There’s something exciting about recruiting new talent into your company, but how does an organization ensure long-term stability and success? Invest in your people! Here are five benefits for investing in your employees’ professional development.
1. It keeps your people fresh
Building the skills of your employees allows you to help them maintain positive momentum as they grow with your organization. Professional development inspires your employees to assess their strengths and weaknesses and to take charge of their growth. As they expand their skillset, they then become much more engaged and invested in the work of the organization. As Robert Half argues, upskilling your employees fuels motivation and thus increases the morale and culture of the organization.
2. It allows you to identify future talent
A healthy organization is always looking to find future talent that can create growth and add to their customer base. While succession planning might not yield immediate benefits, it communicates a long-term vision for the future that will inspire confidence in your organization. The Non-Profit Times reports that IFCJ was ranked as one of the 50 best non-profits to work for in 2021 due primarily to their training and professional development opportunities. By providing these opportunities, your organization can identify a candidate’s willingness to engage in professional development. If a candidate lacks motivation to engage in PD, then perhaps a leadership role is not in their future in your organization. While this might be a frustrating conclusion to reach, it gives your organization a chance to invest valuable time, money, and resources in other candidates that are better fits for leadership roles. In turn, when voids in leadership develop, there will be an abundance of internal candidates already prepared for promotion.
3. It builds a longstanding workforce
By investing in your workforce, you are building long-term relationships with your employees. Organizations that invest in professional development inspire loyalty within their workforce. As 20|20 Project Management reports, when you invest in your people, they feel more valued in the workplace and are less likely to look elsewhere for employment. As a result, your recruitment costs significantly decrease and your cost-savings in that area can then be rolled into innovative programs company wide. Now your HR Managers can spend their time focusing on enhancing the work of the existing employees instead of constantly trying to fill vacancies. Management can easily assess weaknesses within the workforce and identify ways in which they can address those weaknesses.
4. It builds a dynamic company culture
While some employees might not be seeking leadership roles in your organization, they still will benefit from gaining additional skills and savvy that can enhance the quality of their work. All of these factors contribute to a winning culture that builds the brand and legitimacy of your company. As the old saying goes, “you only get what you give.” When your company shows that they value employee development, a dynamic company culture will inevitably emerge. When employees feel that the organization supports them, they will go the extra mile to support the needs of the company. This shows up in tangible ways. Productivity will increase. Innovation and problem skills will develop. In turn, employee satisfaction will grow and morale will improve company-wide.
5. Training promotes team building and networking
Employee scavenger hunts and golf outings might seem like good ways to build your team, but do these relationships have long-lasting effects? Training and development can help forge lifelong bonds amongst team members. Training allows complete strangers the chance to engage in new challenges and find common ground around the learning goals of the group. Sodexo reminds us that training and team building can allow remote teams to form connections that will increase collaboration and encourage creativity across your organization.
Let us do the work for you!
CCC’s Connections with Business and Industry is uniquely positioned to serve your professional development needs. Our team offers a comprehensive suite of training and development programs that can be customized to fit your needs. Contact our team at 503-594-3200 or training@clackamas.edu to get started!