Employees are at the center of a thriving business, so you need to make the most of them.
Investing in your employees should be your first priority and will likely be the key to business success. Two of the most popular ways to empower employees are through training and development, so you need to know what they are.
In this guide, we’ll tell you about the key differences between employee training vs development.
Understanding the Differences Between Employee Training Vs Development
While these two terms are often used interchangeably, they are not really the same. Employee training and employee development both work to improve an employee and provide them with new skills but they are very different.
Put simply, employee training puts focus on completing a specific job. Employee development is focused on helping an employee become a capable individual that can find success in any position or company.
Employee training is a process that’s focused on only the short-term. It aims to give an employee the specific skills they need to complete a job immediately and carry out the essential functions of their position. The goals of employee training are very specific and measurable and focus on specific skills and knowledge needed to perform the duties of a job.
Employee development, on the other hand, is focused on the long-term and isn’t as focused on technical skills and knowledge. It’s instead focused on larger concepts and soft skills. It helps employees become more capable individuals that have the attitudes, mindsets, and skills needed to build a professional reputation.
Skills learned in employee development are ones that can be used throughout a career. They’ll be used in various positions and not just in the specific one that they are currently holding.
There are many ways to improve employee development in your business. This includes offering ongoing training, emphasizing soft skills, and using team exercises. You may want to use virtual teambuilding activities, for example, if you have employees working remotely.
Benefits of Employee Development
For the best results in your business, it’s best to focus on both training and development. There are many benefits to having a plan in which continuous development plays a big role in the management of an employee.
Here are some of the main advantages of employee development that you should know about.
1. Find Better Employees
One of the top benefits of having an employee development plan for your business is that it will help you to attract better talent.
Great workers want to work at companies that will invest in them and empower them. Many people choose to take a job to learn new skills and to expand their career knowledge and experience.
By making it clear that you’ll invest in your employees’ development, they’ll be more excited to work for your company. They’ll feel like you have their best interests in mind.
2. Increase Job Satisfaction and Retention
Not only will offering great employee development attract more employees in the first place, but it can also help them to be more satisfied with their positions. It can help to improve employee retention by quite a bit.
Employees enjoy some of the free perks that they get from a company that invests in them and enjoy getting free education and development when working at the company. However, they also simply feel a sense of connection to a company that invests in them and makes them feel like they’re valued.
Feeling valued helps employees feel less interested in looking for greener pastures in another company. They’ll be more likely to be loyal to the company that invests in them instead.
3. Strengthen Employee Performance
Basic employee training can help to prepare an employee for a position. However, they’ll do a much better job if they get some ongoing development as well.
Employee development doesn’t just teach employees the skills for the job and how to handle their duties. It can also help them to become more confident and self-sufficient as well. They’ll learn to perform their work at a higher level.
Employees will learn the skills to be successful while handling duties confidently and with a more well-rounded skill-set.
4. Improve Employee Behavior and Engagement
Part of the reason that employees perform better in their positions when there is employee development is that they will also be more engaged.
Employee development helps employees to stay motivated and interested in their work. They’ll be more focused on their jobs when they are developing new career skills and they’ll have an interest in applying the skills they learn each day.
Because employees will be learning things that they can apply immediately, they’ll focus on their jobs a bit more and will stay motivated.
5. Plan for the Future of Your Company
Perhaps one of the best things about implementing an employee development plan is that it will help to secure the future of your business. Developing your employees will pay off in the long run as the same people end up becoming leaders in your business and enter management years down the road.
With an employee development plan, you’ll be able to train future leaders for your business. You can teach them the values and skills that they’ll need to know now and in the future to contribute to your business in an ideal way.
If all goes well with employee development, you’ll create a trained and competent workforce that will help lead your business in the future.
Final Thoughts
If you want to strengthen your business, you need to understand the differences between employee training vs development. Make sure that you implement an employee development plan if you want to improve employee retention, improve performance, and build a future for your business.
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