The Evolution of Employee Development and Engagement

The argument for improved employee development is impossible to ignore. In the face of a well-documented skills shortage and intense competition, the majority of businesses now recognise that it’s vital to offer learning and development opportunities in order to effectively attract, engage, and retain staff.

On the other side of the coin, 70 per cent of employees say they would leave their current job for another which offered better development opportunities - and one in three cite a lack of career development as a reason for having left a position in the past.

So if business leaders aren’t getting development programmes right, what is it that today’s employees really need?

The most successful employee development programmes prioritise ongoing mentoring and coaching, moving away from the staid ‘annual review’ towards a more collaborative approach. They also help employees foster ‘transferable’ skills like judgement, empathy, social skills, and teamwork - which many say are at risk of diminishing in an age of digitisation.

And that’s just the start. There’s much more that goes into effective development. The best organisations strive to proactively engage and align people with the company vision whilst providing the tools employees need to work towards achieving their own career goals.

Instructure has launched the Bridge Employee Development Platform to bring it all together; ultimately helping employers put their people first. Bridge enables conversations, plans, and programmes to help employees find meaning in their work and achieve long and short-term growth.