1.

Employee development is regarded as one of the most important aspects of human resource

management. It plays a crucial role in helping individuals shape the direction of their careers.

But employee development still in the process of gaining relevance in a lot of organizations.

This results in a lot of business playing a high price in terms of the top talent they lose. 

There are several internal challenges to employee development from the HR perspective.

Employee development can be really challenging if the HR department does have a clear

structured program and plan set out for employee development programs. Often times there

may be a lack of structure for employee development within the HR department and

employees with no development experience are made in charge of the program. This can be a

major internal challenge. Secondly, the challenge is regarding the cost. Equipment, trainers

and venue hire take up a significant amount of money. The HR department can be left will

small employee development budgets. Apart from this software and travel cost incurred is

also a concern. This can hinder the development of employee’s skills and abilities. Ineffective

communication mechanisms and performance management within the organization can also

be of a challenge. If employees aren’t given constructive criticism and feedback or are given

but once or twice a year, they wouldn’t be a significant employee development taking place.

One of the main external challenges can be that your employees might always be too busy due

to their life outside of work. They might find it difficult to balance their personal and work

life. Hence they can use this as an excuse to not attend developmental programs. It can also be

very difficult for the HR department to take the employee's day off and make them attend

training sessions. The second challenge is that learning styles can be different in different

parts of the world. What works in one country might not in another. Having different

generations of workers within the company can also be a problem for the HR department and

is inevitable. Hence in today’s working environment, the presence of a multigenerational

workforce is quite common and hence is also very challenging. Hence what works for the

millennial generation might not for others.

2. The first solution to solving internal employee development challenge is to have a

structured plan for employee development. Instead of setting employee developmental goals

on a yearly basis, HR can create goals because the results of those goals are easier to see. To

decrease the challenges associated with the cost aspect of employee development, online

training courses can be introduced. This can reduce the money required for the venue and

travel. Making use of webinars and replacing face-to-face seminars is also another alternative

to cut costs. Businesses can also adopt high performing, low-cost LMS (earning management

system) to stretch their budget when developing a large number of workers. The HR

department should also provide adequate feedback and hold performance management

meetings with employees to understand the area of improvement and look into how they can

help the employees. Employee progress must also be reviewed frequently to help them better

goals for their future. Another effective solution for this might be to look into a bite-sized

method of learning. For example, the HR department can look into breaking the training and

developmental programs into smaller sessions so that it becomes easier for the employees to

consume it. Other than this, the HR department can also come up with mobile training

solutions. This can change the requirement of employees coming in on weekends and travel

for attending training and developmental programs. Many companies like the Hilton and

Walmart have now implemented online courses for their employees to make such sessions

available anytime, anywhere. This brings convenience for the employees and they will be

more willing to learn. The second solution is to understand your potential audience and

develop development methods that are not only multilingual but also multicultural. For

example, certain cultures might prefer group training sessions while others might prefer an

individual learning approach. The final solution is to develop diverse delivery methods for the
content you have. Millennials can also be deployed as a learning assistant for other people

with learning difficulties in a multigenerational workforce.