If you think your only responsibility as an employer is to support your employees in doing their job and giving them a paycheck, then you are mistaken. Because employers should also support their employees’ personal growth and development.
Not only does this show that you care about your employees growth and career path, but the business as a whole will benefit from it!
Here are 7 things you can do to support the personal growth of your employees:
1. Cultivate a culture of learning
Leaders lead by example. When employees see their employer nurturing a culture of learning in the workplace, they will feel more motivated to put in the work and learn. Employers should also put in the time to share their own learning experiences and create space where employees can do the same.
2. Give employees “growth time”
While it speaks volumes when employees work on themselves and learn new things outside work, employers can help make this journey easier for their employees as well. By giving employees some growth time during working hours, employees are indirectly saying that they care about the personal growth of their employees. And while some employers might argue that personal development should not take from the time of the job, it is important to shed light on the fact that the company can benefit from employees learning new skills and growing.
3. Ask them how you can help
Asking about your employees interests and needs can go a long way. By creating transparent and honest communication with your employees, you will have a better understanding of how you can better support your employees.
A simple question like, “How can I help you grow?” can create a strong sense of support and appreciation between employers and their employees.
4. Develop growth plans
Creating growth plans with your employees can help create a better understanding of what your employees want to work on. These growth plans can address both professional and personal goals so that both the employees and the company can benefit.
5. Monitor their progress
Setting growth plans and sticking to them are two very different things. Employees should be able to see that you are interested in their personal growth and that you are keeping track of it. Setting monthly or weekly progress meetings can help make the necessary adjustments and keep the momentum going.
6. Encourage learning from one another
Every single employee has something to bring to the table, and as a leader, it is your role to highlight these strengths. Encouraging cooperation and learning from one another can be a great way to make learning a new skill fun. For instance, if an employee has a certain skill set, providing a space where they can share their experience with other employees serves as an interactive way to support the personal growth of one another.
7. Show interest in their non-work related passions
It is important for employers to understand that their employees have interests outside the walls of their jobs. Some employees even have passions that are completely unrelated to what they do in their daily job. Employers can help support these non-work related passions by offering the space and time for them to pursue them. For example, if an employee is patient about art, employers can create an art activity for the whole team to pick up on some art skills!
It does not take much to offer support and help lift your employees up, but the benefits that you will reap can be significant. By helping your employees grow on a personal level, you are really helping the company as well.
You know what they say, two birds, one stone!
