Employee Learning and Development in the Philippines
This is a guest post by Ron Cullimore of Manila Recruitment. His expertise covers client experience and engagement, service management, business development, offshoring and recruitment strategy for start-ups, SMEs, corporations and multinationals. His passion lies in providing well-rounded recruitment solutions to teams with specialist recruitment needs in the Philippines.
Your employees are assets, and should be valued as such. They deserve returns for their hard work and loyalty that go beyond minimal monetary gifts. While money could be one motivating factor, there’s nothing more fulfilling than preparing your employees not only for their current roles but also for future career opportunities.
Employee development is a process where an employee, with the support of his/her employer, undergoes various training programs to enhance his/her knowledge and skills and acquire new skills s/he can use in the future.
How to Promote Employee Development in the Philippines
In the Philippines’, employee development is one of the key factors that affect employee retention, especially among millennials. Here are some effective learning and employee development tactics your company can do to provide the needed growth your employee deserves.
Training and Seminars
Training helps an employee perform his best. Meanwhile, the organization benefits from this as well, as it may likely lead to higher profits.
In-house and outsourced training, conferences, and seminars make employees better and reliable resources, as they become equipped with knowledge and information they would most likely use throughout their career.
Make them feel that the responsibility of the organization lies on their shoulders, which it does. Seminars should give more attention to leadership and management development, talent development, customer service and sales, which are some of the basic skills needed in most jobs in the Philippines.
Promotions, Performance Appraisal, and Additional Benefits
Well-performing employees deserve more than just recognition. Promotions should take place not just because your people are brilliant at their current job, but because they are ready for a bigger role.
A great amount of dedication and hard work deserve something in return to motivate employees to deliver more and go the extra mile. Who wouldn’t say no to a promotion or be commended at any point in his career, right?
According to a scheme called 360 Degree Appraisal, managers or supervisors evaluate the performance of their team members and give them valuable feedback based on their evaluation. The results of an appraisal help an employee determine his shortcomings, strengths, and how s/he can work on these to be more efficient with work and career growth as well.
Remember to always include personal feelings of your employees by taking their lifestyle, specifically their family time into consideration. Filipinos have strong family ties, so offering benefits that revolve around the family can help. Events like family days, days off for special family events, and even bringing of pets in the office are good retention ideas to help your employees feel that you value them and their personal lives.
Team Building and Other Extra-Curricular Activities
All work and no play leads to burned out employees. It’s hard for employees to muster up the extra effort needed to go the distance when they’re losing the will to work. Give your people a break from time to time so that they have something to look forward to in the future.
The perfect way to engage your employees is by doing a team building, which is useful for breaking down barriers between individuals through activities that can promote camaraderie and sportsmanship within the workplace.
Further, local corporations such as Resorts World Manila, Capital One, and Thomson Reuters Philippines offer free shuttle services to their employees. Small to medium businesses and startups can also offer simple perks that can satisfy and motivate employees, which can eventually make them stand out compared to other companies.
Professional Development Opportunities
Most companies in the Philippines offer an excellent environment to develop and advance their careers. Giving your employees the opportunity to take on educational courses which can extend their subject matter expertise could shape them to be better career people in the future.
Providing learning opportunities at the expense of the company to enhance your employee’s skills will help in maintaining a high level of confidence on basic, and even advanced workplace skills among employees in their respective career tracks.
Keep your employees engaged
The Philippine recruitment scene has been continuously growing, as it becomes more competitive and adapting to today’s generation. From offering competitive salaries and benefits to developing a culture of innovation and shared rewards based on company performance, your company must always prioritize employees for they are the key players to your business’ success.
It is essential to be creative and learn what keeps your employees engaged and enthusiastic about working for you and avoid the factors that could make them hesitate that decision. Workplace culture is a primary influence that could easily be innovated, and thus, choosing a lighter, more efficient environment for your employees is one big thing that could make them stay.
