Two-thirds of the employees surveyed for the Gallup engagement index indicated feeling only a small degree of commitment to their company and to their own job – 16 % indicated they feel no commitment at all. Nevertheless, one out of two employees indicated the necessity of acquiring additional qualifications through advanced training. Forty-one percent of the companies do not offer such training to the employees surveyed, however. The desire for individual, self-organized advanced training possibilities is common to all corporate sectors and career levels. Possibilities for advanced training form an important element in employee dedication as an aspect of human resources development. Attractive advanced training options improve the employer’s image while at the same time facilitating the acquisition of new employees.
Employee engagement – what is that?
“Employee engagement” stands for the combination of an employee’s commitment to the company with his or her engagement and motivation. It also refers to the employee’s emotional and intellectual investment in the organization. “Employee engagement” can be understood for both the organization and individual as a shared goal for the benefit of both parties. The benefit to the employer lies in the employee’s greater identification with the corporate objectives and values and in the reduced risk of inner resignation. But the employee also benefits: his or her professional duties are performed with conviction, people feel appreciated and look forward to working – altogether a classical win-win situation on both sides.
Effects of human resources development
The aim of personnel development is to promote and develop employees and thereby create a competitive edge for the company. Support in personal and professional development moreover promotes commitment to the company.
The offer of training for expanding employees’ abilities, skills and knowledge is a crucial measure in human resources development. The implementation of this measure for adding to employees’ qualifications can lead to developing positive emotions towards the company, with the work force tending to invest more time and effort in their performance.
This developmental measure is accordingly an important and efficient tool for any organization, in order to increase employees’ performance levels and reinforce their engagement in the company. The important thing is that HR professionals bank on the long-term planning of systematic personnel development. The training programs should be devised according to clearly defined objectives, with the company’s and individual’s needs kept in mind.
But how can you bundle all this into a single tool and thereby digitally promote both employee engagement and the possibilities for advanced training?
SAP SuccessFactors offers you just the right tools and functions you need for promoting employee engagement and employee commitment. For example, employees can sign up for specific training programs on the basis of role-specific requirement profiles.
Plan and control the development goals of your employees
The development within the current role can then be promoted, while the employee can self-reliantly prepare for future roles at an early stage and in coordination with his or her supervisor.
Measure the effectiveness of your follow-up planning
Comprehensive tools in follow-up planning can minimize risks of loss and their consequences, or actively counteract such losses.
Plan training with the help of SAP SuccessFactors Learning
Training sessions are planned with the aid of SAP SuccessFactors Learning. The program enables Human Resources to assign (external or internal) training sessions to the employees, monitor learning success and issue automated certifications. In sum, employees have a comprehensive online learning platform available within which they can self-reliantly pursue advanced training.
As Champathes (2006) has shown, promoting and developing employees has multiple and positive effects. The more employees are supported and developed, the happier they will be on the job, and the more productively and profitably they will work for the company.
Besides the aspect of a positive relationship holding between employee development and employee engagement, a sense of belonging can also be enhanced by the awareness of receiving attention, which has a positive effect on employee motivation. This aspect can be fortified with the aid of SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals in the company. Re-organized, continual performance management provides both employees and senior staff with a comprehensible and intuitive tool for regularly coordinating and adjusting current tasks, so that the specified performance and developmental objectives can be achieved as fully as possible.
Achieve your business goals with the Performance and Goals module
Starting at the definition of goals, SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals supports the achievement of objectives through clear-cut processes that include employees, and through practical functions, such as the so-called “SMART Goal Wizards”.
The agreement on goals influences the inherent motivation of the work force in a positive way, since people can then learn more about their own performance levels by jointly defining them with management. Indeed, it is important that the goals be set jointly and not by management alone, to avoid a negative impact on the employee’s well-being and consequently on his or her psychological commitment to the employer. The module also allows continual management of the employee’s duties, and thereby enhances the perceived attentiveness by the supervisor as well.
The work force’s resulting engagement helps achieving corporate objectives faster, and makes the employees – and often the customers – more satisfied.
Increasing employee engagement is correlated with reduced absenteeism and a lower fluctuation rate.
While many companies are already actively using SAP SuccessFactors, we find that they are not fully exploiting the available potential of the software.
