The Definitive Guide to Employee Development in 2024

Employee engagement scores are low and attrition is high, with 1 in 2 employees reporting that they're open to leaving their organization. Not only does employee turnover affect an organization's culture, but it also takes a toll on valuable time and resources. What can HR professionals do to change the stats and increase engagement and retention?

It starts with a new approach to employee development that's actionable and scalable. With technological advances and a shift in working contexts (remote and hybrid), HR must be adaptive and proactive in developing its employees.

As a pioneer in virtual employee coaching and development solutions, we have created numerous resources to foster growth, drive employee potential, and shape future-ready workforces. In this guide, we outline strategies for effective employee development in the modern workforce.

In this article, we'll address each of the following topics:

1. How Do I Have Career Development Conversations With My Employees?
2. What Is the Difference Between a People Manager and a People Developer?
3. Where Does My Organization Begin with Employee Coaching Programs?
4. How Can My Organization Create an Employee Development Plan That Actually Gets Implemented?
5. What Is the Strategic & Long-term Value of Employee Development Practices?
6. How Is Employee Engagement Influenced by Leadership Development Initiatives?
7. How Do I Answer the Question, “Why is Employee Development Important?”
8. What Can Be Done If My Company Has Low Employee Engagement Scores?
9. Can My Organization Perform Successful Career Development Training That Doesn’t Promise a Promotion?
10. What Are Retention Strategies for High-Potential Employees?
11. What Is the Best Approach to Developing High-Potential Employees?
12. Is Employee Development Possible in the Modern World of Hybrid and Remote Work?
13. How Can My Virtual Organization Implement Successful Employee Development Programs?

1. How Do I Have Career Development Conversations With My Employees?

If your managers are struggling to have career development conversations, then you might want to consider employee and manager coaching.

Traditional yearly performance reviews, often backward-looking and checkbox-oriented, fail to genuinely engage employees beyond that single conversation.

So how can you have a career development conversation with your employees? As a tool for managers, PILOT has developed the EARS model, a new approach to employee coaching:

1. Establish: Set a positive tone, ensuring readiness and clear intentions for the conversation.
2. Assess: Provide specific, actionable feedback related to the employee's development areas.
3. Review: Collaboratively explore and select growth strategies, involving the employee actively in their development journey.
4. Shake: Commit to next steps, timelines, and expectations, fostering accountability.

2. What Is the Difference Between a People Manager and a People Developer?

With the right approach to employee coaching training, it’s possible to build a culture of development in which your people managers evolve into people developers.?

Traditional structures burden managers with development responsibilities, which often leads to burnout and ineffectiveness. This is especially challenging, considering the current trend of active employee disengagement.

We argue for a shift that empowers employees to drive their own development and supports managers in adopting a mentorship role. This can be done through collaborative environments, clear strategies for development, and continuous, actionable feedback. It creates a workforce that’s engaged, motivated, and productive.

3. Where Does My Organization Begin with Employee Coaching Programs?

Many organizations have found a way to improve low employee engagement scores by providing growth opportunities through development and employee coaching programs.

The key to impactful career development conversations lies in a forward-looking approach, focusing on growth and skills enhancement.

Embrace scalability, and move beyond the notion that coaching is only for senior executives. Apply scalable programs organization-wide. Then, focus on shared needs. Address common developmental needs, not just individual ones. Emphasize practical, applicable insights. Utilize group coaching benefits for diverse perspectives and shared learning experiences.

4. How Can My Organization Create an Employee Development Plan That Actually Gets Implement

First, let’s talk about how to create employee development plans and turn ideas into action. It starts by building an implementation strategy that will take you from conception through execution.

Strategies for effective implementation include the following:

1. Simplify Development Plans: Focus on clear, actionable steps and objectives.
2. Empower Both Managers and Employees: Encourage a culture of self-motivated development.
3. Promote Ownership of Development Plans: Employees should be the primary drivers of their growth.
4. Continuous Feedback and Mentoring: Embed regular development feedback into the organizational culture.

5. What Is the Strategic & Long-term Value of Employee Development??

You may have heard this question from your executive team: How are employee development practices strategic?

For starters, these practices are a strategic cornerstone for the long-term success of any organization. They transcend traditional skills training and provide a means to improve your organization’s human capital.?

These holistic strategies not only benefit individual employees but add significant value to an organization.

• Prepare for the Future of Work: Digitization and automation are transforming the modern workforce, and developing internal talent means creating a workforce ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
• Increased Employee Engagement and Loyalty: Employee development not only helps employees reach their goals, but shows them that the organization is committed to their success.
• Improved Leadership Perception: Leadership coaching, a foundational development practice, significantly impacts employee engagement and satisfaction because managers are better and more effective at their jobs.
• Building a Strong Talent Reservoir: Focusing on both horizontal and vertical growth means HR leaders cultivate a nimble workforce that can adapt to changing demands.?

Remember, most employees don’t hit their full productivity until year three. Employee development programs not only help unlock that potential but also improve retention as employees feel more valued and powerful at work.

6. How Is Employee Engagement Influenced by Leadership Development Initiatives?

Only 23% of employees strongly agree they are appropriately recognized for the work that they do.?

But that statistic is an opportunity because innovative approaches and best practices can drastically improve your employee engagement rate to 72%, more than double the average.

Leadership development initiatives influence employee engagement. Moving away from outdated practices that focus only on top-level development creates an environment where all employees feel valued and engaged. And when employees feel valued and engaged, they're less likely to leave their organization.

7. How Do I Answer the Question, “Why is Employee Development Important?”

Are executives at your organization asking, "Why is employee development important?"

It’s important to communicate the value in terms of its impact on overarching organizational goals.?

After all, talent is a core asset. The right people can drive innovation and growth. Investing in employee development translates into overall organizational success and competitiveness.?

Plus, there is a massive cost of employee disengagement. According to Gallup, disengaged employees cost the world $8.8 trillion, which is 9% of the global GDP. Developing employees fosters loyalty and reduces these costs.

Let’s also remember the human element. Employee development provides purpose and meaning to your employees, helping them feel powerful at work and creating a more productive and positive work culture.

8. What Can Be Done If My Company Has Low Employee Engagement Scores?

Addressing low employee engagement scores demands immediate action, not just analysis. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Action Over Analysis: Recognize the importance of rapid, tangible actions over extended data analysis.
2. Effective Strategies: Implement high-impact, quickly executable initiatives like group coaching to improve engagement.
3. Communication Is Key: Develop a short-term action plan, communicate it effectively, and ensure regular, transparent interactions.
4. Prioritize Engagement Areas: Identify and focus on the most impactful engagement areas linked to your business strategy.

Actionable strategies are more effective than excessive data gathering. Remember to pause and act on your analysis. You don't have to wait for exhaustive survey analyses before fostering a more engaged and motivated workforce.

9. Can My Organization Perform Successful Career Development Training That Doesn’t Promise a Promotion?

Every employee deserves development. However, this doesn't equate to every employee needing a promotion.

HR leaders must reevaluate their approach, and understand how to perform successful career development training that doesn’t promise a promotion. Here are some steps to kickstart analysis:?

1. Redefine Career Development: Career advancement isn’t just about climbing the corporate ladder. Many employees prefer to grow within their current roles rather than seeking managerial positions, even if they don’t explicitly realize it.?
2. Create a New Plan for Career Growth: Show employees what growth looks like without a title change. The focus should be on “development,” which means helping employees improve in their current roles and empowering them with tools and training for those goals.
3. Broaden Development Opportunities: Don’t solely focus on vertical promotions. Explore alternative options such as role redesign, job rotation, or other horizontal paths. Cater the opportunities to employee aspirations.

Each individual can thrive in their own way, contributing to the organization’s success while also fulfilling personal aspirations.

10. What Are Retention Strategies for High-Potential Employees?

Best practices for employee development can also be applied to retaining high-potential talent. These individuals are the future of your organization.?

To retain your HIPOs, consider these five strategies:

1. Help HIPOs See Themselves as HIPOs: Engage in development conversations to encourage them to recognize and realize their potential.?
2. Take Note of Abilities, Talents, and Skills and Ideate Together: Note each employee’s unique abilities and engage in discussions to further develop these skills.
3. Pair Recognition with Collaborative Ideation: Pair recognition with discussions focused on skill and career development.
4. Avoid Promotion-Focused Direction: Focus on continuous growth rather than just promotion, fostering ongoing personal and professional development.
5. Develop a Culture That Provides Regular Opportunities for Growth Conversations: Establish an environment of continuous dialogue for growth, allowing for employees to reflect on and take ownership of their development.?

11. What Is the Best Approach to Developing High-Potential Employees?

Many HR leaders make the common mistake of assuming that the best way to develop high-potential (HIPO) employees is to push them toward leadership roles or promotions. While that might make sense for some individuals, the effective development of HIPOs is much more nuanced.

So, how can you develop high potential employees?

First, avoid biases and traditional views of what “potential” looks like, and be sure to look at employees in all roles, not just the prominent ones.

This inclusive approach should focus on diverse talents, including how individuals approach problem-solving and innovation, rather than simply leadership aspirations.?

Then, once identified, effective development hinges on strength-based plans and a collaborative process. Managers play a critical role in integrating development into daily interactions that foster a culture of continuous growth. Customizing development goals to align with individual strengths and aspirations ensures meaningful progress and engagement.

12. Is Employee Development Possible with Hybrid and Remote Work?

Today's remote and hybrid working contexts require an active strategy focused on employee coaching and development from HR leaders and professionals. Key strategies include the following:?

• Assessing Workforce Capabilities: Understand employee skills and engagement levels across all work environments.
• Identifying Skill Gaps: Pinpoint and address specific skills lacking in remote or hybrid settings.
• Creating Targeted Training Programs: Develop virtual training to bridge these gaps and improve the employee experience.
• Virtual Group Coaching: An inclusive solution ensuring access to development resources, regardless of location, fostering community and shared learning.
• Utilizing Tools Effectively: Bridge the gap between tool availability and actual use, moving towards user-friendly solutions.

Remember, maintaining the human element is crucial. Tools support the hybrid and remote work model, but genuine connections and a supportive environment are vital for an effective experience.

13. How Can My Virtual Organization Implement Successful Employee Development Programs?

It’s time to expand the common notion that employee development can only happen in a physical location. If your workplace is spread across multiple locations, you still can (and should!) value employee development programs.

How can you address this new way of working? Start by implementing successful virtual employee development programs by focusing on these three best practices:

1. Evolve Your Programs for Virtual Environments: Leverage the unique advantages of virtual spaces to make your programs more accessible, engaging, and impactful. Focus on using technology that enhances learning.
2. Simplicity and Empathy: Anchor development programs on fundamental principles and focus on practical, real-world applications. This approach encourages broader participation and ensures the relevance of the program to a diverse audience.
3. Active Involvement and Inclusivity: Engage employees actively from the start. Offer diverse growth activities accessible to everyone, regardless of location or learning style. Infuse creativity into the programs to make learning more engaging and effective.

These strategies ensure your programs are effective, engaging, and inclusive.

Scale Your Employee Development Program with PILOT

The future of work demands a reimagined approach to employee development. We're here to help you reimagine what this could look like at your organization through our emerging leaders development program.

Learn more about how PILOT is leading the charge for virtual employee development programs – book a demo today!