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Over the past few years, it’s clear that the job market has become more flexible than ever. The majority of employers value skills and work experience more than education, but this doesn’t take away from the fact that employees constantly look for opportunities to learn and grow. The lack of development opportunities is, in fact, one of the most common reasons why workers switch jobs. What can employers do to ensure the continuous growth of their workers and retain their talents?

Offer Training Programs

Many employees believe that joining training programmes to develop particular skills prove more valuable than pursuing a college degree. While a college education is beneficial, it doesn’t come as a surprise that not all school knowledge can be translated into real-world performance. By offering training programs, employers can provide an opportunity for focused growth in the workplace, setting their employees up to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills that directly influence their performance at work.

Make Better Use of Their Time

It’s difficult to get rid of inefficiencies in the workplace altogether, but one of the easiest ways to start this process is to look at how employees use and manage their time. In many cases, employees spend hours on end doing things that can be automated. For example, a manufacturing business can use an MRP software to keep track of suppliers, production times, and delivery times. Instead of letting employees monitor these data manually, automating the process frees up their time which they can allow to more fruitful and profitable activities.

Encourage Employees to Teach One Another

Appointing one person to oversee a department is a common way to organize workflow, but it’s worth considering how employees can teach one another. Designers may not have a use for learning how to maintain a balanced checkbook, but it gives them the chance to gain new skills and a better understanding of how the company works. Not to mention, this is an inexpensive way to ensure the professional growth of the workers. Interdepartmental relationships can also blossom, which always proves helpful for any business.

Allow Shadowing in Other Departments

This is in close relation to the previous idea. By letting employees shadow other people in another department, they can develop new skills and have a deeper appreciation of what their co-workers do daily. This enables them to understand how the many departments work in cohesion to propel the company forward. Over time, employees can turn into skilled brand ambassadors, ones that feel proud to talk about the company even outside of work.

It’s a challenge for any employer to ensure that their employees feel happy and satisfied with what they do and their future in the company. Letting staffers feel that they’re valued for their knowledge, talents, and skills may not be enough to compel them to stay. Any employer who wants to turn their employees into long-term brand ambassadors should seek growth opportunities for their workers and encourage them to acquire new skills to boost their careers.