Many of us often think, if we have the qualifications required to do our job, then there is no need to continue to learn new skills and further develop those you have. Why is this not the case?
With personal development there are many key skills, such as; managing your time better, or being able to communicate with colleagues and clients more effectively, which can improve your confidence and help you become an integral part of your team. Professional development involves developing the skills that you will need in your specific job role. This could include taking more advanced qualifications or further training in specific areas. It is important that both the employer and the employee know what there is to be gained from the training and what it will bring to the role.
5 ways to develop yourself
- Improving skills and knowledge
- Accessing new information
- Sharing new skills with colleagues
- Keeping on top of the new and latest developments in your industry
- Networking with likeminded individuals and knowledge sharing
How can your employer help?
- Allow you to take time out of your working week, to focus on areas you want to know more aboutto benefit yourself and the role
- Encourage collaborative working and knowledge sharing
- Arrange personal development workshops for all staff
- Have a knowledge sharing area where all staff can contribute
- Arrange and encourage staff to attend local networking events
How can a business ensure that they are able to cope with staff changes, without it having an impact on the running of the business?
This is called succession planning. At the end of the day no business wants to be left with a key personnel gap if an employee leaves or retires. The best way to do this is to look at the staff that you already have and the skills that they possess that could be further developed.
It has been proven that staff who are encouraged to develop themselves with support from their employers whilst in the workplace are more likely to stay with the company and progress, than leave to look for opportunities elsewhere. This is beneficial to both the employee and the employer as the cost of recruiting and training is one of the largest costs businesses face.
In short, the best investment businesses can make, is taking time to work on the development of their staff they have. Businesses should also support them with their personal and professional development, giving confidence to the employee and in turn making the business stronger.
For more help and advice please visit CIPD The Professional Body for Human Resources and People Development and you can keep up to date with all things HR with HR News – HR News stories from the UK.