Investing in professional development leads to higher employee retention, business performance

OVERLAND PARK — The KU Edwards Campus is helping local businesses invest in the professional development of their employees with its various leadership programs, including its newly launched Professional Leadership Certificate.

For today’s employees, it’s not always about just making it through an eight-hour shift to collect a paycheck and relax at home. Many need more from their employment to remain with and give their best to their employer. To increase employee retention and productivity, employers must understand employees value professional development now more than ever.

Fifty-one percent of today’s workers are looking to leave their current jobs, according to a Gallup survey. The chances employees will stick around are far higher with a strategic leadership training program. According to a Bridge study, offering career training and development would keep 86 percent of millennials from leaving their current position. In fact, a recent Udemy study revealed 42 percent of millennial employees say learning and development are the most crucial aspects when deciding where to work, followed by health insurance.

“They’re going to be more strategic critical thinkers for their company, and they’re going to say, ‘Hey, the company was willing to provide training and spend some money on my professional development,’” said Lee Stuart, leadership programs manager at the KU Edwards Campus (KUEC). “Knowing this makes them a loyal employee.”

Stuart has spent more than 30 years working with all types and sizes of businesses in the private sector and said Kansas City businesses are beginning to understand improving soft skills needs to be a top priority for managing their multigenerational workforce.

One of those businesses is Arvest Bank, a financial institution with 17 branch sites in the Greater Kansas City area. Barbara Christ, executive vice president of sales with Arvest, utilizes several of KUEC’s leadership programs for her employees and offers them the opportunity to complete the University of Kansas Professional Leadership Certificate.

“We have developed several levels of leadership programs either by developing them internally or coordinating with outside learning partners,” Christ said. “We believe this shows a commitment to supporting our associates in their growth, and it has increased retention as shown by our review of monthly turnover data.”

With today’s rapidly changing workplace, it’s difficult for employees to stay up-to-date on the latest technologies and skills needed for success in any industry or organization. Employers need to continually provide training opportunities for their associates, including soft skills such as critical thinking and emotional intelligence.

“Our programs not only ensure our employees maintain relevant competencies and strengthen team dynamics, we see an increase in confidence, morale and teamwork,” Christ said. “This impacts our bottom line through the production of superior projects and improved efficiencies. We can document increased ROI through our P&L statements.”

Productive employees can also help your company by staying relevant in your industry, solving problems in useful ways and bringing value to your customers, all leading to sales growth.

“I think one of the things we do best is to help the participants in our program develop a different mindset,” Stuart said, “and that mindset, in turn, helps them go back to their organization and help create an environment in which they can thrive.”