Employee Training and Development

Employee development training is an essential part of the success of any company. Implementing specifically designed training programs to assist employees in keeping updated (as an example, with current technology) is part of any sound employee training program. It is also important for employers to identify those employees who have the ability to grow within the company and develop their skill sets to fill critical roles that will open in the future – also known as succession planning.

However, it is one thing to acknowledge employee training as vital and quite another to invest the time in developing a comprehensive training program into an already busy schedule.

A few preliminary steps a business owner or leader needs to take are identifying what needs or skills are required for each key position and understanding that the training ultimately enhances your business opportunities. A complete skills analysis to determine the real need for employee training will take care of this preliminary step. As a follow up, you will need to make sure the training opportunity you are providing will address the challenge you are targeting to solve and is, in fact, a basic training issue.

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A Look into Business Psychologists

Choosing the right career path is becoming a bigger than life challenge–not only for those in the midst of completing their education, but also for those who are seeking a greater challenge in life or who have the desire to switch careers. Nevertheless, there are jobs that are still quite in demand, and there are many articles and blogs dedicated to highlighting the most sought-after careers as well as the ones that are the fastest growing.

One such career choice that has little focus is business psychology. Not everyone has heard of this, nor do they have any idea what a business psychologist does. Essentially, a business psychologist focuses on maximizing the primary asset of a company: its people. This is achieved by recognizing the impact behavioral issues have on the bottom line of any enterprise and creating the most synergistic balance through education, information and teamwork.

Business psychology operates at four different levels.

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Perfect Moment Monday: Thanking Employees

My Perfect Moment for this week included the company of some wonderful friends and watching my husband be a shining example of what makes not just a good leader but a great leader. Every year my husband likes to acknowledge those who work for him. He realizes that saying “thank you” throughout the year means a lot to motivating his employees, but he chooses to show them by inviting them over to our home for dinner twice a year. For some individuals this seems like he is going over the top to show his gratitude and that it is a lot to ask of me to host with him. In reality, I fully support this show of gratitude and really enjoy socializing with these individuals.

This past Saturday was for those who report directly to him and was a celebration of 2010: the successes, the challenges, the laughs and the frustrations. My husband, Jerry, puts a lot of thought into the evening; the gift bags they each receive are meant for not just the employee but are meant to be shared with their supporting spouses. Jerry recognizes that for his employees to truly give their all at work, their spouses or partners play key roles and therefore are not just invited but are part of his decision regarding the theme of the gift bag. This year we did “martini” themed gift bags. The idea was to provide each of his employees the opportunity to celebrate one evening with their partners a successful day.

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