Employee development plans (EDPs) are intended to help employees grow. While usually implied is the professional aspect, EDPs also target personal development.
As such, an EDP may include soft skills on top of highly specific hard skills. The finest of EDPs help employees upgrade their existing knowledge and gain novel skills, which will help them cope with changes in the workplace.
How to Implement Employee Development Plans
Merely creating EDPs without any deeper insight won’t do the trick. The key is in recognizing the why. Why do employees need an EDP to begin with?
To learn this, you’ll need to discuss each employee’s goals individually. The feedback system won’t work in this case as the goals of the EDP need to be realistic and achievable.
Another aspect that should be brainstormed is an inspiration. Employees need to be motivated. In plain English, they need to believe that the EDP will help them achieve their goals. This is basic psychology, so make certain to outline the benefits.
It is important to understand that EDPs don’t have to conform to the usual format (seminars, typical training programs, and similar). One aspect that has been proved to help with implementing EDPs is informal meetings.
Informality is important because it won’t put pressure on employees and will also allow them to express their opinions.
Implementing a people development plan needs to be flexible.
What Should an Employee Development Plan Include?
As mentioned above, both soft- and hard skills may be included in an EDP. Typically, the goals highlighted should cover a combination of the two and target growth-oriented, skills-oriented, and relationship-oriented goals. These should be integral to employees’ daily routines.
To decide which goals to include, look into several factors. Obviously, the first step would be to assess the demand of the role and align them with company goals. Don’t stop at the current needs, either: look into the future!
To be able to do this, you’ll need to think ahead. How will the role evolve? Will it branch into any future roles?
Next on, you should apply the changes necessary for development to occur. In most cases, individual changes will be needed. Basically, this means that the employee will need to change the established routines, so it is important to provide managerial support. Over time, the employee will get used to the new routine, so support will cease to be needed.
More often than not, EDPs will need fine-tuning and additional adjustments. Self-adjustment is also a welcome initiative and it typically occurs in the final stages of the EDP. Usually, it’s linked to reflection, both of which are a sign that the EDP is successful.
How to Ensure Each Employee Development Plan Is Successful
As you’ve probably gathered already, alignment is crucial. It’s not sufficient to just take into account employees’ desired routes; they also must fit in the bigger picture.
When all EDPs are aligned, the practice inevitably leads to organizational change. It is up to you to assess how to make this a change for the better.
Each development plan should provide opportunities in employees’ daily routines. Rather than setting milestones, allow development to take place gradually.
In the beginning, it is fine to use templates for your EDPs. Establish a format and fill in the blanks (individually). For optimal results, couple it with a succession planning template.
Succession planning should always be included in your EDPs as businesses need to ensure operational continuity when workforce changes occur. In addition, it will give you an idea of what to look for in new hires in the future.
Proposed Formats of Employee Development Plans
As aforementioned, EDPs don’t necessarily stick to traditional training methods. Also, different employees may prefer different approaches. Because EDPs are highly individual, you need to consider various formats. Don’t forget that all EDPs will need to be aligned with organizational goals.
For upskilling, consider practical training (on-the-job) and microlearning.
Microlearning comes in many shapes, including podcasts, video materials, simulations, infographics, social media interactions, job aids, and gamification. Augmented reality (AR) training may also come in handy.
For leadership training, consider advanced approaches including mentorship, coaching, job shadowing, and cross-training.
Don’t Forget to Track Results!
Finally, after all this hassle to develop different EDPs, it would be pointless to leave the outcome to chance. You’ll need to track results and make data-driven decisions.
Make sure to meet with the employees on a regular basis and inquire how satisfied they are with the developments. Feedback used in this way is the fastest way to accurate adjustments to EDPs.
Based on this intel, assess how to make the training more efficient, more seamless, and less time-consuming.
Employee Development Plans Are Here to Stay
Regardless of hectic changes disrupting organizational operations, EDPs are here to stay. If anything, they’ll become more urgent in the future.
With the business environment evolving at a rapid pace, the need to quickly fill in the gaps will become all the more urgent.
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