Inside the App: Employee Development

Professional development is important for organizations to maintain engagement with employees, boost morale, and improve productivity.

The old adage rings true – What if we invest in them and they leave? What if you don’t and they stay?

SHRM research shows that 2 in 5 organizations plan to offer additional professional growth and development opportunities to attract more job applicants to positions that are difficult to fill. In an article from SHRM, Mike Miller, director of talent acquisition for Chipotle, shares that they cover expenses for 100 types of degrees across agriculture, hospitality, culinary, technology and business studies at 10 universities, “Our retention rate is three-and-a-half times higher among employees enrolled in the education assistance program, and crew members participating are seven-and-a-half times more likely to move into a management role.”

The article shares that Walmart’s Live Better U program pays 100% of tuition and books for eligible associates who want to earn college degrees or learn trade skills, “Walmart Academies give us more avenues to upskill associates so they can reach for their dream job internally. For example, as we grow our health and wellness business, we’ve made available degrees and certifications to support these business areas, like pharmacy technicians.”

Every business and team is different. Employees in different industries want different things. Ongoing communication is critical to understanding the needs of your employees. Knowing their goals will help in creating a professional development plan that works best for them.

• Leverage 1:1 meetings
  • The goal of most 1:1 meetings is to get progress updates or to discuss a challenge. Managers can use these meetings to learn more about their employees. Here are a few questions that can help drive the conversation:
    • What motivates you?
    • What inspires you?
    • What demotivates you?
    • Where do you want to be this time next year? 3 years? 5 years?
    • Do you see yourself as a leader or more as an individual contributor
• Evaluate their performance
  • Using the Truvelop app, managers can evaluate employee performance to track progress. It is also a great way to identify gaps in skills and areas of opportunity. Provide detailed context to evaluations, and use the manager cue cards to engage with each employee based on their individual score.
• Develop a plan
  • Work with employees to develop a plan to optimize their roles to better align with their motivations and future goals. Encourage them to reflect objectively to understand exactly what skills, experiences or opportunities they need to achieve their goals.
  • Spark an employee with a note of encouragement or a suggestion for skill development or improvement. Managers can motivate employees by celebrating milestones and accomplishments along the way, both big and small. Or they can simply ask the employee about their progress.

Frequent communication is key to employee engagement and development. With the Truvelop app, managers can foster two-way communication and collaborate with employees to monitor performance and encourage skill development.

A good professional development plan is one that is consistently revisited and updated as career goals are met and aspirations change. Commitment to employee development and advancement is key to talent retention and winning the war on talent.

Contact us today to learn more about our modern approach to performance management and development that actually improves the manager and employee relationship. Don’t just take our word for it, see what our Customers have to say.