The Case for Employee Development

If I were to make the case for an organization-wide employee development initiative, I would include the presentation attached here in any pitch or proposal:

The case for employee developmentDownload

Currently, I am fortunate to work for an organization that recognizes the value of training and employee development. Curated courses are free to employees and accessible from outside our organizational network for independent study. Leadership development courses are provided as one-off selections within the LMS and as a structured, year-long program (I participated in that program in 2019 and was forever changed by the experience). Classes addressing communication skills, database and spreadsheet competencies, and personal biases are regularly offered as in-person and asynchronous opportunities. I have availed myself of many of these development prospects.

This has not always been my experience throughout my career. In former positions, I have stagnated and learned only job-specific tasks. If I were still at one of those organizations, I would advocate for a development plan to build my skills for my current role and future roles in the company. I would request that my manager take an active role in helping me conduct a self-assessment, including providing a candid discussion addressing my strengths and areas of opportunity. We could then work together to create SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-sensitive) goals and a plan for my progress (Noe, 2022).

In the table below, the four best development options for me are listed, along with a rationale that I would provide for my employer should we decide on a development plan:

These techniques mirror what many C-suite employees credit with being their most impactful experiences (Pontefract, 2013). Skill-based training is a key component of onboarding an employee to a new role. Employee development is a lasting return on the investment of that initial training (Walden, 2011).

References:

Noe, R.  (2022). Employee Training & Development, 9th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from vbk://9781265925802

Pontefract, D. (2013). Dear C-Suite: We Don’t Do Training. Chief Learning Officer, 12(11), 40–43.

Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2011). Employee development [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.