We all want employees to improve, and sometimes a little boost from the boss can help. So, what can you do to help your employees improve their skills–which, in turn, will allow them to do better work for you?
- Encourage them to develop their skills. When you create a culture of learning, of acquired knowledge, you also show your employees you want them to improve. This in turn encourages them to want to do better work for both themselves and the company. Urge your employees to seek out professional development opportunities, allowing them to sharpen their skills and potentially move up the ladder at work. Even better, help them create a development plan, complete with goals and objectives that align with their skills and your overall business strategy.
- Provide cross-training. Too many companies keep their employees literally and figuratively compartmentalized within their own departments, yet those departments need to interact and work together for progress and innovation to occur. For an employee to grow within the company, offer opportunities to take on responsibilities outside of their department. This gives them more awareness of other departments’ needs and means of operation, as well as an appreciation for others’ roles. Plus, it puts them in situations where they will address new challenges and learn better ways to think on their feet.
- Help them develop “soft skills.” Even the best, most qualified employee may sometimes have trouble with the non-technical aspects of the job, which often serve the most purpose. If you have a hard time reading other people and figuring out their needs beyond simple product, you may well get stuck. So much of business really does involve relationships with customers and colleagues. Have an expert come in to work with employees on developing empathy, self-awareness, motivation and general social skills, as well as reading body language of others so they can improve their overall communication skills.
As an employer, you want your employees to see how much they can improve — it becomes a win-win for everybody. To find that next great employee, work with the specialized recruiting professionals at PrideStaff Thousand Oaks – Ventura County today!
