrates the differences between employees’ cultures. This is especially important for international organizations, where team members work together from around the globe, bringing many different cultures together.
Understanding cultural nuances promotes better collaboration, enhances communication, increases employee engagement, and strengthens the organizational culture.
About Oyster
Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, engage, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.
Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.
