Internal employee development has several advantages in comparison to attending external courses. First, it takes place in a specific corporate culture and second, it can be easier to focus on the knowledge and skills employees really need to do their jobs. It can also be used to prepare employees for further career advancement. Moreover, employees can take the role of trainers, one way they can improve their communication skills and gain a better understanding of their field.
Now, with the help of the About HR website, let's focus on some practical tips on how to develop employees using on-the-job training and internal training sessions.
On-the-job training
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Allow employees to attend meetings at a higher, strategic level and help with the planning and decision-making about the direction of their department or the entire company.
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Share information via mailing lists focused on specific fields.
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Give employees the opportunity to actively set their own goals and ways to measure them.
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Involve managers in the preparation of individual and team development plans.
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Allow employee cross-trainings.
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Establish an internal mentoring program. Reverse mentoring may also be beneficial.
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Encourage employees to look for informal mentors in their field of experience and interests.
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Last but not least, try coaching which is no longer only for top managers.
Internal training sessions
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Even though internal trainings may be lead by external trainers and consultants, you should always make sure they are provided by specialists who are also familiar with the culture and needs of the company.
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Establish a process where employees can organize training sessions for their colleagues based on what they learned on external trainings. If there is not enough time for longer training sessions, share only basic ideas, e.g. at the beginning of your meetings.
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Buy relevant books for your employees and set up a reading club in order to share business-related news. Then look for ways to apply this to the company practices.
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Create a section devoted to education and development on the corporate intranet. The section should include materials for new employees as well as news for everybody.
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Try trainings in the form of discussions with internal or external experts while having lunch together.
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Organize an internal conference, similar to a classic one-day format, dedicated to employee education and attended by only internal employees.
What are your favorite and most effective tools of internal employee development?
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