Training programs can occur in many formats, including direct instruction. Whatever the form, ... [+]
If there’s one takeaway from my study of developmental psychology it’s this: humans refuse to stagnate. We’re built to grow and change, and that need doesn’t end at any age.
It’s no wonder, then, that one of the most common concerns that arises in my career coaching practice is a lack of professional development opportunities. I hear all the time about how frustrating it is when clients don’t get to develop new skills at work or don’t have the time to learn about industry trends.
Being “status quo” for too long creates deep agitation.
In fact, 58% of employees said they would leave their company if they didn’t have professional development and/or training opportunities, according to a 2022 survey of over 1,200 workers conducted by The Conference Board.
Relatedly, 35% of employees rated learning and development among the top three elements of the employee experience according to the most recent version of MetLife’s annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS) (disclosure: I recently appeared on MetLife’s Putting Numbers to Work podcast as a paid guest).
Without opportunities to develop, workers tend to move on - and to be quite unhappy while they’re there.
Why Professional Development and Training Matter
There are significant benefits to the day-to-day experience of workers when companies offer quality professional development and training opportunities.
When employees feel cared for by their employer, they offer greater loyalty, productivity, and engagement to their organization. MetLife’s 2023 EBTS data indicated that development opportunities are a critical part of making employees feel cared for.
Interestingly, intrinsic motivators, like professional growth opportunities, are more important than extrinsic factors, such as compensation and work-life balance, to an employee’s sense of being cared for at work.
Feeling like we’re cared for is in turn associated with higher job satisfaction and happiness.
In other words, when we feel like we’re stagnating at work, we tend to feel like our employer does not care about us. In turn, we become less satisfied, engaged, and committed to staying put. Wise employers recognize this disengagement cycle and proactively head it off by continually broadening their workers’ skillsets and connections.
Who Wants Professional Development and Training The Most
While all demographics are interested in learning and development, millennials are particularly interested. Over half of millennial employees surveyed in the 2023 EBTS study said that these opportunities are a “must-have” benefit from their employer, more than any other demographic.
This matches millennial workplace trends from other studies, including a greater desire for meaningful work, values alignment, and a supportive culture at work than reported from older generations.
Interestingly, regardless of generation, not everyone is equally dissatisfied with their professional development opportunities: remote and hybrid workers were significantly more satisfied than on-site workers, according to the 2023 EBTS report.
Perhaps employers consider it easier to offer remote training and upskilling initiatives than coordinating on-site opportunities. Many of my coaching clients say it is harder to carve out dedicated time for trainings when they’re on site due to interruptions from co-workers, impromptu meetings, and “crises” that somehow seem more urgent in person than when they’re remote. Employers have to keep these barriers in mind when planning professional development opportunities for on-site workers.
This is particular important as workplaces increasingly shift back toward an in-person emphasis. It would be easy to put professional development on the back burner as remote work dwindles, to the detriment of employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
How Employers Can Improve Provide Quality Professional Development and Training
In order to provide quality professional development and training opportunities, employers first and foremost have to think beyond technical or so-called “hard skills.” While these skills are valuable, they are only part of the professional development quotient and leave many employees feeling cold.
When my clients talk about developing professionally, they tend to talk about building interpersonal and intrapersonal skills including:
- How to network
- How to accept and implement feedback
- How to coach direct reports
- How to motivate team members
- How to build mentoring relationships, whether from below, above, or on a peer basis
These and other so-called “soft skills” are essential for promotion, work satisfaction, and a sense of meaning at work. They’re also distinctly “human” skills that we tend to experience satisfaction gaining and using.
In addition to thinking beyond technical skills, employers need to transcend a cookie cutter, passive approach to learning, moving toward interactive, ongoing models that can offer a greater sense of inclusion to people from a variety of backgrounds. Cohort models and formal mentorship programs are particularly appealing as possible professional development programs that transcend traditional “training” classes.
Whatever employers decide to attempt, having open conversations about what is and is not working is key to iterating on the attempts and meeting employees’ needs. There’s no way to design genuinely effective professional development and training without hearing from the workers themselves.
