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When you hear "personal and career development," you may feel a flash of dread. As a leader or manager, you know the importance of employee development. Time over time, statistics and studies show a lack of development is a leading cause of employee turnover.

Here are a few examples:

• Pew Research found that 63% of respondents who left jobs in 2021 gave the lack of advancement opportunities as the reason for leaving.
• According to a 2022 McKinsey study, insufficient career advancement was the most common reason for quitting a job.
• According to a 2022 SHRM report, 61% of respondents cited lack of career development and advancement as a top three cause of turnover, while 21% said it was the number one reason.
  

Despite the glaring statistics, for many managers, it seems impossible to prioritize. You know it's your responsibility. And, of course, you want to help employees grow their skills and careers. But your to-do list is overflowing with a million other tasks that are arguably more urgent.

Ideally, your employees would take an active role in their professional development. They would come to you with questions, sharing with you their goals and professional aspirations.

The reality is employee development should be a two-way street. Managers shouldn't bear all the responsibility. You can empower your employees to advocate for their professional development and growth.

In this article, we'll cover actionable strategies on how to empower employees to take charge of their own professional development. As a result, your employees will be given the tools and road map to take charge of their own careers. As a manager, your role will be more of a helpful guide rather than the primary driving force. 

What is Employee Empowerment?

Would you rather have to micromanage your employees to get even the smallest of tasks completed? Or would you rather have them be self-motivated and independent? Of course, most managers would choose the second. Self-motivated employees mean less work for you as a leader.

Despite this, many leaders end up doing the opposite. The idea of giving employees more freedom can trigger a leader's biggest fears. In short, people taking advantage of company time and not delivering results. Many try to avoid this by doubling down on the opposite of autonomy. Control.

Like many things in human psychology, the answer lies in a counterintuitive approach. When leaders offer employees freedom and autonomy, they are motivated and perform better.

In an HBR article titled When Empowering Employees Works, and When It Doesn't, researchers explain what it means to empower employees. They state, "leaders who were perceived as more empowering were more likely to delegate authority to their employees, ask for their input, and encourage autonomous decision-making."

In essence, empowering employees is about providing a baseline level of guidance, support, and structure. But also give employees the opportunity to test their ideas and innovate within those set parameters.

In other words, it's not about letting employees run wild and free. But giving them a basic structure and letting them experiment within it. According to the researchers, this management style leads to employees who "are more likely to be powerful, confident individuals, who are committed to meaningful goals and demonstrate initiative and creativity to achieve them."

How does all this apply to employee development? Managers often act as the driving force of employee development. This places an undue burden on managers on top of all their other duties. 

In reality, employee development has a greater chance of thriving when employees are empowered to advance their development.

With a few strategies, managers can enable employees to take the lead in their own careers. Managers are still responsible for high-level direction, support, and approval. But employees will be in charge of steering their own ship.

How To Empower Employees To Take Charge of Their Development

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1. Understand employee needs from the start

Often, development talks begin before an employee starts their new job. If they didn’t occur in the interview, a great time to start is during the onboarding process. 

By setting the tone from the start, you can show your employees that their development matters to you, and you can guide them through building a learning path to help them succeed in their roles (and beyond). 

Here are a few questions to start these conversations:

• What are your long-term professional and career ambitions?
• What do you hope to achieve in this role?
• What skills do you hope to acquire or improve?
• Are you looking to grow your career quickly (i.e. take on management responsibilities) or deepen your knowledge as an individual contributor?

If you use skills assessments in your recruiting process, you can use those insights to identify skill gaps and areas for improvement.

Empowering employees to tackle self-development from the start of their time at your organization will show them they are in control of their future. This perspective shift can help them view their new role as a growth opportunity instead of feeling like they are a slave to your bottom line. The more in control of their future they feel, the more likely they will want to continue their journey at your company.

2. Embed it into your culture with a dedicated meeting

Work is busy. Our to-do lists are constantly growing with new and shifting priorities. By its very nature, “employee career development” is a forward-looking process. When you’re so busy thinking about the here and now, planning for the future can quickly fall by the wayside. 

This is why it's crucial to carve out dedicated time for development discussions. Be realistic. Don’t set these meetings at a frequency that seems unattainable. That will only lead to cancelled meetings, and nothing kills employee morale like cancelling a meeting they were looking forward to. Start small, test out how employees respond, and adjust accordingly from there. 

For example, you can start by booking a meeting every 6-month with each employee. By proactively bringing up this topic and dedicating time to it, you will demonstrate to employees that you are serious about their professional development. In turn, they will be more likely to be proactive on their side, come prepared for the meetings, and be an advocate for their own development.

3. Set clear goals and expectations

Getting a recurring meeting set up is a good start. But it’s not enough for employees to feel empowered to take charge of their professional development. They still have to consider important questions like:

• What long-term goals are you working towards?
• What type of projects are you enjoying or not enjoying?
• What skills do you want to improve?
  

Remember: Empowering employees isn’t about letting them run wild and free. Employees still need some high-level direction. This is especially true when they are more junior or at the start of their careers. In other words, clearly defining expectations and setting goals is crucial to ensuring employees start on the right foot.

For example, as part of your discussion for each meeting, you can establish one “career and professional development” objective to achieve.

This can take many forms, for example, working on a self-directed project, shadowing with another department, or taking an online course.

With open communication and asking the right questions, you can help employees develop a high-level objective to work towards. Establishing clear goals and objectives is the foundation of employee empowerment. The idea is to help employees with a general direction to work towards; how they get there is up to them.

4. Provide access to resources for development

A great way to empower employees to pursue their development is to set aside a budget for learning and development.  

For example:

• Online courses
• Webinars, training programs, workshops, etc.
• Magazines, publications, books, etc.
• Conferences, events, etc.
  

Of course, some materials and resources aren't free. But many others these days are free or highly affordable. You can consider carving out a monthly "learning budget" where employees are reimbursed for any learning materials and resources above. Even a small budget can go a long way for online courses and learning materials. 

As a way of motivating employees to take part in additional learning and development, you can create a channel in your local work chat where employees share any additional learning programs that they are undertaking, whether it be attending a webinar or completing an online course. 

You can even make it a group challenge to get the ball rolling. For example, find an online course that appeals to your entire team and make it a quarterly challenge to complete the course. You can even incentivize and reward those who follow through with their final goal.

Using a tool like Qarrot, you can set up an incentive campaign and reward team members who hit their personal development goals once (or multiple times) with award points and badges.

Providing access to these learning opportunities and materials will help establish a culture of learning and development among your team. Employees will feel their career development is being prioritized, empowering them to take action.

5. Help them identify their strengths (and weaknesses!)

As a manager, you know that no two employees are created alike. Some employees are amazing self-starters and need very little prompting. Others, however, seem impossible to convince to go beyond the minimum.

In the book Radical Candor, Kim Scott, author and management expert, proposes a model to help managers evaluate their employees' performance and guide them into roles which will allow them to perform at their best.

In other words, Scott truly believes that everyone can be an A-player employee. If they perform at average or mediocre levels, what she calls “B player employees,” it reflects a bad job fit. A manager's job is to steer employees out of this limbo. A new position may even be necessary.

The first step to empower employees is to help them identify their strengths, highlight what they are good at, and where their potential lies. But the other side of the coin is important, too; challenging employees by letting them know where their work is falling short or where their weaknesses lie. 

Of course, it’s difficult to have these conversations. But challenging people shows that you care enough to point out when things aren't going well. And Scott believes the “discomfort is better than being labelled permanently “B Players.” Ultimately, it will benefit both parties (and even the entire organization) when employees' strengths are developed and utilized.

6. Help facilitate connections

As a manager or leader, you may have exposure or access to other leaders or departments that your employees may not have contact with. These connections can be a powerful way to promote their development and learning. 

For example, during an employee's tenure, they might realize they want to develop skills they aren't using in their current role. They may also express an interest in learning more about another department or team.

This curiosity doesn't mean you must transfer a valuable employee to another team. You can, however, arrange an introduction and offer shadowing or mentorship opportunities. The goal is to empower employees to explore different areas of interest. 

Ultimately, what’s better for the organization's bottom line? Having an employee unhappy and struggling in their current role. Or have the employee be more productive and feel empowered in a role that’s a better fit for their skills and talents.

In the end, allowing your team to explore other options and grow their skills will give them a sense of purpose in their work. More importantly, they will feel the company and leaders truly care about their long-term growth and happiness, which is the best strategy for employee empowerment.

7. Recognize & reward development efforts

Employee recognition is underutilized as an employee motivation and empowerment tool. It costs zero dollars to give recognition. By letting employees know what you value with positive reinforcement, you can boost their motivation.

In the context of professional development, giving employees recognition for completing an online course, meeting training requirements, or taking on a stretch assignment can be a powerful way to motivate employees to continue down this path. 

Moreover, it can set the bar for the rest of the team. Using a recognition tool like Qarrot, you can easily post a recognition to a public social feed for everyone to see. When you give recognition for a specific achievement or embodying a certain value, it signals to the team what is important to you. As a result, this provides employees with the incentive to meet this standard as well.

Remember, the best type of recognition is specific and timely. Don’t wait too long until the goal is complete to offer recognition, and try to avoid vague or high-level “good jobs.” Shine a light on the precise accomplishment the employee completed and its impact on you and the team. 

This type of detailed recognition is most likely to fuel a growth mindset among your employees and team. As a result, your team will be more motivated to continue to embrace challenges, seek learning opportunities, and invest in their development.

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Final Thoughts

Being a manager involves more than guiding your employees through their daily tasks. It's about helping them become the best versions of themselves and giving them the tools to grow in the company.

But this duty doesn't have to fall on the shoulders of leaders. Employees should be responsible for being proactive about their development as well. First, leaders must provide some basic guidance and support—empowering employees with a roadmap to growth and success.

When employees are inspired to take control of their own development, it's not just good for them—it's good for the whole company. Setting clear goals and expectations, identifying employee strengths, and providing access to learning resources are critical steps toward empowerment.

As employees invest in their development, the positive effects spread throughout the organization. This leads to happier employees, better work, and a team capable of handling challenges. Ultimately, when organizations commit to helping employees shape their careers, it's a win-win.

Like a newsworthy political scandal, The Great Resignation is emerging as one of the most discussed labor trends of 2021. But what is it exactly? And how does it concern employers of different stripes?

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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record number of Americans quit their jobs in April 2021. However, this was just the beginning. In July over 4 million Americans left their jobs, setting yet another all-time high. And then both August and September set further records. 

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The common perception was that remote work - with its more flexible hours, non-existent commute times, and family meals - was leading workers to quit their jobs in favor of a lifestyle with greater passion and purpose. According to Forbes, surveys made headlines declaring that 40% of workers planned to quit their jobs - and soon. And when 4.3 million Americans left their jobs in August, this grim forecast seemed to be coming true.

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Despite these all-time records, the figures are much less scary (from an employer’s perspective) than at first glance. The number of workers quitting their jobs represents something closer to 3% of the total workforce. A far cry from the 40% announced earlier this year. That said, the U.S. has over 10 million open jobs. So while some perspective helps to calm nerves, the pressure is real for certain industries.

The Great Retirement?

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Moreover, the reasons why more people have been leaving their jobs seems less problematic (in some sense) than the theories being bandied about earlier this year.

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Fully two-thirds of the departures were not due to workers “quitting” per se. According to new research from Goldman Sachs, they were retiring. However, here the picture gets interesting. Of those workers retiring, about 1 million were “normal”. The balance - about 1.5 million workers - were taking an early retirement. 

Given the generally permanent nature of retirement, the majority of workers leaving the labor force likely won’t return. As Goldman notes, retiring "tends to be stickier" than other reasons someone might leave the labor force. Because of that, "we therefore expect that the participation shortfall from early retirees will unwind relatively slowly through fewer new retirements going forward."

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While some portion of older workers may return to the workforce once they feel conditions are safer for them to do so, most economists are expecting effects of the “Great Retirement” to be felt for a while, leaving a tight labor market across the U.S.

Strategies for Retaining Older Workers

While the recent trends may have brought early retirements into focus as a strain on the labor market, many companies already employ strategies to retain their older workers for longer.

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As noted by Forbes, the first step to retaining older workers is to count them. Until your company has a firm grasp of its workforce demographics, it’s difficult to assess the impact of future employee retirements. 

With an understanding of the age distribution of your workers, you can develop programs to keep them engaged and actively working.

For example, training programs that are ‘inclusive’ of older workers such as the Talent is Ageless initiative at CVS are a great way of developing older workers, while signalling their importance within your employee base.

Signalling this importance is also quite important as most Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs expressly overlook this segment of the workforce and, so, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many older workers are opting for an early retirement when work conditions aren’t ideal. 

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A further way of combating early retirements is to meet your older workers half-way, by letting them have more flexible work hours. This greater flexibility is ideal for both employee and employer alike as, in many cases, companies can retain the experience and knowledge of their older workers longer, while employees who would have otherwise had to abruptly adjust to retired life can follow more of a gradual transition.

Under this structure, it’s important to ensure your culture supports more flexible hours and doesn’t discriminate against those who take this option. A great example is the U-Work program offered by Unilever. The program effectively offers workers a contract and not a job, whereby they receive a minimum monthly retainer and health benefits. On top of this, workers earn additional amounts for the projects they participate in.

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Although The Great Resignation affects industries and companies differently, it is undoubtedly a wise strategy to assess the age distribution of your workforce. As those workers who are 50 and over are increasingly likely to take an early retirement. But as demonstrated above, it’s never too late to employ programs that engage, develop, and retain your workers regardless of how old they are.

For a time, empathy and caring were considered the opposite of effective corporate culture. Maybe even today, leaders believe they must choose between caring for their people and driving results. 

After all, balancing these priorities is one of the biggest struggles of being a boss.

But do leaders need to choose between these two ends of the spectrum? Is it possible to have both? Jamil Zaki, a psychologist and foremost researcher on the study of empathy, believes so.

‍In a recent Fast Company article, he asserts that companies often find themselves caught between these two competing priorities—empathy VS efficiency, but he claims it's a false duality. In other words, he argues companies don't have to choose between the two.

In fact, a growing body of evidence suggests that empathy could lead to greater organizational performance. Ultimately, empathy is not the antithesis of productivity but rather one of the key factors in maximizing efficiency at work.

‍A case for empathy in the workplace

According to Psychology Today, empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share another person's feelings. In other words, an empathic person understands the needs of others and is sensitive to their emotions. Empathy is crucial to establishing strong relationships and enhancing group dynamics at work.

Given the increasing demands and stresses of modern life and the surge of worker burnout, promoting empathy in the workplace is becoming even more critical to fostering healthy, happy, and productive workplace cultures.

A few studies and research reveal the impact of empathy at work:

• Employees who feel their companies lack empathy are more likely to burn out and call in sick with stress-related illnesses. (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes)
• 76% of people with highly empathic senior leaders report often or always being engaged, compared to only 32% of people with less empathic senior leaders. (Catalyst)
• The majority (86%) of employees believe empathetic leadership boosts morale while 87% of employees say empathy is essential to fostering an inclusive environment. (EY Consulting)

The research is undisputed: showing empathy at work contributes to greater employee well-being and happiness. In turn, this leads to greater engagement, efficiency, and productivity in the workplace. 

But when it comes to a soft skill like empathy, it isn’t always clear how to practice it. This is not something that can be boiled down to an exact formula. 

Nevertheless, you don’t need to be a mental health expert to practice empathy. There are actionable steps leaders can take to build greater empathy in their team. Next, we’ll dive into a few examples of empathy at work so you can take steps toward creating a more empathetic work environment.

6 Ways to Increase Empathy In The Workplace

1. Practice active listening

When an employee comes to you with an issue, your first instinct might be to jump straight into fix-it mode.

You might do this by:

• Offering advice ("Have you tried this?),
• Trying to change their perspective ("Others have it worse.")
• Offering unhealthy positivity ("Try to stay positive.")

Of course, sometimes people want practical advice or need to hear a voice of logic. But oftentimes, when we go into fix-it mode, we unwittingly fail to understand the other person effectively. 

The antidote is active listening. In leadership, active listening means paying attention, understanding, and remembering what others say. It's not just about hearing words; it's about making an effort to make people feel heard. 

According to Very Well Mind, a few techniques are involved in practicing active listening. For example, being fully present, making eye contact, and asking open-ended questions.

In other words, before rushing to offer practical advice or fixes, you should ask questions and validate their feelings. These small gestures in conversation will go a long way to making people feel you genuinely care about them. 

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2. Ask for people’s opinions

Empathy requires understanding the needs of others. But you can’t read people’s minds; you have to take the time to ask them about their wants, needs, and opinions. Taking action in this area goes a long way to demonstrating that you care and creating a compassionate work environment. 

In other words, as a leader, acting with empathy means involving your team in big decisions. Interestingly, a Salesforce report showed that employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6X more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work. Employees are more productive when they feel they are being heard.

Of course, that’s not to say every single decision requires your entire team's final approval. Nevertheless, gathering feedback and input from your team is a great way to show that you value their opinions and perspectives. 

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3. Be proactive and offer assistance

Being responsive and available to your team is the cornerstone of empathetic leadership. But it's not enough to express to your employees that you are available and then proceed to disappear into your own world. 

If you don't show employees you care, it may be difficult for them to trust and come to you. A core component of building trust is showing you care about your employees through your actions. Not just your words. 

In other words, instead of simply stating you're available to them, why not show them? For example, an empathetic leader is sensitive to the climate of a team and can feel when their team is stressed or if there is tension. In this case, they will take the time to ask questions, listen, and find out how they can help. Empathetic leaders are proactive. They won't sit back and wait until a fire is burning to take action; they will try and catch the ember before it turns into a fiery blaze. 

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4. Show interest in employees' goals and development

As a leader, you know that employees are much more than what they produce for your team. They have their own dreams, goals, and aspirations. They have their own passions and interests. Leading with empathy means getting to know your employees on a deeper level and supporting their career development.

That said, "employee career development" can feel like a vague, ambiguous goal. But it all starts with a conversation. It involves getting to know your employees, what skills they want to grow, what they are passionate about, and what long-term goals they want to achieve. 

You have to set aside time for these conversations, which can be hard to do when a million other tasks are competing for your time. Yet, it makes your effort even more meaningful. When employees see how busy you are but still make the time to discuss their development, that will go a long way to making them feel valued. 

5. Be flexible and understanding

By its very nature, work entails structure and process. A team can't achieve results, and a large-scale organization can't function without guardrails. 

But, like all things, structure exists on a continuum. A need for structure can veer into inflexibility and rigidity if taken too far. Cultures like this undermine caring, empathy, and understanding.

For example, if employees come to you with a problem or concern, and you respond to them with, "That's just the way things work" or "That's the policy," without offering them any solutions or thinking deeper about the root problem at play. Such extreme inflexibility will undoubtedly make them feel ignored.

Being flexible and understanding means trying to devise a solution that benefits everyone. Even if an issue is out of your control, it also means validating your employees' issues and concerns. In other words, being flexible shows you care about your employees not just as workers but as individual people. 

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6. Share your appreciation

Recognizing and appreciating employees' efforts is one of the best ways to show them you care. On the flip side, one of the quickest ways to have an employee feel ignored is to minimize their efforts and take their contribution for granted. 

It's not enough to just praise the end result, like saying, "Good job on X." Vague and superficial praise can feel just as empty as not giving praise at all! Employees want to be appreciated for more than just ticking something off their to-do list. They want to feel special for their unique skills and contributions.

There were a lot of smaller steps and efforts that led up to that final achievement. People want the behind-the-scenes efforts to be appreciated. In short, employee recognition is not just about the end result. Taking the time to offer employees detailed and impactful recognition is the essence of empathetic leadership.

The Dangers of Too Much Empathy

When you think about a toxic work culture, niceness and empathy might not be the first things that come to mind. Typically, you might conjure up an image of nasty coworkers spreading negative gossip and arrogant managers lashing out at employees. 

Yet, the reality is that unhealthy work cultures can manifest in various ways. The stereotypical competition-driven environment is just one example. Cultural problems can often hide behind a cheerful exterior. Where even empathy—when excessive, can prove harmful.

Can empathy go too far?

Renowned leadership expert and best-selling author Kim Scott contends that empathy, if taken to extremes, can become unhelpful.

In her book Radical Candor, she coined the term "Ruinous Empathy" to describe the tendency of bosses to be overly nice but not genuinely kind. This occurs when leaders have a desire to care personally but a low willingness to challenge employees directly.

According to Scott, challenging employees is the key. It can be difficult in the short term and might feel cruel, but it's actually the kindest thing you can do.

Challenging people shows that you care enough to point out when things aren't going well. Most employees are hungry to grow, evolve, and be challenged. So, if you fail to challenge them, you will not only deprive them of the opportunity to grow but potentially create an environment of toxic positivity in your company—this can be just as damaging as an overly cutthroat environment. 

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant discusses a similar view in his model, The 4 Deadly Sins of Work Culture. He calls these types of overly nice work culture "cultures of mediocrity." In these cultures, "people are so worried about getting along that they end up forfeiting good work."

In the end, empathy is critical. It's a great thing for leaders to make sure everyone feels happy and gets along. But in any business, tough feedback or difficult decisions must be made. And if leaders forgo good work out of fear of creating disharmony or conflict, that's when this tendency to be nice is taken too far.

‍Final Thoughts‍

Leaders have long struggled with the conflict between empathy and efficiency. But as you can see, either end of the spectrum can lead to problems.

On one hand, being overly concerned with efficiency can lead to a cold, detached climate. Employees may feel like mere production units when their feelings and individual needs are not met with flexibility and understanding. Pursuing results without recognizing the human element can lead to burnout, decreased morale, and turnover. In the long run, this can be detrimental to success.

But the other extreme has problems of its own. For example, a desire to be too considerate prevents leaders from giving constructive criticism and needed challenges. As a result, "Ruinous Empathy" can emerge. Taken to an extreme, the fear of creating conflict can lead to a culture of mediocrity, where people are afraid to voice opinions or push boundaries. This climate can also stifle performance, growth and innovation.

Ultimately, leaders must strive to balance empathy and efficiency. It's not one or the other. When organizations learn to balance these two competing priorities, a thriving and productive organization is most likely to emerge. 

Ensuring employees possess the right skills is crucial. Enter employee skills assessment – a valuable tool empowering HR professionals to identify and assess the skills of future or current employees and ultimately leverage the talents within their workforce. 

For HR professionals, this process is akin to having a personalized roadmap for employee development. It enables them to achieve some of the following objectives.

For example:

• Craft targeted training programs
• Create personalized learning paths
• Plan for the future by aligning employee skills with organizational goals

While traditionally, we have seen skills assessment tests happening during the recruitment and onboarding process, employers have realized their importance and have started conducting them periodically for their existing workforce. Having a robust assessment structure enables companies to make the most of their workforces. It also ensures that they have the requisite skills needed to perform their expected tasks.  

In this article, we’ll explore why your companies could benefit from actively investing in employee skills assessment, highlighting the transformative impact it can have on individual careers and the collective success of the organization.

Benefits of Employee Skills Assessment

1. Reduce bias

In a popular Gallup survey of 7,500 full-time employees, they found the top reason for burnout being “unfair treatment at work.” Most employees complain of workplace politics acting as a bottleneck and hindering their proper growth. Undertaking a skills assessment test would help employees prove their abilities and mitigate the negative effects of favouritism and bias. This shift towards a merit-based approach ensures that talent is recognized and nurtured based on actual capabilities, not personal opinions. For HR leaders, this translates into a more accurate identification of high-potential employees. This becomes a powerful tool for HR leaders, fostering a culture of fairness and transparency and maximizing the full potential of their workforce.

2. Close the skill gap

According to a SHRM study, 75% of employers reported difficulty in hiring because they faced skill gaps in job candidates. As a result, companies often hire people who may not be the best fit for their position. When HR leaders actively undertake periodic monitoring of their development via skills assessment tests., they can better understand the skills gaps within their workforce and plan accordingly. In other words, HR can proactively bridge the divide between existing skills within their workforce and the evolving needs of the organization. This proactive stance is crucial for the organization's overall success. Addressing skill gaps ensures that the workforce remains adaptable and aligned with the company's objectives. It enhances employee performance, productivity, and job satisfaction while safeguarding against potential organizational shortcomings.

3. Creating personalized development plans

Creating personalized development plans is imperative in today's fast-changing world. Employees are frequently called upon to acquire new skills to adapt to technological and industry shifts. Consequently, hiring decisions increasingly hinge on a candidate's proactive approach to personal and professional growth, recognizing the ongoing need for evolution post-employment.

Incorporating a skills assessment tool into your workplace practices is instrumental in supporting employees with the desire to cultivate fresh skills. It serves as a proactive mechanism, identifying skill gaps and ensuring that employees receive targeted development opportunities. Moreover, the tool enables HR to craft individualized training plans, fostering an environment where employees feel valued, empowered, and equipped to take on their roles. This bolsters employee satisfaction and strengthens the organization's resilience in the face of evolving demands.

4. Boost Retention and Satisfaction

The adoption of these assessment tools signifies an organization's commitment to identifying and nurturing individual strengths. This acknowledgment not only empowers employees but also fosters a sense of value within the workforce. When employees perceive that their skills are not only acknowledged but actively developed, it contributes significantly to employee engagement and job satisfaction. The result is a workforce that feels not only competent in their roles but also valued and supported. This heightened job satisfaction translates into increased employee engagement and loyalty, making employee skills assessment a powerful tool for HR leaders seeking to create a workplace where talent not only thrives but remains committed for the long term.

Potential Drawbacks of Employee Skills Assessment

Using an employee skills assessment tool can benefit individual employees and the organization as a whole. However, this process is not without its limitations. This section will review some of the potential shortcomings of these types of evaluations, so you can be prepared to address and mitigate these potential problems if and when they arise. 

1. Subjectivity in self-evaluation

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When employees are asked to assess their own skills, the number one risk is faulty assessment. In other words, self-assessment leads to subjectivity, as people may overstate their abilities due to personal biases or a desire to appear favourable. This can result in inaccurate data. Self-assessment may fail to provide the objectivity needed for a comprehensive understanding of skills.

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2. Inflated confidence

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Similarly, when employees assess their own skills, there's a risk of inflated confidence. In these cases, employees rate themselves higher than their actual proficiency. This can misguide HR decisions, causing a disconnect between perceived and actual skills within the organization.

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3. Challenge in identifying genuine gaps

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Limited self-awareness may hinder the identification of genuine skill gaps. Without a clear understanding of weaknesses and areas of improvement in your workforce, targeted development efforts may fall short.

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4. Low participation and response rates

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As someone who works in HR, you know that getting everyone to participate is unlikely, especially in large organizations. Some employees may exhibit low participation rates or response rates for self-assessment, potentially resulting in incomplete or skewed data. This could present a barrier to obtaining a holistic view of the organization's skill landscape.

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Reducing these challenges 

To address these challenges, it's crucial to supplement self-assessment with external evaluations and feedback mechanisms. This approach ensures a more balanced and accurate representation of employee skills, laying a reliable foundation for strategic talent development and organizational growth.

Finding The Right Skills Assessment Tools

Using third-party tools

HR teams can efficiently conduct employee skills assessments by leveraging third-party tools and services, streamlining the process and obtaining valuable insights. Here are some examples:

LinkedIn Skill Assessments:

Description: LinkedIn offers skill assessments for various domains.

Benefits: HR can gauge candidates' proficiency directly on their professional profiles.

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SkillSurvey:

Description: SkillSurvey provides 360-degree feedback and skill assessments.

Benefits: Offers a comprehensive view of an employee's skills through peer and supervisor feedback.

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Vervoe:

Description: Vervoe offers skill testing and assessments for hiring and development.

Benefits: Helps HR evaluate both technical and soft skills through real-world simulations.

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Cost-effective alternatives

For HR teams on a budget, several cost-effective solutions ensure effective employee skills assessments:

Google Forms:

Description: You can create custom skill assessment surveys from scratch using the tools available on Google Forms.

Benefits: Free and user-friendly, allowing HR to design tailored assessments.

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Talentsoft Hub:

Description: Talentsoft Hub offers a suite of HR solutions, including affordable skills assessment tools.

Benefits: Tailored for small to medium-sized businesses, providing a cost-effective solution.

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Test Gorilla:

Description: Test Gorilla offers a solution designed to assist employers in evaluating the skills and abilities of job candidates efficiently. 

Benefits: Test Gorilla’s platform is cost-effective and available for even small teams,  covering areas such as cognitive abilities, personality traits, technical skills, and job-specific competencies.

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Final Thoughts

The pursuit of optimizing your workforce through skills assessments is not just a strategic move; it's a commitment to unlocking the potential of all employee.

However, like many endeavours in HR, there are challenges and roadblocks to be on the lookout for, like subjectivity in self-evolution and low participation rates. But these challenges can be mitigated with the right approaches. 

By embracing skills assessments, HR professionals are committed to fair recognition and transparent talent development. This commitment goes beyond identifying strengths; it extends to crafting personalized development plans that enable employees to evolve alongside the ever-changing demands of their roles.

Ultimately, investing in employee skills assessment leads to a workplace where talents become aligned with organizational goals, and employees are empowered to reach their full potential.

“We are embedding health and well-being at the heart of our business strategy because our people are our greatest asset, and we recognize that a healthy, happy, and committed workforce is vital to our business success.”

- Alex Gourlay, MD, Boots UK

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Leaders around the globe have started to recognize the importance of employee well-being. They understand the array of benefits employee wellness brings with itself that can prove to be high-yielding for the company.

It has become increasingly important to focus on employee wellness when the world is in the middle of a pandemic and your employees are struggling with its consequences and the massive workplace shift as well.

This is where an employee wellness program can make a meaningful impact within your organization. Let’s take a closer look at what a wellness program is as well as how it can benefit your organization.

What is an Employee Wellness Program?

Wellness is a broad term with multiple dimensions (see image below). Employee Wellness Programs are initiatives offered by employers that target one or more of these dimensions for the benefit of their employees. Today wellness has become an integral part of employee engagement efforts at many organizations and has led to a significant improvement in employee engagement.

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What makes an Employee Wellness Program important‍

The answer lies in the fact that a happy employee is more likely to be an engaged employee. They not only give more towards the growth of the company, but they are also more likely to be loyal and to help their colleagues reach their target potential at the same time. Employee engagement, therefore, is critical to support the overall health and growth of the business.

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Here are some facts and figures -

• Employees who scored low on “life satisfaction” stayed home from work 1.25 more days per month than those with higher scores, adding up to about 15 additional days off per year

• A large majority (87%) of employers are committed to workplace wellness, and 73% offer a wellness program, according to a survey. In a survey of SFM policyholders, one-third of respondents offered a wellness program. This percentage went up to 77% for the largest employers

• In a survey, more than 60% of employers said workplace wellness programs reduced their organizations’ health care costs

• Studies show that well-designed wellness programs have a return on investment of $1.50 to $3 per dollar spent over a two- to a nine-year timeframe.

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Source: (SFM Mutual Insurance Company (Aug 2018). 10 statistics that make the case for workplace wellness programs)‍‍

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Today’s scenario (Lockdown/Work from home) and the need for the Employee Wellness Program

Needless to say, the COVID19 pandemic has massively impacted lives across the globe. Although thanks to technology, it is now possible for many workers to be equally (if not more) productive from home and to continue to collaborate with their remote colleagues. Conversely, the pandemic and the lack of direct contact with coworkers, friends, and family has deeply affected the wellbeing of many workers. People are facing not just physical health issues but a myriad of other challenges affecting their mental health, relationships, financial situation, etc. 

Employers are increasingly aware of the impact of these challenges on their workers’ wellbeing. Many understand that they cannot expect employees to work at their best when they are simultaneously dealing with numerous personal issues. As a result, many employers are extending a helping hand to their employees in these tough times.

Let’s look at some of the ways employers are supporting their employees’ well-being.

Different Remote-friendly Employee Wellness Program Ideas and how they are effective -

1. Monthly wellness budget: 

As part of an incentives package, companies are offering a monthly amount - say $100 - to employees for eligible wellness benefits. This amount can be reimbursed to employees upon presenting their receipts for eligible services, which often include gym memberships, a spa day, or any other rejuvenating activities.

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2. Employee Assistance Programs: 

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) consists of many services, such as mental health counseling sessions, financial advice, relationship counseling, and legal advice. These services are related to some of the problems commonly encountered by workers in their everyday lives.

An employer-sponsored EAP can alone take care of most of the wellness dimensions. There are many organizations in the market that provide EAP services, and a company can choose to collaborate with the one it finds the most suitable.

3. It’s log-out time!: 

With working from home as the new normal, extended working hours have also become a commonly observed trend. 

According to a study by Gibbs, Mengel & Siemroth (July 2021) on 10,000 employees from Asia, employees are now working 30% longer hours from home. Thus, contributing to greater levels of stress and burnout.

It is therefore important for employers to understand the limitations of working from home and accordingly assign realistic daily goals to their employees. Send reminders to employees to catch a breath between tasks and use a time-tracking app such as Hubstaff, Toggl, or Harvest to track the number of hours your employees are working.

If you find someone working extra hours, reach out to them and try to understand the reason behind their doing so. This will help you understand if your employees are getting overburdened with work or if they are facing other issues that are causing them to stay at their computers longer. Target those problems and work with your staff to mitigate or resolve them. Help your employees create a balance between work and personal life. It will also improve the work-culture of your company.

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4. Let’s work for society: 

When you do good for others, it always brings a sense of serenity and happiness to your soul. Alas! With our busy schedules and deadlines, we often do not get enough time to engage in such activities.

Serving your community and doing good for the environment is also one of the dimensions of wellness. Many corporations are already all too aware of the responsibilities they have towards their communities and the environment.

And, so, engaging in projects and initiatives that help a local community or the environment, more broadly can be a great way to get employees involved in this type of wellness activity. Employees can be asked to volunteer a certain portion of their time on an ongoing basis or to participate in limited-time initiatives such as a neighbourhood clean-up. 

This project will not only be food for their soul but will also be a great opportunity for your employees to bond, experience a change of scenery, and then be recognized by their colleagues for their contributions to a good cause.

5. Want to join a club? 

Remember your college days, when you had different clubs catering to different interests of students? Why can’t that culture be taken forward in our corporate lives as well?

Employers can start a poll to gather employees’ willingness to join clubs of their choice, for example - a book club, music/dance club, cooking club, sports club, etc. 

Employees can join a club of their choice and meet fellow employees with similar interests. They can have short virtual meetings during breaks and they can have a dedicated portal where they can discuss things related to the club. For example, the book club can decide on a book of the month.

Bonds among employees are made when they are relaxed and able to discuss things that are not related to work. 

Starting such clubs will not only help in forming bonds among employees but will also encourage cross-departmental communication and camaraderie, thus tapping into their social wellness.

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How to make the employee wellness program successful?  

It is not that you need to implement all the above 5 ideas in your company, picking up any one of these and implementing it in your company is enough. Just ensure that it is well planned and effectively implemented. Further, ensure that all your employees are aware of this initiative by using appropriate means of communication. Also, let them know the importance of wellness and self-care and how this initiative can help in the same.

Final words

Concluding the above points we can say that whether we work from the office or work from home, we as an employee and companies as employers should try to adopt a ‘wellness-first’ approach to working. Remember, your employees are an important asset to your company. You take care of them and they will take care of their work, contributing to the long-term success of your company.

To learn how to integrate wellness in your employee recognition program- request a demo with Qarrot!

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During the height of the pandemic we found ourselves discussing an exciting new distribution partnership with a leading gift voucher vendor in the UK, Motivates.

Motivates provides Life:Style, the UK’s most flexible gift voucher with over 120 best-loved brands. 

And with a large and growing number of corporate customers using Life:Style to reward and recognize their employees, Motivates is optimally positioned to market Qarrot in the UK.

Today, I’m pleased to announce the formal launch of our partnership with Motivates. As the exclusive reseller of Qarrot in the UK, Motivates will offer a compelling combination of our cloud-based employee recognition software featuring their Life:Style gift voucher. 

In addition, Motivates’ customers will be able to pay for their Qarrot subscriptions and fund their voucher purchases in Great British Pounds (GBP).

The combination of Qarrot and Life:Style is already starting to make an impact. Shortly after our ‘soft launch’, Motivates signed up their first Qarrot account. And with the formal launch now under way, both parties are excited about the potential business opportunities that lie ahead.

Learn more about Motivates and the Life:Style gift voucher here.

As offices everywhere ease their way into the post-pandemic world, many have found that the hybrid work setup, in which employees work at the office on some days of the week and at home on others, is the best one to adopt. In fact, 63% of high-growth companies are currently using hybrid models.

However, if your business is looking into shifting to a hybrid setup or is currently in the process of doing so, your employees may have some concerns going into it. How will this fit into their current home routine? What are the chances of accidental COVID transmission?

Though any major operational change is difficult, it's far from impossible. Employee wellness is something that can be maintained and even fostered under a hybrid setup. These tips can help you get started.

Bring the team closer together

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Combat feelings of isolation and detachment between members of your team by encouraging online communication during the workday. With online platforms like Slack, employees working remotely won't feel left behind as compared to those who worked at the office.

This is especially important if your hybrid work model is similar to that followed by customer relationship management service Salesforce. Its business analysts, functional consultants, and other employees are spread between remote and office work, without any kind of rotation.

At the same time, by providing open, honest, and stress-free lines of communication, you encourage your employees to bring up any concerns they have with the hybrid setup.

Prioritize mental health

One thing that drives employees to perform better is a good mindset. Inevitably, many people bring the stress of their home life to work, and this can impact the quality of their output. And with a hybrid setup, it's difficult to assess whether an employee is going through something.

That's why it's up to management to take the initiative and check in on employees regularly. You can also recommend resources like mental health apps or even issue "mental health days" on which employees can take a break. This is especially important for more stressful occupations, such as those in customer service and event planning.

Ward off burnout

One vital part of ensuring employee mental health is preventing burnout, so much so that it's a point all on its own. With a hybrid setup, it's important to communicate boundaries and expectations, so employees avoid overworking. You can also introduce productivity software to the fold. This can come in handy for employees who have a lot on their plate.

For example, a social media manager's job is to know the latest on a brand's online presence across a variety of platforms. This can be exhausting, especially now that online activity is surging. Fortunately, they can use a social media content creation platform to help them publish posts and optimize their exposure to target demographics. This streamlines the creation process, making their tasks easier to accomplish.

It's also important to know the signs of burnout, so you can catch it and alleviate it in time. Such signs include an increased number of mistakes and decreased productivity or motivation to work. Once you spot this in an employee, consider easing their workload or allowing them more flexible scheduling options so they can work on improving their work-life balance.
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Lead by example

By also taking time off for yourself, you can encourage your employees to do the same. For example, if you're in a slump, take the initiative by going on a break so you can come back to work in full fighting force. By modeling healthy behavior, you'll be inspiring your employees to bring the best of themselves to the office every day.

Celebrate the small wins

Keep employee morale high by recognizing milestones and achievements, however small. Celebrate the most sales made in a month or even the anniversary on which they joined your team. These can be done in department-wide meetings, through private emails, or tools like Qarrot that enable peer-to-peer recognition. Either way, a confidence boost may be just the thing to help employees feel satisfied about the work they do — and your business will be better off for it.

Many employees are fed up with the one size fits all workplace model. In fact, 73 percent of your workforce prefer to work in an organization that offers more remote work options. Why? Remote work has spurred a work-life balance since many remote workers now find more time to spend with family and friends.  

But another 67 percent of the workforce want to be in work arrangements that allow face-to-face or in-person collaboration with their team members because it encourages learning and provides opportunities for career advancement.

By and large, creating a flexible work environment might be the new pillar initiative for rewarding wellness at work, especially following the increasing number of employees that report burnout cases. So yes, the future of work is hybrid, merely because your employee expectations are changing. But with these changes come new opportunities for your business as well.

For instance, a hybrid work model is very cost-effective for businesses since it encourages workspace utilization and it removes the need for maintaining unnecessary facilities in the office. But what exactly is a hybrid work model?

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Understanding The Hybrid Work Model

The core of the hybrid office model is to provide employees with the flexibility to work between the office and their remote physical space. And while hybrid work arrangements can come in many forms, in essence, a hybrid environment supports every employee’s work-style and preference.

It achieves this by allowing them to have a seamless ebb of flow between working in the office and working from home. But it requires a robust system of communication and implementation. Currently, many corporations like Amazon and Google are adopting a hybrid workforce into their business culture.

So, why is this becoming the new workplace norm? Let's find out.

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Why Hybrid Workplace Is The Future

• Your Employees Demand It

Yes, 77 percent of your workers are looking forward to engaging in hybrid setups in their organization. And with good reason. A hybrid workplace means that the employee's work style is fully supported.

They can work in the office when they want to or when it's necessary and work from any other remote location just as well. It also means that employees get to save on commute time and costs, which leaves them with a better work-life balance.

This then allows employees to operate more authentically, which helps foster a happier and more productive workforce. And since a hybrid setup empowers the worker by giving them autonomy, it motivates them to adapt better work practices and habits.

One other great advantage of adopting a hybrid work model is that it enhances employee wellbeing. More so, many workers have reported increased cases of fatigue during and after the pandemic. Therefore, a hybrid environment is an excellent way to address pandemic fatigue in the workplace. Why?

Its flexibility can allow each worker to set aside a few minutes every day to relax and unwind, making a significant difference in combating burnout. Besides, 2.9 million Canadians are still remote employees, and they would prefer to keep this autonomy well and alive long into the future.

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• Technology Enables It

Technology is making it possible to have remote jobs, so who is to say that this transformative force will not greatly support remote companies entirely in the years to come? If anything, a growing number of video, team messaging, work management, and collaboration applications are already in widespread use. Moreover, major advancements with artificial intelligence and the internet of things (IoT) will help employers and employee stay better-informed and safe.

For instance, many workers now need the assurance that their in-person workspaces are safe following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. That said, organizations can incorporate IoT sensors to determine the number of workers in the building to limit occupancy.

Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify spaces that offer social distancing and safety measures. What's more, if a company is to create a hybrid work model, it requires transparency that supports a distributed workforce.

This is where technology comes in: many options enhance collaboration and productivity within remote work settings. Enterprise apps are especially convenient and excellent at providing better collaboration between staff members.

You do not want your company to face the cost of poor employee engagement after all. In addition, AI can automate workspace schedules for employees who wish to have occasional time in-office.

• Your Company Needs It

Think about it, once you get a significant portion of your employees to work from home, you deem part if not most of your office space unnecessary. With AI in place, you can identify these spaces quickly and either release them or find better utilization for them. This means fewer maintenance costs.

Also, if you have fewer people at the office, you need less operational costs. Aside from reducing costs, a hybrid workplace is excellent for making gains and productivity, translating to increased sales and company revenue. Here's how:

Your employees are your company's foundation. So the key to your business success significantly lies in the state of your employees. And when you have a hybrid company work model, you give your workers autonomy, which offers them fewer disruptions, and increases productivity.

In essence, hybrid workplaces make the employees feel trusted and supported. In turn, they become motivated to give the organization the best results. Indeed, happier workplaces are more productive workplaces.

Chiefly, one significant reason your company needs a hybrid workplace is that it reshapes your business goals and objectives into a more employee-centric one. As such, it can steer your company miles ahead of your competitors since you're investing in the right technological tools and employee engagement activities.

Conclusion

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Expect a hybrid workplace to be part of your company's long-term strategy, even though adopting the model is not yet fully figured out. Everything considered, the pandemic did fast forward the inception of the hybrid model in workplaces.

But one thing is sure, the change in employee needs, company needs, and technology advancements have made the business model necessary. So embrace the hybrid concept or face the possibility of watching your business perish in the future.

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Discover how to Qarrot can help your organization transition to a hybrid model by keeping employees connected - book a demo with Qarrot today!

Enlisting brand ambassadors to promote one's products and services is an effective marketing method across industries. Its effectiveness has led more and more businesses to adopt it as a central tactic in their digital marketing strategy. Often, marketing teams turn to social media influencers to forward their brand. Statistics from SocialPubli show that 89% of marketers believe influencer marketing is effective, with many choosing to partner with nano- and micro-influencers. However, companies also have another option when it comes to brand ambassadorship — their own employees.

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What's an Employee Brand Ambassador?

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An employee brand ambassador is simply a person who currently works in your company and also promotes it across their network. An employee brand ambassador should know your company vision, the details of your products and services, and, of course, your brand image. To test the feasibility of an employee ambassadorship program, consult with your digital marketing team. As one of the most prominent careers in business data analytics, digital marketers analyze patterns in web traffic, determine the best posting strategies, and monitor search trends. They'll be the first to tell you that it's worth investing in employee brand ambassadors, especially since renowned companies like Adobe have been doing it for years. In short, having employee ambassadors is a good idea, and here's why:

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Benefits of Having Employee Brand Ambassadors

Consumers perceive employees as more trustworthy than curated marketing tactics

A survey by Olapic showed that 76% of respondents trusted content from "ordinary" people more than content distributed by big brands. Influencers have developed a reputation for having generic and inauthentic content, which might be counterproductive to the goal of your brand ambassadorship.

Additionally, customers tend to perceive staff as more trustworthy than corporate marketing, given that it's easier to relate with them on a personal level. In fact, Edelman's Trust Barometer 2019 states that people view regular employees as more credible than the company’s CEO. So having them spread good things about your company can make your marketing campaign more genuine and effective. It's also worth noting that employees who do not trust the company they work for can negatively impact consumer trust. So, even if your employee isn't officially a brand ambassador, it's worth keeping them engaged and satisfied with the company for the sake of its reputation and business.
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Your employees' social networks have a high potential for engagement

Your employees have their own networks, often outside of your company's normal target market. Surveys show that around 50% of employees already post content about their companies on their social media pages, with 33% unprompted by employers. Furthermore, 39% have shared positive attributes in the past. So, it's well worth having them raise brand awareness among their own circles. This is especially the case since your employees' social media connections are more likely to interact with their posts about your company, meaning there's more potential for engagement.

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Curating an employee ambassador program can lead to reduced costs and increased ROI

Since your employees are already part of the company workforce, you won't need to use more resources to partner with third-party brand ambassadors. This significantly reduces the costs of your marketing campaigns. And since employees are poised to spread brand awareness and increase your company's reach, they're likely to increase your ROI.

These reasons are why it's worth investing in employee brand ambassadors, and why you should incentivize practices that help them raise brand awareness. Your employees can do much more than execute and expedite internal processes. They're also an excellent option for your brand ambassadorship campaign.

To further entice them to enlist as employee brand ambassadors, make sure to implement incentives that spur them to achieve company goals and forward your company's marketing campaign. Note that monetary incentives are no longer as effective as they used to be, so be creative in how you craft your reward program. One option is to gamify the campaign goals, to make for a more enjoyable experience. This not only improves business performance, but employee engagement as well.

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If you're looking to create fun and engaging incentive campaigns for your employee brand ambassadors, try out Qarrot. Book a demo now to see your options!