In today’s dynamic workplace, the question of whether or not employers have a responsibility to help employees achieve their personal and professional objectives is a relevant and interesting one.
Traditionally employment relationships could be viewed as transactional: employees provide their skills in exchange for a paycheque. However, this has evolved over the years and today employers have begun to recognise that by encouraging and enabling personal and professional growth among their employees can lead to improved job satisfaction, loyalty, and enhanced productivity.
Benefits to employers that support employees to achieve their personal and professional goals include:
Employee wellbeing - Personal and professional development is linked to an individual’s overall wellbeing, a happy and healthy workforce is something all employers should strive for from both an ethical and productivity perspective.
Enhanced engagement – Employees who feel and see that their employers care about their growth and development are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work, for the long term improving retention.
Increased productivity - As employees develop new skills, they become even greater assets to the company that they work for, driving growth and increasing productivity as a workforce whilst contributing to generating a healthy internal culture.
Improved retention – Businesses that invest in their employees growth tent to retain their talent longer, ensuring they become an attractive prospect to future employees and retain top talent.
Positive company culture – Fostering a culture of support and growth improves the overall work environment for all. A combined effort to improve and install healthy employee and employer habits generates an environment of wellness and harmony.
Additionally, it is also a great tool for recruitment, and our recent H1 update highlighted that clients are emphasising the value of their EVP (Employee Value Proposition), with there being an increased awareness among clients to be more vocal about their employee wellbeing, training, and progression offerings. Our research highlighted that those clients who were offering learning and development as an integral part of employment where rated highly among candidates.
Whilst it is not necessarily the ‘responsibility’ of employers to help employees achieve personal and professional objectives, I would argue that those that don’t are risking the loss of their top talent and are demonstrating a questionable moral compass.
Let me know your thoughts.
