Who should shoulder the responsibility of employees' personal development?
The size of an employee’s paycheque is not the determining factor when deciding to join a new company or stay in their current job. In fact, according to McKinsey & Company’s War of Talent Survey, staff consider aspects such as interesting and challenging work, career advancement opportunities, and the ability to build skills and boost their career, well ahead of the size of their monthly salary.
Employees relish access to new opportunities
This is something that Google understands only too well. Consistently rated among the top five best companies to work for by Fortune, a key factor for the search engine’s high rating according to its employees is the opportunity they have to try new things and develop themselves in new ways.
Jonathan Nicholson, Astbury Marsden Managing Director, echoes this importance of career development. “One of the biggest challenges modern businesses face is attracting and keeping talented people,” he explains. “A key element in retaining skilled staff is to ensure they have sufficient opportunities for growth within the company.”
Working together creates a motivated workforce
Does that mean the responsibility for employees’ career development rests squarely on the shoulders of employers? Not at all. According to Nicholson the time has come to follow a fresh approach – one where companies and employees share the duty of developing employees.
“Employers are responsible for creating opportunities for growth that will assist employees in reaching their goals,” he explains, “But employees should also continually look for new ways to learn the skills required to further their career and to seize the opportunities they are given.”