But what exactly is personnel development and how can it benefit employees and your company?
In this post, we explain what the term personnel development actually means, look at the objectives pursued, the tools used, and reveal the benefits of personnel development for employees as well as employers.
Definition: What is personnel development?
Personnel development – also known as employee development – is becoming increasingly important in the field of human resources. It plays a vital role in areas such as employer branding, employee retention and motivation, as well as in building and expanding a competent team.
Personnel development is an ongoing process that aimed at promoting and enhancing the:
- qualifications
- skills
- competencies and
- knowledge of the employees in your company.
The aim is to enable your employees to fulfil current tasks more effectively, tackle new challenges with confidence and motivation, and thus advance their professional development.
What are personnel development strategies?
Typical personnel development strategies can include
- Training courses,
- Further training,
- Seminars,
- Coaching and mentoring,
- Job rotation,
- Development through new tasks and responsibilities
- Other forms of professional development.
The choice of personnel development strategies depends on the individual needs of your employees, your company goals and the requirements of the constantly changing work environment.
What are the objectives of personnel cevelopment?
Personnel development supports the long-term and strategic goals of the company. By investing in the development of your employees, especially in the area of talent management, you as a company can prepare for future challenges as your employees and teams are always up to the task. This also allows you to optimally fill open positions within your company with existing employees.
Personnel development: The objectives of employees
A carefully planned personnel development strategy has a naturally positive impact on your company’s employees and offers significant benefits. By acquiring new skills, employees’ fear of job loss are typically reduced, and these newly acquired skills automatically enhance their career opportunities in the labour market.
Effective personnel development not only strengthens employees’ motivation, self-confidence and loyalty to the company, but also improves their prospects for promotion or an increase in monthly income.
Personnel development: The objectives of companies
1. Maintaining and deepening hard skills and soft skills
This involves both the technical and methodological knowledge, as well as the social and personal skills of your employees.
2. Securing the availability of specialists and managers
Targeted and strategically implemented personnel development ensures that your company has a flexible pool of qualified staff at specialist and management level at all times.
3. Increase employee satisfaction and motivation
A motivated workforce contributes significantly to the productivity and success of a company.
4. Identification of deficits and avoidance of miscasts
Personnel development helps to recognise weaknesses at an early stage and counteract them as efficiently as possible.
5. Improving profitability and efficiency
A well-developed workforce also helps to organise operational processes more efficiently and increase the overall profitability of your company.
6. Orientation to future challenges and tasks
The targeted development of your employees enables the company to react flexibly to changes.
7. Competitiveness and knowledge advantage
The success of a company often depends on the innovations and knowledge of its employees. Personnel development is therefore crucial to keeping the company competitive and securing a knowledge advantage.
8. Supporting strategic corporate goals
The continuous adaptation and further development of the company is supported by targeted personnel development. This is particularly important in order to remain successful in the long term and in relation to the competition.
9. Employee retention and motivation
Providing employees with the opportunity to develop and realise their full potential increases their satisfaction and identification with your company. This not only promotes the long-term retention of qualified employees, but also boosts motivation as they recognise that their personal development is supported within the company.
A positive and supportive working environment, fosteredthrough targeted personnel development, significantly contributes to the long-term retention and motivation of employees.
What are personnel development tools?
To enable decision-makers to select the appropriate and specific methods for personnel development and set relevant goals, it is crucial to assess the current level of knowledge and qualifications within the company and prepare accordingly.
As part of a strategic personnel management concept, the following instruments of systematic personnel development can provide support:
Potential analysis
The potential analysis serves to systematically identify and evaluate the individual skills and development opportunities of your employees. It identifies strengths and weaknesses in order to initiate targeted measures to promote individual potential.
Potential assessment
Potential assessment refers to the evaluation of employees’ future development opportunities. It enables a precise assessment of your employees’ potential and how this can be optimally utilised.
Target agreement
The target agreement sets clear, measurable goals between employees and the company. This promotes the alignment of individual performance targets with the company’s goals and creates transparency with regard to expectations.
Performance appraisal
The performance appraisal evaluates the individual work performance of your employees. However, it not only serves as feedback, but also as a basis for individual development plans and the identification of training needs.
Calibration rounds
Calibration rounds are used to jointly review and harmonise performance assessments. This promotes an objective and consistent assessment of individual performance throughout the organisation.
Continuous feedback
Through continuous feedback, you establish a regular communication process between employees and superiors. This enables ongoing discussion of performance, development potential and target achievement.
360-degree feedback
360-degree feedback integrates assessments from line managers, colleagues and employees. This provides a comprehensive and individualised view of the strengths and development areas of each individual employee from different perspectives.
Assessment centre
The assessment centre is a method for assessing the skills and behaviour of your employees in simulated professional situations. It is often used for selection and development processes.
Employee appraisals
Employee appraisals promote direct dialogue between line managers and team members. They are primarily used to discuss goals, performance, development needs and personal concerns.
Succession planning
Succession planning defines strategies for the targeted development of future managers. This ensures that your company has a continuous supply of qualified employees for key positions.
Career development
Career development includes individualised plans to support employees in their professional careers. This creates prospects and binds talented employees to your company.
Continuing professional development
In-company training promotes the continuous professional and personal development of your employees. It thus makes a significant contribution to ensuring that they can keep pace with the changing demands of the labour market.
Networking / project work
Networking and project work promote the exchange of ideas between employees within your company. This not only enables the development of professional skills, but also strengthens teamwork and the ability to innovate.
What are the benefits of personnel development for employers and employees?
Personnel development offers a wide range of benefits for both employers and employees:
The benefits for employers:
- Expertise and innovation within the company
- Improved performance of employees
- Stronger company loyalty
- Strategic talent management
- Flexible adaptability
The benefits for employees:
- Positive and continuous career development
- Increase in professional competencies
- Personal development
- Motivation and satisfaction
Personnel development is the key to long-term success
Personnel development is an indispensable key to the long-term success of companies. By focussing on the individual promotion and further development of employees, it not only increases their performance, motivation and loyalty, but also lays the foundation for sustainable corporate success.
The wide range of personnel development measures, from training courses to career planning, help to support the goals of both your employees and your company. The instruments of personnel development enable targeted and effective implementation, while the benefits for employers and employees alike are comprehensive.
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