“We want to strengthen employee development, but where should we start?”
Is this a challenge your company is facing?
When companies look for solutions, they often focus on expanding their training programs. But is offering more training really the best way to develop your people?
Employee development is about more than training sessions. It requires a system that helps people learn, apply what they have learned, and continue to grow through their daily work.
Let's look at five key points to consider when reviewing your company's training and development system.
1. Combine Off-the-Job Training (OFF-JT) with On-the-Job Training (OJT)
Some companies build their employee development systems around a large number of training programs. However, this is closer to a training program schedule than a comprehensive employee development system.
One fundamental principle of employee development is to combine OFF-JT and OJT.
OFF-JT refers to formal training conducted away from the workplace, while OJT involves learning through practical work experience and guidance on the job.
Employees do not automatically master new skills simply by attending a training session. They need opportunities to apply what they have learned in the workplace, receive feedback and coaching, and improve their performance.
This is the first step toward making new knowledge and skills part of their everyday work.
There is another important point to consider when planning training programs.
Training sessions are relatively easy to organize. However, many companies have not established an effective OJT structure to support employees after the training.
Responsibility for OJT lies partly with store managers and other frontline leaders. However, head office is also responsible for checking whether the necessary support systems are in place.
Simply assuming that employees can perform a task because they have attended training is not enough.
Listen carefully to feedback from the frontline and establish the most effective way to support employees as they put their learning into practice.
2. Build Your System Around Three Pillars: Position-Based Training, Functional Training, and Self-Development
A practical employee development system can be organized around three main pillars:
- Position-based training: Learning tailored to each job level or position
- Functional training: Learning the specialized knowledge and skills required for particular roles or business functions
- Self-development: Learning that individuals undertake on their own initiative
Position-based training is linked to an employee's role, from new hires to managers and senior leaders.
Examples include:
- New employee orientation combined with a workplace mentoring or coaching system
- New store manager training followed by coaching and support from an area manager
Training can also be designed around years of service or age groups to reflect employees' different career stages and life circumstances.
Functional training focuses on developing specific knowledge and skills. This includes both specialized expertise related to products and services and general business skills such as communication, logical thinking, and presentation skills.
Self-development is primarily the individual's responsibility. However, companies can encourage it by providing financial assistance for professional qualifications or supporting continuing education and reskilling opportunities.
Combining these three pillars helps create a more balanced approach to employee development.
3. Consider Three Perspectives: Management, Customer Satisfaction (CS), and Employee Satisfaction (ES)
Another useful way to structure employee development is to consider three perspectives:
- Management: What employees need to learn to fulfill their roles effectively
- Customer Satisfaction (CS): What employees need to learn to improve customer experience
- Employee Satisfaction (ES): What helps employees feel engaged, valued, and motivated at work
The management perspective is closely related to position-based training discussed above. It includes people management, inventory and resource management, financial management, leadership, and training for performance evaluators.
The CS perspective focuses on developing the skills needed to improve customer satisfaction. Examples include improving customer service, visual merchandising (VMD), point-of-purchase displays (POP), and developing in-house trainers who can teach others how to deliver better service.
The ES perspective is based on the idea that when employees feel more satisfied and engaged, they are better positioned to provide excellent customer service.
Possible initiatives include internal awards programs, mentoring systems, informal discussion sessions with top management, internal entrepreneurship programs, and opportunities to visit and learn from other companies.
By considering all three perspectives, companies can develop people who contribute to business performance, customer satisfaction, and a positive workplace.
4. Make Sure Part-Time and Temporary Employees Receive Proper Training
Compared with many other industries, store-based businesses rely heavily on part-time and temporary employees.
Although many of these employees work for shorter periods than full-time staff, they are still an important part of the store's workforce.
From the customer's perspective, the distinction between a full-time employee and a part-time employee is irrelevant. Customers expect the same level of service regardless of who serves them.
That is why part-time and temporary employees need proper training, too.
To achieve this, clearly define their roles and performance expectations, and establish a system that enables them to learn what they need to know in a relatively short period.
The key is to make training efficient without compromising the quality of service.
5. Start with a Simple Talent Management System
It is useful to keep track of each employee's development history, including the training they have completed, the skills they have acquired, and the areas in which they excel.
This information can be valuable when considering future transfers, promotions, or assignments to special projects. Ideally, it should be kept up to date and shared with the relevant people across the organization.
When people hear the term ‘talent management’, they may imagine introducing specialized software and entering detailed information about every employee.
However, you do not need to start with an expensive system.
A simple Excel spreadsheet may be sufficient at the beginning. The important thing is to start organizing and using the information in a practical way.
As your system develops, you can expand it to support more strategic decisions about employee development and deployment.
Does your company have a well-structured employee development system?
Rather than simply adding more training programs, take a step back and review the overall system.
Are employees given opportunities to apply what they learn? Are training programs aligned with their roles and business needs? Are you developing both full-time and part-time employees? And are you making effective use of the skills and strengths your people already have?
A strong employee development system does more than teach people new skills. It helps them grow—and enables the entire organization to grow with them.
