One of the key aspects of retaining employees (and enticing new ones) is helping them set up and achieve their goals. This is especially crucial as a business owner as it feeds into your growth strategy framework.
However, there is an element of nuance in helping your employees accomplish their goals. They need to feel supported throughout their work. We break down some of the most helpful ways to help your team grow and develop their skills.
Check-in With Career Goals and Make Them Measurable for Effective Growth Strategy Framework
Like any goal, career goals can change over time, sometimes within weeks or months of setting them. Instead of only doing a check-in on an employee’s career goals at their annual performance review, consider checking in on them quarterly to get more of an accurate gauge as to how they’re doing and whether the goals they set are still the ones they want to pursue.
Speaking of their goals, to help both your employees and yourself keep track of them, find ways to set up their goals as SMART goals or make them measurable in other ways. That way, you can easily check in and see if any changes need to be made to help them accomplish their goals.
Help Your Employees Become More Rounded or Specialized
Sometimes helping people achieve their goals is supporting them in roles they might not have considered for themselves. Some people want to become more rounded by doing work that’s traditionally outside their role while others prefer to specialize in their work as much as possible.
Offer opportunities to your employees you think they would be a good fit for and provide further recommendations based on what they do or don’t enjoy about those tasks or roles.
This rolls into our next tip…
Encourage Internal Position Shifts Within Your Company
One of the most important aspects of employee retention is helping people feel encouraged and supported in switching roles or moving up in your company. If internal positions become available, encourage your team to apply for those positions.
By doing this, not only do you further empower your employees, you reduce internal training time as well since your team already has a good understanding of your internal systems.
Provide Coaching or Education
Finally, supporting your team in their goals not only means finding ways to help them achieve them, but can also mean providing mentorship and education. Depending on the role you may want to support them up through a mentor to help them navigate their goals, or offer education so that they have guided skill development.
Overall, regular check-ins, finding ways to incorporate your employees’ career goals into opportunities that arise, and being encouraging and supporting can go a long way toward building trust, motivation, and loyalty to you and your business.