You’ve hired a full staff of employees and they’re happily doing their jobs—so that means your job as an employer is done, right? 

Wrong! Now, it’s time to create a plan to develop your staff on an ongoing basis. Savvy companies offer ways for their staff to grow in their roles, improve their performance, and gain new skills. Fortunately, this strategy can be affordable, easy to implement, and beneficial to your company and your employees when you establish a well-planned approach to professional development—which is one of the best ways to get the best out of your employees and help them remain satisfied in their roles.

And we’ve got some great tips below to make it easy and cost-effective to do so. At Who’s Your HR?, we call professional development planning a win-win for employers and staff! Here’s what to know about setting up an affordable, practical, effective employee development program for your company.

What exactly is professional development, anyway?

The term “professional development” may sound complicated, but when you break it down to its basics, it’s easy to see why it’s so valuable. Employee development is, at heart, the process of helping staff members identify career-related goals and learn new skills that help them grow and succeed at work. 

When implemented strategically, professional development may lead to employees gaining a promotion, as well as showing better performance in their current position. Both can be beneficial to your company’s long-term goals.

Professional development programs provide many advantages

Attracting and retaining employees is essential for the success of a company. And it’s important to realize that employers can strategize this area. Not all businesses are equal, after all, and some overlook this critical tool for keeping employees engaged in the workplace. 

Yet there’s some good news for businesses of any size—providing opportunities for professional development can be cost-effective when implemented thoughtfully. (Ask Who’s Your HR? for tips on this. We can get very creative to help you find options that fit your team, needs, and budget.) 

The bottom line is this:  Establishing a deliberate, planned approach to professional development is vital to standing out in a crowded marketplace. The reasons for investing thoughtfully (and affordably) in this area are clear:

Makes your company more competitive to job seekers

Here’s a surprising fact—according to ClearCompany, only 29% of organizations have a clear learning and development plan for their employees. Yet 87% of millennials say professional growth and career development are very important to them, per G2.com.

The takeaway here is simple: If you’re going to appeal to young, fresh talent looking for employment, you’ll need to offer professional development. Companies that have this as a “perk” will stand out from the crowd.

Improves your staff’s effectiveness

It takes time and investment for new employees to gain a sense of how best to fulfill their role and hit their objectives. Existing employees can also become more effective as they gain new skills that are useful as their role evolves.

When companies offer thoughtful, planned professional development, they help their staff stay relevant, keep up with changes in the marketplace, and enjoy their careers.

Lessens turnover rates

Companies that fail to offer meaningful, career-building, educational opportunities for their staff tend to see more employee turnover than those that do provide those resources. On the other hand, retention rates are 34% higheramong organizations that offer employee development opportunities, according to a survey by BetterBuys.

It’s easy to see why—employees crave opportunities to grow their career. Companies that don’t invest in a culture that prioritizes educational training programs for their staff run the risk of losing them to employers that do. 

Preserves internal company “expertise”

When employees leave your company, they take with them everything that makes them unique and valuable—their understanding of your company culture, their knowledge of operational procedures, their relationships with customers they serve, and so much more. All that expertise walks out the door, and it takes time to train a new employee in those areas.

By providing ongoing development, you give staff members more reason to remain in their employ, sharing their valuable knowledge with your team instead of taking it elsewhere.

Boosts employee satisfaction

Studies show that employees who pursue professional development in their careers tend to have higher productivity and job satisfaction. In fact, per statistics compiled by AccessPerks, 58% of employees say their job satisfaction, which is a key factor in retention, is influenced by their professional development opportunities.  

In other words, professional development is crucial to keeping a happy, well-trained, long-lasting workforce, making it an invaluable aspect to your HR planning.

What to consider when you plan professional development

An effective employee development program must accomplish two key goals:

1. Ongoing learning — It must be an ongoing program that allows staff to continually grow in their career skills.
2. Employee-directed approach — The program must allow employees opportunities to choose their education path, as well as the flexibility to do it at their own pace.

Professional development means more than “training”

You’ll probably realize right away that these two elements set professional development apart from training. Staff training is intended to fill gaps and equip employees to handle the immediate aspects of a job. As a result, training is often done as a one-and-done project when new employees are onboarded and when new equipment or processes are instituted.

Professional development is much broader than this, bringing the focus to ways the company can expand, be ready for the future, and provide paths for ambitious, high-performing, growth-seeking employees to level up in their career without leaving your organization.

What to include in your employee development programs

Since professional development is intended to grow employees, you’ll want your program to accomplish the following objectives:

• Provide fresh resources to staff so they can succeed in their roles
• Prepare staff to take on new duties
• Give employees confidence that they can take on new job-related challenges
• Invite them to be open-minded problem-solvers who can adapt to ever-changing workplaces
• Give them time to learn by including professional development in their monthly schedules, PTO plans, etc.

To be most effective, your programming should include a blend of formal and informal professional development opportunities. Programs can be low-cost or even free. The key is to make sure employees know you support their growth. Consider offering some or all of the following: 

• Internal mentorships
• Lunch and learn sessions
• Peer training opportunities
• Memberships for staff in professional organizations and associations
• Reimbursements for webinars and other courses
• Books, podcasts, and other useful resources that staff can self-study
• Formal training from industry professionals
• Access to free or shared membership webinars and training

Remember to include leadership tracks for your professional development programming. It’s a great way to prepare top staff for promotions. And it gives ambitious, talented people another reason to stay with your company rather than hunting for a job elsewhere. 

Set up plans for clear follow-ups and evaluations so you can be sure your staff are using what they’ve learned to boost their performance. 

And finally, establish some guidelines and expectations for employees that engage in professional development to ensure a good return on the company’s investment—such as retention agreements if significant training reimbursements are being offered, non-compete agreements when appropriate, capped budgets for professional growth per year of employment, and more. (Our team can help you brainstorm this too!)

Create a Strong Program for Employee Development—with Help from Who’s Your HR?

The value of professional development for your staff is undeniable. Yet it takes time to implement a development program and assess it regularly, so it remains on track. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. 

Who’s Your HR? would love to consult with your HR team to align professional development options with company goals. Our team can create customized employee development plans, policies, tracking methods and documentation for all your professional development programs. We also provide practical, insightful developmental training for both leaders and frontline workers. Ask us about our quarterly training membership program which makes regular professional development options simple to schedule and provide to your workforce.

Contact us at 539-215-8868 to schedule a consultation about your professional development programming or any other HR needs. We’re here to help!

Sources for cited statistics:

• “Employee Engagement & Loyalty Statistics: The Ultimate Collection,” AccessPerks, posted Aug. 17, 2022.
• “The Impact of Professional Development,” BetterBuys, accessed Sept. 16, 2022.
• “5 Surprising Employee Development Statistics You Should Know,” ClearCompany, posted Sept. 9, 2021.
• “Here’s Why Employee Development Is More Important Than Ever,” G2.com, posted March 4, 2021.
• “28 Interesting Employee Training Statistics,” Leftronic, posted March 23, 2022.