The Importance of Continuous Employee Development

By Scott Schwefel, Discover Yourself, Inc. CEO, CSP

Continual employee training to stay up to date in job skills, new technology and new processes is absolutely vital for every business.

It comes down to this: To have a successful organization, you must invest continually in the growth of your people. And regular, specific employee training from the executive level down is one of the most important things an organization can do to grow employee engagement, productivity and morale.

If your employees don’t feel like the company is investing in them, they will look for employment somewhere else. It’s as simple as that. In order to retain your best people, you have to continue to invest in their success and in developing their skills that will benefit them and the organization.

According to ClearCompany, 68% of employees say training and development is the company’s most important policy, and companies who nurture that desire to learn and strengthen skills gain a clear competitive advantage.

What does effective training look like?
An effective training program looks different for every team, but it starts immediately and includes continuous follow-ups. The content is customized and relevant. The information should be delivered in a way that’s engaging and easy to apply.

Companies should allow their staff the opportunity to deepen their industry knowledge, improve their job skills, practice using new tools and software, and work more effectively as a unit. If a new strategy or product is about to be implemented, training can play a vital role in equipping your team with the skills they need to help it succeed. The return on investment for any purchase will be stronger when employees are consistently using it and learning more about it.

Who should facilitate the training?
Managers are not trainers. Managers certainly can be trainers, but not every manager is. Sometimes a manager isn’t the best person to deliver ongoing training to staff, much like a teenager might hear their parents give repeated advice on something and take no actions, but when an outside educator, coach, or peer delivers the same information, it takes hold.

Using a skilled resource, perhaps leveraging a coach or consultant that is familiar with your industry and has experience with talent management, will likely have a greater effect on your team. It’s up to the manager or team leader, however, to stay in front of the training curve and prioritize scheduling training modules well in advance and giving their colleagues the resources they need to have the most effective training with the most immediate impact.

The message?
The message to employers is this: Invest in training. The message to managers is this: Find the best person to deliver the training needed to foster engaged and skilled employees, and everyone benefits.