The Need for Employee Development Plans

By Alex F Gray

Job, Jobs, Career

Employee development plans are essential for the success of employees. A company's goals will be clearly mentioned in the plan that has to be matched to the employee's expectations. The plan will also lay out the different tasks, goals and actions that are very important for the success of the worker to take him/her to the next level.

Some of the various steps involved in the development plan are preparing the employee, providing development opportunities, monitoring the progress and creating confidence. There are several reasons for creating such plans. Some of them are described below.

The employee development plan is a means of empowerment. When the employee understands the goals, they will be more focused, understand the road to success clearly and will have a natural urge to perform to the best of their ability. They may not require any kind of motivation or direction from others. The empowerment will greatly enhance the overall performance of the member of staff. The plan is also meant for coaching an employee and moulding him/her so that the company has a successful environment. Some companies also provide the employees with special coaching forums for providing real time feedback.

When an employee receives proper coaching, they will be able to perform as per the requirements of the company and even better. It is also very important to look at the positive aspects and boost those areas. Some people may also require coaching in certain areas. Such issues can be easily dealt with in a one-to-one meeting where the feedback can be given in person along with different solutions to improve. One of the most important needs for the creation of the employee development plans is to retain the employee. The average cost to replace and employee could be about 1/3rd of the previous salary of the person. Such unnecessary expenditure can be avoided by retaining the workforce especially, a well trained one.

As the foundations of a company are built on their staff, creating a successful workforce is fundamentally about creating success through effective management. Not only do employee development plans pave the way for career advancement for the individual, but the entire organization will also benefit as it transitions from good to better to best. Although input is taken from both management and the human resources departments, the success of the employee development plan ultimately depend on how the individual responds to it.