EMPLOYEE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT 3

EPD Programs

How do they work?

Employee Personal Development (EPD) Programs maximize value return to both the employee and employer in the employment relationship. EPD programs strive to achieve a profitable balance between the social and technical development of employees and the organizations corporate growth. They aim to empower employees to grow in their personal circumstances and motivate employees to take charge of their own development. Organizations running such programs accept a measure of social responsibility for the development of their employees. Employers are not obligated to run EPD Programs, but they could certainly benefit from the empowered, self driven employees the programs aim to produce.

EPD programs can be run and coordinated through Training Departments. The department should have the expertise to conduct a needs assessment of the social skills staff need. Training should aim to develop social maturity and enhance growth in their personal circumstances. Alongside an effective training agency to coordinate the training process, a successful EPD program would also need the input of three key elements in developing employees; Effective programs, Coaches and Mentors.

Programs

Programs that aim to effect the personal development of staff would run alongside traditional management and technical training and job skills programs. Programs such as "Successful family life", "managing personal finance" develop social and life skills. The value of these programs is realized in the personal context rather than corporate context. The aim of these programs is to encourage the employee to develop competencies that make them a better person, citizen and better able to take full advantage of their employment opportunities to achieve balanced goals in life and manage their personal affairs.

Coach

The coach is a crucial participant to successful employee development. The coach would need to be with the employee in the employment environment in a peer or supervisor position to monitor the employees work (career) progress and also be on hand to help evaluate application of new competencies in the work environment. The coach does not have to be the employees' supervisor though a supervisor is ideally placed to assist, assign and assess the employees work progress.

Mentor

A mentor need not be in the same department or same organization as the employee, but a mentor must meet two major requirements. They must have the moral standing and integrity to help the employee achieve what they have accomplished or are striving to accomplish. A mentor may share their experience with a view to allow the employee to identify practical and suitable options to improve or address their personal circumstances. A mentor does not have to be a senior person. The mentors' main qualification is to have achieved a desirable level of success in the area in which they are mentoring another.

Employee

For the EPD program to succeed the employee must be a willing participant in the process. The organization may be able to meet its objectives through the design implementation and running of business related programs and even achieve a suitable level of employee productivity through perform management techniques. The coach and training department need to work together, but the mentor need only work with the employee. This ensures the employee remains in "control" of his personal life. 

A well managed EPD program could bring about a profitable set of social dynamics and productive culture within an organization. If an institution is not open to change, an EPD program may not bring about any positive change within the institution but may still benefit employees willing to develop themselves.

Allan Bukusi, 2005

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