Employee Development Opportunities.

Unique Employee Development Opportunities Management Should Embrace.

Employees expect learning opportunities at work. In fact, over half of employees say they would take advantage of educational opportunities if they were presented to them. If more than 50% of your staff wants to improve their skill set and boost their mind power, finding ways to help them do so should be at the top of your to-do list. But before you schedule a meeting and repeat statistics or read dry and boring articles to your staff, consider the following non-traditional employee development opportunities.

 

Field Trips

This won’t work for all industries, but if you can find an opportunity that makes sense for your business, schedule an old-fashioned field trip. Look for companies that compliment yours, like a business that your customers rely on as well. For example, if you’re in the marketing business, visiting the local print shop to see what they can do up close allows your employees to make better suggestions to customers. If you produce physical products, visit stores that carry them. See how they look on the shelves and brainstorm ideas on how to improve presentation or marketing. Letting employees see the side of their business they normally don’t inspire and educates.

 

Mentoring

There are several benefits that come along with mentoring in the workplace. First, it’s a no-pressure arrangement. When the right people are matched together, effortless conversation and a comfortable environment replace rigid lessons and anxiety. Comfortable employees are more likely to ask questions they otherwise wouldn’t. Also, you don’t have to budget for this type of opportunity. Mentoring is most likely already happening within your workplace. But by promoting it, more employees are likely to get involved. With mentoring, you’ll be letting your employee dynamic work in a way that benefits management, employees, and even customers.

 

Reward-based training

Remember that just over half of employees are looking for educational opportunities. You’ll have to find a way to motivate the other half. A reward-based training promotion is one way to do this. The way you tally completed training steps is up to you. Maybe employees earn a tally by reading approved books related to your industry. Another way to earn would be to develop a training course. Every chapter or lesson completed would earn a tally. Once employees have so many, they are rewarded. Maybe it’s a free lunch or an extra vacation day. There are countless ways to reward employees. Find something that fits within your budget but isn’t condescending, especially if training is happening outside of work hours.

Giving unique employee development opportunities gives everyone a chance to grow. As more studies show that traditional teaching methods aren’t always successful, thinking outside the box is a smart way to push team members without boring or overwhelming them.

 

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