Employee development is different from employee training. While training focuses on optimizing the performance of specific tasks, development programs are more broad. Employee development programs go deeper with emphasis on personal and professional growth in an effort to help employees reach their full potential. Development is about helping your employee think ahead to, and prepare for, their and the company’s long-term goals. The benefits of employee empowerment are well documented, but here’s a few that usually land at the top of the list:
- Improved creativity and out-of-the-box thinking
- Increased trust in managers and the company as a whole
- Higher employee retention rates
- Better alignment between an employee’s values and the company mission, vision and values
Empowered employees are more confident and committed to meaningful goals, – who wouldn’t want employees like that on their team?
In this article we will explore elements of development programs that support employee empowerment. While not an exhaustive list, these elements can help set the right tone as your team members embark on their development and can reinforce the message that you trust their abilities.
