Workforce Development

    • What is workforce development?

    • Workforce Development in NZ

    • Understanding Your Workforce Needs

    • Training and Development

    • Career Pathways and Succession Planning

    • The Performance Management Cycle

    • Review Training Effectiveness

    • Workplace Health and Wellbeing

What is workforce development?

Workforce development connects skilled individuals to suitable jobs, improving skills for long-term success. By upskilling workers, it boosts individual and business prosperity and contributes to regional economic growth. It's a mutually beneficial process.

Workforce Development in NZ

In New Zealand, developing a skilled workforce is crucial but challenging. With increasing reliance on international labor and a trend of workers seeking opportunities abroad, the country faces a significant skill shortage. A 2022 EMA survey revealed that out of 540 businesses, only 64 had no vacancies, highlighting the urgent need for workforce development.

Understanding Your Workforce’s Needs

To develop your workforce effectively, first assess your current staff and identify training needs. Consider factors like people, technology, and the environment. Key methods include:

  • Review Job Roles: Ensure job descriptions align with business goals and update as needed.

  • Assess Skills: Evaluate employee skills through CVs, performance reviews, or discussions to identify gaps.

  • Evaluate Performance: Use key performance indicators to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

  • Conduct Surveys: Gather real-time feedback on factors affecting performance, such as management and culture.

  • Analyse Turnover: Examine turnover rates and exit interviews to identify patterns and retention issues.

  • Hold Meetings: Regular face-to-face meetings can help employees voice concerns and provide feedback.

These steps will help align roles with business objectives and address any skills gaps effectively.

Training & Development

Workforce skills fall into two categories: technical and soft skills, each requiring different training approaches.

Technical Skills:

Skills that are job-specific and knowledge-based, often gained through formal education or on-the-job training.

(e.g., Microsoft Office, software development, data analysis)

Soft Skills:

General skills related to personal interactions and work habits, often involving new behaviors and thinking.

(e.g., communication, leadership, time management, adaptability)

Developing these skills within your workforce

Technical Skills: are essential for staying competitive, especially with rapid technological advancements.

Prioritise digital upskilling through:

  • Courses: Offer training to enhance digital skills.

  • On-the-Job Training: Provide practical experience.

  • Workshops: Conduct hands-on sessions for skill testing.

  • Digital Boost Workshops: Utilise free digital skills training platforms available in NZ.

Soft Skills: are often driven by personality requiring a human approach to develop

Prioritise soft skill upskilling by:

  • Coaching & Mentoring: when paired with a coach or mentor, employees have the opportunity to observe soft skills in action from their mentor and put them into practice. Having a coach or mentor provides a more targeted approach to the training as it will look at the performance and development more

  • Self-Reflection & Learning: this gives the employee the space to reflect on their current abilities and skills and notice areas for improvement. This helps with the development of the skills as the employee needs to be open and aware of these gaps and may even seek out self-learning opportunities. 

  • Social learning: providing a space where employees can interact with each other on skills development can be useful. On a discussion board or regular group workshops, this will allow employees to discuss and learn from one another and build up their confidence.

  • Provide practice opportunities: practice makes perfect! Learning loss happens with soft skills the same way it does with hard skills. Ensure you are providing employees with enough time to practice and then self-reflect on how they did. 

  • Provide & receive feedback: feedback is an essential part of any skill development. There are likely to be challenges along the way and with the feedback your employee can evaluate their current performance, address any mistakes, and implement necessary changes.

Career Pathways and Succession Planning

To retain and motivate staff, businesses should invest in employee development through career pathways and succession planning.

Career Pathways: Provide structured development to help employees advance their careers. This includes:

  • Assessment: Evaluate current skills, values, and goals.

  • Goal Setting: Define specific career objectives.

  • Gap Analysis: Identify and address skill gaps.

  • Action Plan: Develop a plan with steps to bridge gaps.

  • Review: Regularly update the plan based on new factors.

Succession Planning: Identify and prepare internal candidates for future leadership roles to ensure smooth transitions and align with business goals. This avoids external hiring and leverages existing talent.

Promotion Policy: Establish clear guidelines for promotions based on measurable goals to enhance career progression and employee retention.

Inclusive Environment: Foster a diverse, inclusive workplace where all employees feel valued and heard, enhancing their sense of belonging and commitment.

The Performance Management Cycle

The annual performance management cycle evaluates and develops employees to meet organisational goals.

It consists of five stages:

  1. Planning: Set clear, collaborative goals using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely).

  2. Monitoring: Track performance against goals and provide ongoing feedback to address issues.

  3. Developing: Offer training and development opportunities based on identified areas for improvement.

  4. Rating: Assess performance against goals, typically through an annual review.

  5. Rewarding: Recognize and reward employees with incentives like pay raises or promotions based on their performance.

Reviewing Training Effectiveness

Another useful tip in performance management is to evaluate the effectiveness of training. By gathering data, before and after training programs you can measure the changes in performance or productivity. Evaluating this data will give you an idea of whether you should change your training program or the type of delivery to better suit your employees.

The Donald Kirkpatrick training evaluation model is a good way to examine this:

  1. Reaction: How did employees react to the training and trainer? 

  2. Learning: How well did employees acquire and learn the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment based on their participation in training? 

  3. Behaviour: Can employees apply what they learned during the training when they return to work?

  4. Results: Do the targeted outcomes from the training align and have an impact on the overall business goals?

Workplace Health & Wellbeing

Providing a safe and healthy work environment for your employees can have a positive and long-lasting impact on the organisation's performance. When employees feel their well-being is being considered in the workplace, they are more likely to be productive, have fewer days off, and lower stress levels.

As wellbeing can be defined under several pillars (as demonstrated in Te Whare Tapa Wha), it is important to have a holistic approach to establishing Health and Wellbeing policies and consider physical, mental & social health initiatives.

Your Health and Wellbeing policy might include initiatives such as:

  • Physical Wellbeing - conducting workplace assessments for ergonomic equipment, subsidised memberships, providing fruit/filtered water, air conditioning, and health insurance.

  • Mental Wellbeing- counselling, employment assistance programs, regular check-ins, providing a relaxation/recreation space and ensuring sufficient cover for leave.

  • Social Wellbeing - work-from-home opportunities, social clubs or activities, team morning teas/lunch, easier access to childcare.

  • Spiritual Wellbeing - providing a safe space for employees to showcase and connect individuality, through culture/hobbies/interests, offer confidence or leadership courses.