Organisations spend thousands of dollars annually in employee development schemes which have seen most employees embarking on programmes of study related or unrelated to their jobs.
It is very common to hear employees talking of undertaking a degree programme with local of international colleges to the extent that in some departments, literally everyone has a degree or is studying towards one.
Thanks to the organisations that have come up with staff development programmes.
However, it has been noted with concern that most organisations do not follow through and keep a record of such development programmes with a view of taking advantage of the outcome of such noble initiatives.
How then can organisations come up with effective strategies to harness and make use of the resources that they would have invested in?
The line managers, in liaison with the training and development department, should ensure that they recommend programmes of study that they see as beneficial to the employees in the performance of their day-to-day duties or any anticipated duties in the future.
This entails not just recommending to their head of department that the programme should be funded by the organisation.
Line managers must have an interest in the professional welfare of their subordinates and have time to discuss profession-related issues with them and offer career guidance with the assistance of the training and development department.
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Once the line manager gets interested in the professional welfare of the employee, it is easy for them to recognise the achievement made and ensure it is used to the advantage of the department and the organisation.
On the other hand, it is important for the training and development department to come up with an organisational career guidance policy that clearly defines the procedure for career guidance in the organisation as well as defining the roles of all those involved in the career guidance process, that is the employee, the line manager and the training and development department.
When an employee submits an application for funding to pursue a particular programme, the three parties should examine the programme to see where it fits in the department and the organisation as a whole before final approval is given.
This all-encompassing approach to career guidance ensures that the employee chooses a programme of study that is beneficial to both the employee and the organisation.
Rather than the organisation supporting staff development that is initiated by the employee, it is crucial for the organisation to identify employees with potential to be promoted to higher positions and develop them for future elevation.
Once these employees are identified and their skills deficiency is noted, management can then recommend appropriate programmes that can be undertaken by the employees with assessments being carried out periodically by the training and development in consultation with the respective line managers.
With the current economic challenges not sparing organisations, it may be necessary for recruitment for certain levels to be done internally as a way of promotion or re-aligning employees taking into account the programmes they would have undertaken.
Taking this route will result in staff motivation, loyalty, increased production and enhanced image.
It is important then for organisations to be continuously examining themselves to see whether they benefiting from the investment they spend on staff development or they are merely a training ground for other organisations.
In as much as organisations have a human capital responsibility, they should be first ones to benefit from these resources before export to the labour market.
Paul Nyausaru is a training and development practitioner.
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]. Views contained in this article are personal.
