b'ENGAGE 2024 | PEOPLE DEVELOPMENTHow Can Companies Improve This?Build a development plan for your people. We are naturally driven to grow and improve ourselves, and this is particularly evident in the workplace, where employees seek to acquire new skills, assume more responsibility, and progressintheircareers.Byrecognizingandsupportingthisneedforgrowth,youcanboostemployee engagement, loyalty, and performance significantly. Provide regular training and development opportunities, offer chances for cross-functional cooperation, and start both coaching and mentoring programs. Think about how you canchallengeandempoweryouremployeeswithnewtasksandresponsibilitiesandenhancetheirsenseof ownership and pride in their work.Provide employees with clear expectations and let them know how you will measure their performance. Meet with your people to paint a clear picture of what success looks like for each one of them. During your conversation, clearly define what you expect of them in their work, but also take time to discuss what they expect of themselves. And dont stop there! Meet with them regularly for brief check-ins to ensure they are on track and headed toward their targets, and take the time to observe them in action so you can share effective feedback on what they are doing well.Tap into the far-reaching benefits of employee recognition. When people receive recognition for their work, they wanttorepeatthepositivebehaviorsthatledtosuccess.Thiscreatesachainreactionthatincreasesboth productivity and performance. Consider how you can more frequently recognize the good work your people are doing using internal emails, social media shout-outs, meeting announcements, handwritten notes, video messages, surprise deliveries, and even opportunities for more development. Remember, this isnt a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. You need to start by thinking about the individual who earned the recognition and ask yourself, what would be most meaningful to them? Although people need constructive criticism to adjust and improve, they also need positive feedback at an even higher rate. The optimal ratio is typically 5:1. Dont be fooled into thinking that positive feedback only serves to make people feel good while constructive criticism helps them improve. On the contrary, when you give someone specific feedback on exactly what they did right, they are able to repeat those behaviors more often and improve their performance. Challenge yourself to provide feedback as close to in the moment as possible so the behavior is still relevant and fresh in their mind. 27'