Crafting Effective Employee Growth Strategies in Small Businesses

No matter the size of your company, employee development is important. It's absolutely essential that you give your teams the attention they deserve, in teams ranging from 6 to 60 people. Not only will your employees become better and more productive, they will also be better people!

However, creating a workforce development plan isn't necessarily a walk in the park. If you run a small business yourself, you know the struggle better than anyone. Limited resources and tiny budgets, right?

Luckily, creating an exceptional workforce development plan is much easier than it sounds. There are many successful plans in use today - with great success!

Let's take a look at some of the most successful small business employee development plans, including examples you can use to create one of your own!

Why is employee development so important?

Before we get on the soapbox here, you deserve an explanation as to why you should be concerned with human resources development at all.

In our humble opinion, employee development should be the number one goal of every small business. As your team members gain knowledge, skills and experience, your company will grow. After all, employees are the most valuable resources in your company! Investing in them will pay off in the long run.
Still don't believe us? Believe the statistics!

93% of employees say they would be more committed to a company if they were properly trained and developed.
Leaders who are well-trained can increase their workplace performance by 20%.
Research shows that companies with comprehensive training and development programs generate 218% more income per employee.

Employee development is everything your small business has been looking for. All that’s left is to find a plan that works best for your business!

What employee development solutions do for small businesses

There are three main elements that a small business development plan should include:

Employee motivation - How will you encourage your employees to stay engaged and interested in their jobs (e.g. through reward programs)?
Training New Employees - What will you do to onboard new employees as quickly as possible?
Employee Relations - Are there ways to build real relationships with your teams?

All three elements must be present in a successful employee development plan if it is to last. We don't want to scare you, but missing even a single element can have a dramatic impact on your results. Your employees' well-being is at stake, people!

7 Types of Employee Development Plans Suitable for Small Businesses

If you're ready to give workforce development a try, good for you! By following in the footsteps of your predecessors, you can put together a comprehensive solution based on already successful tactics.

Put together an exceptional small business employee development plan by evaluating these development strategies:

Staff Meetings - Rather than just sticking to the old “meet-and-greet,” consider hosting staff meetings that actually provide authentic employee training.
Department rotation - Give your employees a comprehensive insight into your company and its operations by sending them to different departments.
Mentoring and Networking - Assign each employee an internal mentor who can support, encourage, and make meaningful connections outside of work.
Growth Plans - Develop customized employee benchmarks for the month, quarter or year (depending on your needs).
Training - Incentivize your employees to attend webinars, conferences, professional development courses, and more.
Professional organizations and government programs - Increase employee satisfaction by partnering with a government workforce development program in your region.
Retention and exit interviews - Even when employees leave the company, you should keep an eye on their development and ask for clear feedback.

Remember that not all employee development plans look the same from company to company or even department to department. Feel free to adapt your approach to specific needs and leave out any tactics that don't really apply to your work. It's about making a difference - not just checking off a box.

Do it all with IceHrm

Employee development is one of the best things you can do for your small business - we can't stop talking about it! But we understand that all this information all at once can be a little (read: a lot) overwhelming. We know you just want to dip your toes in the water and not drink from the fire hose, so we have a simpler solution: automation.

At IceHrm, we have been helping small business leaders get more out of their employee development plans for nearly a decade. Our comprehensive and customizable employee recognition software makes it easier to interact with your teams and takes the guesswork out of listening, engaging, and motivating your employees.

Elevate your small business with IceHrm's streamlined solutions for employee development. Simplify, engage, and grow your team effortlessly.