Staff development plan is easy, affordable for business of any size

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/08/2004 (7772 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

STAFF retention is a complicated issue. While we understand that healthy raises make workers happy, we also know some people wouldn’t stay in a particular job for any amount of money. People are motivated by more than money — at least once their basic economic needs are met.

A growing number of studies identify the relationship workers have with their supervisors as a key piece in the retention puzzle. If an employee feels management has a genuine interest in him or her, other problems with the job are less likely to cause disenfranchisement.

Other than initiating conversations about kids or hobbies, how can this interest in an employee be demonstrated?

My advice to managers and human resource professionals is to ditch the forced conversations about a person’s life outside the company and substitute a genuine discussion about the person’s career. After all, isn’t that the basis of your connection to each other? The employee is in your workplace as a part of his or her career path. And you have an inherent interest in this person’s ability to succeed on the job.

While the obvious place for these discussions is the performance review, these annual meetings are often underpinned by financial tension. The link between reviews and raises is so strong for most employees, they are likely to take career development ideas offered here as promises for financial reward. That’s an expectation many companies can’t fulfil on a frequent basis.

Why not hold a separate session with each employee, perhaps every six months, whose only purpose is to discuss that worker’s vocational goals?

These meetings don’t have to be long, and you don’t have to do the heavy lifting. Open the conversation by asking what this person is most proud of having learned or accomplished in the last six months. Then ask what the worker would like to learn or accomplish next.

If this emphasis on professional development and goal-setting seems foreign at first, your staff will soon get the message that you expect them to grow and improve in their jobs.

Your task is to facilitate that growth by making use of company resources on their behalf. In some cases, that might mean paying for training; for others, a shift in schedules or a pairing with a mentor will make the difference.

Every company, regardless of budget, can show an interest in each worker’s career development. You don’t need a human resources department, either.

Small companies can be just as effective in developing their employees as large corporations. Here are some things any firm can do, regardless of size or budget:

* Conduct in-house training sessions or host a quarterly or annual training event.

* Provide information about and possibly funding for outside classes and certificates.

* Facilitate cross-training between departments.

* Work with each employee to adopt goal-setting methods.

* Create an in-house professional library of books, magazines, videos and conference materials.

* Establish a conference lottery to allow a limited number of staff at all levels to attend outside conferences.

* Establish a peer reporting process where staff members share what they’ve learned at outside conferences and meetings.

* Maintain a database of volunteer opportunities that will help employees build skills in key areas. Publicize opportunities for in-house volunteering, including contributing to the internal newsletter, representing the company in classroom presentations or at job fairs, providing tours for visitors, mentoring new workers and joining committees.

* Incorporate learning objectives and career development goals into department projects.

* Make known the professional associations that exist for each level of employee.

Remember to include all employees in these efforts. Each job that exists at your workplace, from custodial to executive, belongs to a profession that is served by associations, conferences and magazines. If this is a chosen area of work for your people, there will be resources to help them improve in their field.

Of course, you can’t develop a worker who doesn’t want to participate. Once your system is up and running, maintain it but don’t let it exceed the work itself in importance. If you have a good worker who simply isn’t interested in learning new things, save your development resources for the employees who have an answer when you ask: “What do you want to accomplish next?”

— Saint Paul Pioneer Press