In the year ahead organisations will be looking at skills gaps and employee retention and must work to ensure that effective personal and career development is a priority for all employees. In a move away from the more company centric approaches, development should give much greater consideration to the individual employee. Their wants, needs and expectations must be given priority in any development plan. This will require conversations between managers and employees to support the individual with their learning and development and to ensure it stays on track. This won’t be easy as many managers don’t always have time to invest in this way, but it will be crucial for success in a job market that is witnessing both a skills shortage, and loss of key talent in search of more balanced and less pressured ways of working.
A “taking care of the individual” approach will benefit both employee and employer. The ‘job for life’ scenario is now a rarity and employees that stick to what they have always done, how they have always done it, simply cannot compete against their multi-talented colleagues who look to contribute and add value to other areas of the business. In the modern, hybrid workplace individuals are expected to actively participate and contribute to the overall productivity of the organisation. However, they now demand greater investment in their personal development and commitment to them as individuals. Taking action to retain key talent whilst simultaneously developing more unadventurous staff will address skills gaps and blind spots that can disrupt careers and impact the overall effectiveness of an organisation. Every organisation must identify their weaknesses and strengthen their skills to survive.
In 2023, an organisation that is keen to make development at an individual employee level a priority will ultimately drive performance in the right direction. Working with your employees and giving them the tools, training, resources and support essential to learn and grow will help to shrink the skills gap and retain valuable talent that may already be in search of something new.
Putting programmes in place to develop and support individuals takes time and it’s important that this time isn’t squandered through lack of data to help you spot gaps and act promptly. As with every aspect of the modern business, technology is available to support HR in creating and managing development plans. There are digital tools that enable organisations to support employee development allowing individuals to achieve. Specialist HR and payroll software provider, Frontier Software understands the importance of real time data that can be output instantly to assess current and future skills requirements in your organisation. On-line performance management tools enable the employee to drive their development, make daily journal entries and keep in touch with their manager, even when away from the office.
After a challenging period for HR, make 2023 a year of commitment to enabling the very best in personal and career development for all your employees.
