How Top Companies Develop Their Workforce

All companies rely on having a skilled, knowledgeable group of employees to keep operations running smoothly. Finding ways to develop talent and expand employee expertise though is an ongoing challenge. Top performing companies make workforce development a priority through various methods. Their focus is on improving both individual employee skills and the overall workplace culture.

Ongoing Training Opportunities

Many leading corporations now provide extensive internal training programs. These go beyond a basic orientation for new hires. The goal is to continually upgrade talents and teach new skills. Opportunity starts on day one through a detailed onboarding process. This brings all new employees up to speed on company policies, procedures, systems, products and services. But the training does not stop there.

Top workplaces build on initial onboarding with regular skill-building sessions. These may include instructor-led classes, self-paced online modules, mentoring programs, or job shadowing. Subject matter ranges from customer service protocols to using new software programs. Employees at every level can enroll in training that fits their role and development needs. The variety and flexibility of offerings allows for personalized growth.

Tuition Reimbursement and Certification

Besides internally managed training curriculums, many leading companies offer tuition reimbursement programs. These provide financial assistance to employees who pursue external education. Coursework can be completely unrelated to one’s job function or industry. However, many workers choose to take classes that build directly relevant skills. Examples include marketing certificates, coding bootcamps and even MBAs.

Offsetting some of the cost burden of higher learning means businesses make it easier for staff to earn degrees and career certification programs. According to the people at ProTrain, this benefits both the employee through increased knowledge and income potential and the employer via a more qualified, specialized team.

Leadership Development at All Levels

Enhancing individual skills is one piece of the puzzle, but nurturing leadership at all levels is equally important for organizational success. Employees need opportunities to exercise critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and other leadership muscles. This expands the pool of qualified candidates to promote from within. It also generally increases engagement, satisfaction, and retention.

That is why top corporations emphasize leadership development starting on an employee’s first day. They incorporate group projects, cross-training initiatives, volunteer programs and similar activities. The most progressive companies even rotate high-potential employees into temporary management roles to evaluate capabilities.

Empowering Innovation and Change Management

The most successful companies also realize they cannot simply impose changes, systems, or priorities on employees without enabling input or ownership. Instead, they focus on change management strategies that bring staff into the process early. Employees participate in needs assessments, solution design, and implementation planning for major workplace changes. This empowers them to ask thoughtful questions, raise considerations, and ultimately align better with final decisions.

Promoting Open Dialogue and Collaboration

Besides formal training and development programs, leading organizations focus on cultural elements like open dialogue. They create environments where employees feel comfortable asking questions and making suggestions.

Structures like employee resource groups, mentorships/buddy systems, and cross-departmental committees also boost collaboration. These forums allow for idea sharing across roles, levels, locations and business units. They expose employees to fresh perspectives for approaching their day-to-day responsibilities and they lead to relationship building, knowledge transfer and greater alignment of objectives.

Conclusion

In an economy where change happens swiftly, no company can afford to stand still. Investing in employee development at scale separates average businesses from those consistently ranked among the best places to work and lead their industries. Besides the obvious benefit of having an agile, future-ready workforce, focus on enriching jobs also pays off in better retention. Developing employees keeps top talent engaged, motivated and loyal to the organization.