A common phrase in business is that finding good talent is hard but keeping it is even harder. If businesses don’t continue to invest in developing talented employees, they will leave. If this happens, all the time and money you invested in hiring them to perform specific tasks leaves you right back where you started.

Forbes Magazine reports that 56% of businesses will hire during the coming year, yet 82% of businesses will begin developing employees they currently have. Developing your employees for more responsibilities helps to keep them excited and challenged regarding their future. Plus, the end result for a company is that they receive new managers who are prepared to lead, inspire, train, and develop a new generation of loyal employees.

Below are 8 in-house growth tactics for all level of employees to grow with the company and to keep them mentally and spiritually engaged:

Constructive Feedback

Constructive feedback, not harshly critical comments, are used to improve and develop employees. Short bursts of productive and encouraging comments with instructive recommendations should be given regularly. Use lengthier more in-depth feedback from employees at their review. Even though talking to a manager or an executive is a little daunting, employees on all levels would like to know how they are doing and if their career options are on the right path. Positive feedback is a business tool that stimulates growth for the employees and for the company.

Professional Network Training

Help employees grow with the right training they need to succeed for themselves and the company. Capitalize on introducing employees to professional industry training programs, professional events, or workshops where they will meet with mentors and coaches. As good as your products or services are performing, to keep that balance going, a company needs to equip employees with the best in managerial skills and thought processes.

Creating meaningful work experiences helps to develop skills that your employees need to succeed as future managers, supervisors, and directors, while also developing an experienced pool of leadership candidates to continue to grow your business. Key components achieved in professional network training involves the following:

• Key performing employees are introduced to coaching and mentoring programs
• Cross-departmental training
• Teach them to manage new employees or interns with deliverables to complete

Game Time

Business as usual has changed its look. Millennials entering or currently working in a business are using apps, AI tools, smart tablets, virtual reality games, etc. to carry-on their daily tasks. For this reason, strategy games are fast becoming a common business tool to keep employees better engaged and to creatively keep track of their performance skills.

Gamification is a term that identifies at-work games for employee improvements. Corporate games allow employees to better execute decisions, make quick decisive judgment calls, and learn to work as team members. Millennials want to be stimulated at work and stimulating games are preferred over lectures, written text, or day seminars.

Below are two games that stimulate and subconsciously reveals whether employees have the skill-set needed for advancement:

Tools: game show buzzer and random objects

The object of this game is for team building, inspiring creativity, and personal innovation

A random object is given to a small group of individuals. Each person stands in front of the group and without saying anything, demonstrates the proper use of that object. Of course, the remaining group must guess what the random object is and how it is used within a specific timeframe or they get buzzed.

Tools: varying jigsaw puzzles

Small groups are assembled where the participants are given simple jigsaw puzzles. Each group must complete their puzzle before everyone else. The trick is that certain pieces will be mixed in with another group’s puzzle set. Team trading, negotiating, and exchanging solutions must be created to get a specific puzzle piece back. The object of the game is to identify leadership and problem-solving skills.

You can hire professionals for this matter as well. Contact trusted corporate game show organizers to hire game equipments or carry out such refreshing and entertaining events for the employees. Incorporate games, there are no winners or losers. Not winning in a game is still part of the strategy. After all, not all business ventures or projects succeed. The idea is what did you learn and how can you apply what you have learned?

Experience Is A Valuable Tool

Why hire without when you can promote from within? Long-term employees have a knowledgeable understanding of historical skill sets that are valuable to any business. Advancing experienced employees to more diversified roles saves the company time, money, and extensive training.

Employees are well aware of how the business operates each day and they understand the internal workings of what helps make it successful and how it ticks. Promoting internal employees in senior roles is a great motivator for working in that industry and it reflects the trust and loyalty that the managing staff has in its employees.

Transparency

Executives and top-tier managers must show employees through their actions that building a trusting and transparent leadership is vital to the success of any business. Transparency begins with open communication between management, staff, customers and business partners. No one wants to work for a company that doesn’t share their long-term goals and who do not make it transparent in what they stand for.

Performance Reviews

Quarterly performance reviews are helpful in identifying top performers within the company. Performance reviews help identify problems, encourages productivity, and keeps the door open for general communication. Employees learn through employment reviews their strong points versus their weak points and how they can improve.

R & D and L & D

Research and development (R&D) is a must-have skill for many employees. A company must stay on top of what skills are presently needed and those skills that are coming down the pike. Learning and development (L&D) in a company’s infrastructure will cause a major shift if skills are not in place to meet national and international demands.

Hire new skills and train current employees for the new skill set that is needed for a business to stay competitive. A company should not assume that each employee has all the built-in tools and training from supervisors that are needed.

Work Hard and Play Hard

Take time to lighten up and have some fun. Making work fun does pay off because people get more done when they are enjoying themselves. It’s the little things that count and which are not expensive. For example, make Wednesday’s doughnut day, allow employees to celebrate birthdays, and/or make Friday an after-work fun time.

Conclusion

The majority of employers want to incorporate triggers that keep their employees productive and engaged. Employers are prepared to train, develop skills, communicate, and more to bring out the best in their staff with many in-house growth tactics.