Benefits of Investing in Employee Development

Many people believe having an employee who fails to fulfill their responsibilities in the workplace, is a problem employee; and should be weeded out to avoid a stressful work enviroment. In contrast, a successful leader will guide an employee, to help them mature to become a highly valued team member. The issue at hand for many companies in the business industry is making the decision to coach an employee who is causing issues, or to terminate employment. The process of firing an individual and then finding another person to fill that position is time consuming.

Terminating an individual also wastes a lot of money that was spent during the hiring process, their training, and hourly wages or salary. According to Bloomberg BNA $11 billion is lost annually due to employee turnover (Stewart and Harrison).

It is more cost effective to keep this team member and coach them in the areas where they are performing poorly. Feedback is an example of an opportunity to specifically point out where an employee needs to improve, but it is important to let the employee know what they are doing correct as well.

Proposed by Gerald Knesek is a feedback-rich workplace, where employees fearing feedback is overcome. In Knesek’s 35 plus years’ experience in Human Resource, he has practiced this method to increase the performance of employees. While creating a personal supervisor/worker relationship, regular positive feedback is received by the employee as well as the management team. Most companies function on a yearly review which is feared and given a derogatory reputation.

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Implementing the plan to work alongside employees, creating a close bond, the employee will be confident that they are doing certain aspects of their job well, and already have an idea of what they need to be working on.

It is also very important for the employee to have a level of comfort and trust with their supervisor. This instills a sense of future with their current position and allows both supervisor/subordinate to set goals for promotional positions (Knesek p. 109-116) It’s important to challenge everyone involved and use this opportunity for growth, for the employee and the management team members. For example, mentoring benefits both parties. In Top 3 Advantages of Mentorship in the Workplace, Jessica Stewart and Tatum Harrison state the mentor gains experience in leadership and advising roles, growth professionally, and preparation to move up the corporate ladder (Stewart). Protégés learn hands on the best practices from the mentor and do not create bad habits out of poor practices. It is vital to be very clear of the responsibilities in their position they are holding. They may not be aware or understand fully through formal written instruction, this is where the importance of mentoring plays a part. The mentor must be very clear and supportive. While continually learning and tweaking their skills, proficient performance is adhered across the board. Continuous goals for an individual can lead to highly motivated workers. This increases the importance of regular evaluation to see where deficiencies may be and where there needs to be improvement. If the problem may be tardiness, not completing paperwork, or not reaching the numbers needed to make a profit, a plan is needed to document the progress of correcting specific issues.

Be sure to allow time for improvement. Encouragement is crucial to ensure all efforts are acknowledged. Once an employee feels the supervisor no longer values them their need to improve and their need for approval may dissipate. As long as the employee is potentially promotable, he should constantly be evaluated for training needs (Hibbs). Working so closely, with a strong supervisor/subordinant relationship, can make it more apparent where motivation lies. Using this knowledge can help design specific training plans for each individual. Showing the worker that there is room for promotion can be a key that is critical to keeping an indivual hard at work and wanting to improve. d “If you want top-notch workers, you must know what to do with them,” (Zabriskie). In Satisfying A Demand for Dialog, Kate Zabriskie, the president of Business Training Works Inc. (a talent development firm), states that first-class organizations outline career paths and invest in employee development. Employee development includes paying close attention and acknowledging the efforts of your team in both formal and informal feedback. Zabriskie emphasizes the importance of informal feedback with personal relationships and casual discussion. Casual conversation to learn more of the interests the employee has within the company, what may be struggling for them in different areas of their workload and especially listening to their opinions on how to make the workplace a better place.

This can be hard to juggle with managerial responsibilities and workloads but one person cannot carry the entire company; it takes the entire teams effort. Devoting the time, it takes to help positively influence and lead by example, pays off in numbers. Helping to develop the most efficient workers ensures success which is the primary goal of every business. In conclusion, accepting the position of manager, supervisor, mentor, coach and leader it is the responsibility within that role to find the potential in each team member. The potential was likely already seen or else they wouldn’t be in their current standing. It’s the ethical and economical decision of a supervisor to guide that potential into the correct direction and help the individual to blossom. Obtaining the title of being the leader isn’t granted by just being present, it’s the hard work an individual puts in to help create and shape the A team.