Human Resource Management

Assessment Task 10

Do you think learning and development make employees stay in a company? Does it help employees
perform better?

Everyone benefits from learning and development. It helps employees gain new skills and develop
professionally, while assuring employers that their workforce is fit for purpose and follows the latest
industry regulations. Thus, it can reduce employee turnover. Learning and development is a crucial
element of strategy. More company owners have realized that investing in employee learning and
development not only serves as a motivation, but it also enables the organization to create a highly skilled
workforce. An employee who receives training from time to time is in a better position to improve his
work productivity. Because of learning and development programs, every employee will be well versed
with the safety practices and proper procedures to follow when carrying out basic tasks. A learning and
development program also helps in building an employee ’s confidence since he will gain a better
understanding of the industry and the responsibilities of his role.

How does learning and development contribute to employee engagement?

A learning and development program has proved to be a key element in motivating employees,
which in turn brings up their levels of engagement, ensuring that their input and their time as productive
employees in your organization increases. Giving employees the benefit of training and developing
themselves within the organization will ensure that they are engaged and motivated to do their job to the
best of their ability. By doing this, it will make them loyal employees who will try to grow with the
organization as much as they possibly can. Thus, they will constantly be on the lookout for new ways of
improving their skills and acquire new ones at every given opportunity. Furthermore, because employees
are constantly learning new skills and perfecting the ones they already have, they will also find new and
better ways to do their job, and to improve the different processes in the organization.

Learning and Development is one of the areas where companies can invest to boost employee
engagement levels. These programs can be an effective communication tool, allowing employees to better
themselves with each passing day in an organization. Employees need a team to connect with and should
feel that they are a part of a bigger mission and collective.

Who would benefit most from learning and development?

 The company will benefit more in Learning and Development than the employees themselves.
Learning and development is a key factor for businesses when attracting good quality staff to their
organization. For a company, putting in place an effective learning and development plan can be the
difference in seeing improved profits from higher-skilled workers and better efficiency. With the right
training in place, employees will be better at their roles. Gaining a greater understanding of their
responsibilities, will help them build confidence in themselves, which in turn will enhance overall
employee performance to consequently benefit the company as a whole. As employees keep on top of
current industry standards, business will become a market leader.

Some of the employees will have weaknesses in their workplace skills. With learning and
development in place, employee skills can be strengthened. A staff development program ensures that
employees have similar skills and knowledge, to help reduce the number of weak links within the
company. With overall knowledge improved, staff members can fill in for those who can cover when
needed without the need for supervision, leading to a greater efficiency

Would a company be better off without a specific learning and develop program?

Traditional training programs tend to focus on ‘one and done ’ learning that aren ’t focused on personal
development, aren’t highly engaging, scalable, self-directed, or available in real-time. But even with this
reality, I don't think it's better for a company to not have a specific learning and development program.
The truth is that most conventional training programs fall short when it comes to delivering measurable
results. They were never intended to develop the critical skills that today ’s workforce needs or wants, or
delivers them in a way that will lead to sustained behavioral change. These shortfalls all significantly
impact the overall effectiveness of learning & development programs that many companies continue to
spend money on.

But on the other hand, learning and development programs aren ’t entirely awash. They can actually
lead to results, but only with additional support to drive lasting behavior change. To develop great
leaders, there’s a need to align the learning and development programs with a clear development plan. By
setting goals specific to the individual, identifying strengths and skill gaps tied to those goals, and
ensuring that these efforts are all linked to the organization ’s strategic direction and cultural values.