6 Reasons Offering Career Development Benefits Companies

Career development is becoming a must-have in job offerings these days. People have realized that the traditional college-internship-career route is not an effective model. Sometimes there are better ways. Some employees want more from a company than the “opportunity” to be a part of the team. Today’s employees want companies to think they’re the ones with the opportunity to appreciate. They want to see that appreciation in action, too. That's where career development can be a great asset. People who are under-skilled or who weren’t in a position to be able to go to college or seek formal training sooner appreciate companies that offer career development. It gives them something to look ahead to. It gives them an opportunity they didn’t otherwise have. And, it can do wonders for your organization, too. Want to know what’s in it for you? Here are 6 great reasons that career development is a must-have for your organization.

1. Offering career development attracts better talent

As we mentioned, today’s employees are on the lookout for the best companies to work for. They’re no longer approaching the job hunt from an angle of what they offer the company. They're looking at what the company can offer them. Jobs aren’t hard to find these days but top talent is. That’s why it’s important to step up your offerings and include career development as a basic benefit for all employees of the organization. Mediocre employees or those just looking to get paid won’t be interested in career development trajectories or all the learning that entails. These workers typically avoid jobs that mention a lot of growth and development elements. The best talent, on the other hand, will come running to companies that are going to help them continue to improve their skills and grow as a professional, in any capacity possible. Having career development as a perk will bring top talent to your organization.

2. Employees are more satisfied when they're engaged

It’s been proven that engaged employees are satisfied employees. And when you are engaging them in improving and building their career, they’re going to jump at the chance to do so. This will help create more satisfaction in the workplace overall. They can also give more to the organization and not feel like they’re being exploited for their skills. When you invest in people, they give back what they get, which means the entire workplace will be lighter and more enjoyable for everyone. Studies have shown that employee satisfaction plays a large role in how productive people are. It also plays a role in how long they stay at their jobs, and whether they are capable of giving their best effort to the organization. People who aren’t engaged or who aren’t satisfied with their roles are going to get bored. They may even stray and start looking for a different job. You could lose a lot of good talent if you’re not careful.

3. It encourages ownership of duties and roles

Career development is also a way for companies to encourage employees to take ownership of their roles and responsibilities within the organization. Not only are people expected to do their jobs, but they are expected to seek growth and development opportunities. They're also encouraged to consider applying for promotions, and become a part of the organization for the long haul. You don’t want the people who are just looking for a job. You want team members who are excited about career development and who want to join your team so that they can have a career that’s rewarding and successful. When employees take ownership of their roles and duties, it means there is less of a need for constant monitoring and micromanagement. People want to feel like they’re trusted to do their job. When they are given career development support, they’ll know they have the best training. More importantly, business leaders will know that employees have the right training. That will build trust and remove the need for constant check-ins.

4. Training and development increases productivity

When you offer training and development for careers and positions, it contributes to the improved skills and abilities of employees on a daily basis. This leads to increased productivity and more efficiency on the job as people learn. The more people that are upskilling, the more increases you’ll find. This extra effort comes from the ownership that people take in their career development and their appreciation for the employer for providing them with the right opportunities.

5. It improves communication and collaboration

When career development includes teaching people better communication skills, you can also increase collaboration and communication within your company. This is an essential skill. It's also a skill that some organizations struggle with from time to time, for 1 reason or another. Healthy communication and collaboration within a company is the goal in the modern workforce. This can be done with the help of career development resources. Both the resources that are offered and the fact that they are available will encourage your employees to be more engaged and involved in the company. In most cases, employees that don’t feel valued aren’t going to say so. They’re going to quietly find a way out and a better position where they are appreciated. They aren’t going to contribute to teamwork and collaborative projects. They won’t bother working on healthy communication skills because they don’t see the point. When employees don’t feel like they’re getting what they deserve from a company, they’re usually just going to leave. By offering career development and creating an upskilling program, you’ll change the game and improve collaboration and communication for everyone.

6. Career development increases employee retention

This is 1 thing that many companies struggle with these days. People are leaving jobs in record numbers. They’re also getting new jobs and making their decision about sticking around quite early on in the onboarding phase.

If you advertise career development to attract better talent, you’ll find that both your new and existing employees will feel a lot more like sticking around for the long haul.

They might not even make it to day 1 out of training without considering what the company offers based on what they gleaned in their onboarding and training program. If you advertise career development to attract better talent, you’ll find that both your new and existing employees will feel a lot more like sticking around for the long haul. Today, employee retention is like the proverbial Golden Ticket. Companies want people who stay. However, we’re living in an economy where people are still leaving jobs at alarming rates. The way to fix it is to start offering people the things they desire and deserve. This includes career development resources.

Career development can change the way your organization works

If you do it right, you’ll create a fair advancement process that invites employees to take control of their learning and expand their abilities within the company. It also allows people to consider their position in a more career-oriented mindset and encourage them to stick around. After all, if you’re giving them development opportunities, why do they need to leave? The Great Resignation completely changed the way that employees think, respond to, and feel about their jobs and the organizations that they work for. It’s put them in a place where they’re no longer just taking what they can get. They want to invest their career in a company that will invest in them in return. The companies that embrace career development initiatives will see an improved culture, a healthier work environment, and a more engaged, skilled workforce.