Professional development doesn’t stop once you hire the right employees. In fact, it’s an ongoing process that you need to revisit frequently. Why? Because just like you, your employees need to know that they’re not only valued but that you’re also invested in their professional success. Being a boss means helping your staff do their best for the company as a whole and individually as well. If you’ve been looking for ways to foster a feeling of community in the office, you’ve come to the right place. Here are ways to improve personal development efforts for your entire staff.

Development or Training?

Although some people like to classify these two together, they really aren’t the same. Training is when you or your employees learn something new or develop new skills to take on added responsibilities or a different role. Development, on the other hand, entails enhancing the skills your staff already possess. It’s more like helping them reach their own professional goals by providing them with on-the-job refreshers or showing them ways to maximize their own potential.

Say you run a small business that employs 10 drivers. While your fleet is on the smaller side, it still requires the same attention as a larger one. But as a business owner, your attention is usually pulled in different directions throughout the day. You need a way to keep track of your drivers and the way they’re operating your company vehicles. That’s where GPS tracking comes in. In addition to holding monthly meetups to discuss any issues your drivers encountered, you could also use GPS to help them complete their route faster and safer. As you can see, this is a perfect example of personal and professional development. You’re already aware of their capabilities; you’re simply enhancing their role and making it easier to monitor their performance and help out if needed.

Learn More in Less Time

If you want your employees to pay attention, you need to make it worth their time. Especially if you are trying to cultivate increased productivity with remote work individuals. Successful development socials offer value. It’s not about telling them that they’re doing their job. On the contrary, you’re supposed to thank them for a job well done and then offer even more ways to make their days easier and less stressful. Set the stage by offering micro-learning sessions. These sessions should only last about 30 to 45 minutes to start. That way, you can get a feel for how your program is being received. If things go well, ask whether they would like longer, more in-depth sessions.

Ideas to Try

Everyone has their own unique way of digesting new material. The best way to personalize the experience is by asking everyone what they would like to do. Some might say they want to learn or improve their communication skills while others might want to revisit certain training techniques that they still haven’t mastered. There really is no right or wrong at this point. You need to make staff members feel valued every step of way. No one wants to feel like their obligated to sit in on a boring company pow-wow only to be told they need to do better at their job.