In order for any company to stay relevant, well-informed, and successful, they must equip their employees with new skills and provide constant opportunities to develop. Offering professional development is key to boosting employee engagement and reducing turnover—in fact, a recent LinkedIn poll revealed that a staggering 94% of employees would stay at their company longer if given the space to learn and grow.
So how can you seamlessly integrate a development plan into your company agenda? Our People Ops Manager, Sophia, shares her expertise and insights into the benefits of pursuing learning opportunities within your company.
Why is employee development so important?
What is the most valuable asset of any company? Their employees, right? In order to keep the company moving forward and upwards, the employees need to know what to do in their position and, not only that, be up to date on the newest trends, skills, and opportunities.
If we as a company provide our colleagues with the necessary training, we will see better outcomes, improvement on day to day work, and—most importantly—happier, appreciated employees.
At 360 Digital Starters, how do you directly support employees with learning opportunities?
First, I want to spread awareness within the company that development is important for both them and us. By providing a budget and the space for training and research opportunities, we are giving everyone the chance to decide freely which area, skillset, or knowledge gap they want to improve in.
Next, using a T&D (Training & Development) tool—in our case Leapsome—we provide a platform for our employees to openly discuss professional goals with their managers and work towards them through regular appraisal talks, performance reviews, and target assessments.
Do you believe that successful performance is supported by a strong company culture?
Absolutely. The culture of a company plays a huge role in how comfortable, safe, and welcome people feel at work. If the culture is good, then the performance, communication, and engagement of employees is much better.
In a previous company, for example, I felt my motivation plummet following a change in manager—a manger who was often absent, hard to reach, and non-communicative.
How can companies avoid losing talent?
If employees feel they have reached the end of their path, with no obvious routes to grow or develop further, then they will leave. That’s why communication is vital. This responsibility lies with both the employee and the employer. If you, as the employee, feel dissatisfied in your role, keen to explore new areas, learn new things, or even lighten your workload then speak to your manager or HR representative first. There is almost always a solution to your needs and wants, and it doesn’t have to end with leaving the company you may for every other reason love. Sometimes it requires a certain level of compromise, but before you make the decision to leave any company, you should take the time to set up a call and talk openly about possible opportunities with your colleagues.
What initiative(s) for professional development can you recommend?
At 360 Digital Starters we introduced an educational budget that enables everyone in the company to spend up to 1000€ each year on personal and professional development or training (including online courses) and up to 5 days per year of educational leave. This budget can be utilized and accumulated over the next two years, after which the initiative will be reviewed and optimized.
Making employee development a part of your business agenda will benefit your company in many ways and, when done right, bolster employee engagement. So why not activate a plan to enhance your company culture today!
Meet Sophia:
Sophia began her career studying HR Management & Psychological Science at university in Gold Coast, QLD Australia. After moving to Berlin in 2015 with her family, and following a short stint at Lufthansa’s call center, Sophia jumped into HR Ops in January 2016—she has never looked back.