Planning for Growth: How to Guide and Support Employee Development

Career development and career growth opportunities for employees are important to employees. It’s a powerful way for individuals to grow, advance, and increase their income. And in survey after survey, employees say that they value development and are more engaged with employers that support it. For example, according to the 2024 Strategic Education Inc. (SEI) Consumer Survey, 93% of employees say learning new skills keeps them motivated at work.  

But career development for employees should matter to organizations, too. Not only can it help attract and retain employees, but it can elevate overall performance and help secure your talent pipeline into the future. An organization with a strong career development program can realize a competitive advantage—and in today’s quickly evolving economic landscape, every advantage matters.

What is the career development of an organization?

Your organization’s human resources department will play an important role in employee development. But what’s the career growth opportunities meaning in HRM? It’s a structured approach to supporting and enabling employee growth. With the rapid pace of cultural and technological change, development is more important than ever. As the world of work transforms, employees must adapt to new circumstances—and employers must ensure that their workforce is equipped with the relevant skills to succeed. 

Development programs vary widely among organizations, but most are focused on growing employee skills and knowledge. Support may include training, education, mentorship, and coaching. In a 2022 McKinsey survey of frontline employees, the majority of respondents agree that job growth (79%), learning opportunities (75%) and an aligned skill set (75%) are all important aspects of career advancement.

Employee development may also include greater transparency around career progression so employees know where they stand and how they can advance to new roles. 

When done right, career development is a win-win situation. It helps employees reach their individual career goals while also supporting the needs of the organization.

What is career growth for employees?

There are many ways to think about career growth meaning. For some employees, it might be advancing to the top of the corporate hierarchy. For others, it may be about excelling to the best of their ability in their current role. 

Whatever their goals, employees know the value of development. A Workplace Intelligence study from 2022 found that upskilling is a concern for employees. The survey showed that 78% of workers feel they lack the skills, and 71% are worried about their education holding them back from getting ahead. Furthermore, 70% of respondents expressed feeling unprepared for the evolving workplace.

In the end, career growth is anything that helps an employee in pursuit of their professional goals. Here are some common career growth examples:

• Gaining new skills. Gaining new knowledge and ability is the foundation of growth. This could include hard skills such as computer coding or data analysis. Or soft skills like collaboration or communication. 
• Earning a certification or credential. This is about validating a worker’s level of skill through a recognized assessment or through a credentialing body. 
• Earning a promotion. Rising to a new role is probably the most recognizable type of growth. 
• Adding responsibility. Employees can grow within their role by taking on additional responsibility, perhaps by leading an initiative or performing new duties.
• Moving to a new role. Some employees want to build new skills and responsibilities but may not want to take on additional administrative or management burdens. Making a lateral move can allow a worker to stretch their skills and become more well-rounded.

How do you determine career growth?

There are many ways to think about and quantify career growth opportunities for employees. Job promotions are one obvious milestone. Salary level might be another. But career development is more nuanced than those two metrics would suggest, so it’s helpful to explore other ways of evaluating it:

Learning new things. When an employee is learning new things in the workplace, they are also experiencing career growth—even if it’s not yet clear how that new knowledge will benefit them. The reverse is true also: if a worker is no longer learning anything new, then their career has become static. 

Building new skills. New abilities and competencies are sure signs of growth. Periodically evaluating employee skills is an effective way to track their development.

Making new connections. As employees connect with coworkers and colleagues, they are exposed to different roles and new ways of thinking. Mentorship is another powerful way that a connection can contribute to growth.

Taking on new challenges. An employee’s appetite for challenge often reflects their rate of growth. Growth can give employees the confidence to step up.

Meeting and setting goals. Growth often means that a worker can achieve the goals they’ve set and then raise their sights to more ambitious objectives. 

Making a bigger impact. If an employee’s influence or impact can be felt beyond their team or their department, that’s a sure sign that they are developing in multiple ways.

What does growth mean for an employee?

As we’ve seen, there’s more to career development than promotions and pay raises (although those are important). Employees may think about growth in a number of ways:

• Learning and skill growth. When employees are developing new knowledge and skills, they’re experiencing personal growth, which can set them up for career success.
• Career progress. Moving up the ranks is the clearest sign that an employee’s career is growing.
• Recognition and reward. Titles and compensation are key markers of career growth and many employees aspire to maximize both.
• Leadership. Developing leadership skills can help workers influence others in their organization.
• Job satisfaction. An employee who is growing is much more likely to feel satisfied in their job—and with their employer. 
• Work-life balance. For many employees, growth means finding a role that provides learning and satisfaction while also allowing space for personal goals and needs.
• Rich networks. Growth can also mean building new professional connections. Larger networks can expose employees to new ways of thinking and new perspectives.
• Mission and passion. Career development often means doing work that is closely aligned with an employee’s sense of purpose. 

How do you identify career growth opportunities?

Career development is good for employees and for organizations. But finding the right opportunities for growth isn’t always so clear. Fortunately, there are virtually unlimited ways to help employees grow. Here’s how to get started:  

1. Measure employee skills and interests. To find out where you’re starting from, regularly assess the skills and preferences your employees currently have. Make use of performance reviews, 360 reviews, observation, or formalized assessment tools to get a clear picture of organization-wide skill levels as well as the kinds of work your employees enjoy most.
2. Understand the landscape. Look at global and industry-specific trends that could impact your organization. Determine what skills will be needed to keep your company at the forefront.
3. Set development goals. Now that you can see skill gaps, create specific and individualized plans to help each employee with their development. 
4. Uncover internal opportunities. Your organization already has a wealth of learning and growth opportunities available—all you need to do is use them. Opportunities for growth at work examples could include job shadowing, coaching, mentorship programs, performance reviews, cross-departmental collaboration, stretch projects, and in-house training. According to one study, 9 in 10 workers (91%) rate workplace learning as important.
5. Search for external opportunities. From professional certification courses to e-learning to higher education programs, opportunities abound for external learning. Many organizations establish tuition assistance programs to help employees make the most of third-party learning options. In fact, 91% of business leaders agree that tuition assistance benefits programs can upskill their workforce which gives organizations a competitive advantage, according to another study.

What is an example of an employee development plan?

To achieve meaningful career growth, you need a clear map to help you navigate along the way. That’s where career development planning comes in. It’s a structured approach that helps both the employee and employer stay on track toward mutual goals. Here are some examples of development plans. 

A technical skills development plan is one that’s focused on the specific competencies needed for an employee’s current job or a future role. These plans may include development opportunities for employees examples such as earning a certification, taking technical courses, or participating in skills workshops. Similarly, a plan could focus on soft skills such as communication, adaptability, or creativity. Building these skills may involve coaching, mentoring, or e-learning.

If an employee’s goals include management, a leadership plan might be appropriate. In this plan, the goal is to develop the skills to lead teams and influence people—skills such as decision-making, strategic thinking, conflict management, and delegation. 

For employees who seek to broaden their experience in the organization, a cross-functional development plan is a powerful option. This plan is about gaining skills and knowledge across multiple departments or areas of the organization, and it could include stretch assignments, cross-team collaboration, or job rotations.

There are many more types of plans to explore. And there are also any number of combinations that you could make—for example, a cross-functional leadership plan or a plan that focuses on both hard and soft skills. It’s all about tailoring the plan to the employee’s goals and the organization’s needs.

How to develop a career development plan for employees?

When you think about how to support employee career development in the workplace, career development plans should be near the top of your list. They are powerful tools for growth—both for employees and their employers. But how do you go about creating one?

1. Assess employee skills. To chart a course toward your goal, you have to know where you’re starting from. Evaluate your employees on the skills that matter most in your organization. 
2. Set clear goals. What do your employees want to accomplish? How do those goals connect with broader organizational priorities?  
3. Explore learning opportunities. Based on the skills and knowledge your employees need to build, identify learning options that will help them get there. These might include higher education programs, certifications, on-the-job training, and more. 
4. Set up a way to measure progress. Any goal worth pursuing needs timelines and milestones. Consider how you will track employee progress—maybe through quarterly reviews, peer feedback, or other means. 
5. Allow for adjustments. As employees grow, their goals may change; your business needs may change, too. Leave room for adjustments and updates. 

How do you write a professional development plan for an employee?

Without a written plan, your employee development goals are unlikely to become reality. Creating that plan includes some important steps that managers and employees should take together.

• Record employee goals. The first step is a conversation—or series of conversations—to identify specific employee goals. Then include them in the plan so everyone is accountable for the same objectives.
• Identify strategies for success. Strategies spell out how you’ll achieve a goal. Include a list of specific actions that will support the employee’s development.
• Identify resources. To grow, your employees will need to tap into learning and development resources. This could include training, education, software tools, and more.
• Create a timeline. Build out a time frame in which the learning and development strategies will happen. But also build in the flexibility to adapt the timelines as employee and organizational needs change.
   

Transform employee development with Workforce Edge

Employees have unique development needs, and finding a solution that fits your whole team can be difficult. With Workforce Edge, you have an all-in-one education benefits management platform that gives employees the freedom to choose what’s best for them—while reducing the managerial burden on your organization. Schedule a consultation to learn more.