How does improved employee morale, higher employee retention, increased productivity and quality results, and less time spent managing poor performers sound? If you want all of these things, Andrew Miller, former CEO of Polycom, Inc., suggests implementing career coaching in your organization. Miller provided us with a few recommendations on how implementing career coaching can be achieved.
Hire a Professional
There are educated, trained, and experienced individuals looking to help your employees achieve their career goals. With an in-house career coach available at your organization, employees will not only feel cared for but they will also have a sense of belonging in your company. If you see that your employer considers your career development valuable and worth investing in, you will encounter more loyal and driven staff.
Encourage Continuing Education and Certifications
A great investment for employees and businesses is the opportunity to provide continuing education or certifications. It is encouraged to offer some type of incentive for employees to continue their education. If your company is unable to provide tuition reimbursement, perhaps it can provide time off work on occasion for employees to go to classes or complete projects. The main reason for encouraging continuing education or certifications is for your employees’ skill sets and knowledge to increase. With higher educated employees, your company will benefit by remaining up to date on the newest technology, strategies, etc.
Start a Book Club
Miller recommends establishing a book club within your company. As a CEO, you should always be looking for ways to better improve your company and your staff. Focusing on personal development books can help to achieve that. Selecting books that are easily digestible and relatable to your company’s goals and your staff’s everyday life is key. Try to host your meetings at least quarterly to discuss everyone’s thoughts freely. Not only will everyone involved be learning something new, but it also promotes team trust and transparency, which leads to a strengthened company culture.
Rotate Employee Roles
Another way to promote career development in your workplace is by offering variety to your employees. The brain thrives on changing conditions, solving problems, and learning new things. Creating a job rotation program can help achieve these goals. Your employees will not only develop new skills, having a better understanding of different entities of the business, and appreciate their colleagues more, but they may also find themselves better and more enthusiastic at a different sector.
Providing your support to your team’s personal and career goals will create significant and lasting benefits to your staff and business. Not only will it be beneficial to your current staff, but it will also be an attractive feature to potential new hires.
