WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Whatever budget is set , there are three keys to selecting the right employee development opportunities for each person . First , employee development must be individualized to the employee . That means it should be relevant to their role at the company with tangible outcomes in their current and future responsibilities . But it also means that leaders must consider the motivations , strengths , and blind spots of each worker . Nothing is more exhausting than training that feels remedial , so letting each person help select their developmental plan will create the greatest buy-in from everyone . These conversations should be collaborative and encouraging .
As part of MLP ’ s ongoing focus on workforce development , this column features tips , tools , and topics designed to help members successfully recruit , effectively onboard , and consistently retain qualified employees .
Cultivating Employee Development
by Neal Glatt , CSP , ASM
Organizations fail to thrive when their people don ’ t have the skills and knowledge to perform at the highest level . As green industry professionals , we understand that the right environment allows plants to grow to their full potential . But what does a growth environment look like for an employee ? Could it be that our team would have more success if the culture was more conducive to employee development ?
Only about half of all employees globally strongly agree that they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the past year according to Gallup . Yet the ones who do work harder and more efficiently , returning 9 % higher customer loyalty and 10 % higher profit than undeveloped employees . What ’ s more , employees who are given the right growth opportunities are twice as likely to spend their career with their company .
Second , development has to be intentional . The reason that most people never grow is because their progress is never discussed or encouraged . When time isn ’ t set aside purposefully , development simply doesn ’ t happen . A stagnant organization is one that has not expressly prioritized employee growth . Part of intentional developmental opportunities is having goal setting and accountability . Just like in horticulture where we would never plant a tree or flower and then expect it to grow without frequent check-ins to adjust for changing conditions , each employee needs to be encouraged and checked-in with weekly .
Finally , employee growth must be ongoing from onboarding through promotion . Growth and development are a long and slow process where consistency breeds the best outcome . Teams which maintain intentional time for growth , even during busy seasons , are the ones which find the greatest return . Those who only invest in themselves when convenient are often frustrated by a lack of results . When employees stop being developed , they tend to look elsewhere for work . In fact , 93 % of the time that employees changed their role , they left their organization to do so . It ’ s clear that growth will lead to retention if it ’ s continuous .
No matter how you choose to develop your team , you ’ ll never regret the investment if you commit to consistent , intentional , and individualized development .
For business leaders , the return on investment is clear . Paying for employee development will reap massive return on efficiency , profit , and retention . Setting a budget for each employee ’ s growth is the first step . One of the best ways to do this is by organizational level . Front line employees may be eligible for one hour per week of paid training on-the-job . Crew leaders may be given access to an online platform like GrowTheBench . com in addition to their paid training time . Mid-level managers may be eligible to attend one conference annually . Senior level leaders should perhaps have an executive coach or academic program budgeted .
Neal Glatt is Managing Partner of GrowTheBench . com , an online training platform for the green industry . Connect with Neal at NealGlatt @ gmail . com .
MLP Newsline | Summer 2022 17