5 metrics to assess skills growth in your organization

Measuring employee development is tricky because there are many intangible elements to consider. Here are five ways to assess skills growth within your teams:

1. Organizational revenue

As your organization's employees become more skilled at their jobs, they should become more productive and efficient, which in turn should lead to increased revenue. This is a quantifiable metric that can show organizational stakeholders how their teams are evolving over time.

Comparing year-over-year revenue growth can provide insight into a number of process changes within your organization, but this should not be your only method of assessing employee development. When taking this figure into account, consider what other factors might impact your company's revenue, such as tangible resource costs and competition within the marketplace.

2. Customer satisfaction

As workers become more skilled, they will be more adept at problem solving. Over time, customer satisfaction rates should increase as a reflection of team development. However, satisfaction can be difficult to quantify. Surveys and questionnaires can give stakeholders a better idea of how customers feel about the products and services your organization provides.

"Team development, customer satisfaction, and revenue growth are all intimately interconnected," says Todal Patel, Director of Global Talent Services at Beacon Hill Staffing Group. "Truly engaged employees drive successful team development, which in turn is reflected in externally visible outcomes, like improved customer service."

As with revenue metrics, keep in mind that many factors impact customer satisfaction. For instance, great customer service could become hamstrung by technical issues or other quality challenges along the service delivery pipeline. Use specific questions within your surveys to get a more precise indication of the impact your teams have on customer satisfaction.

3. Employee productivity

Veteran hiring managers understand that employees take time to reach full productivity. Especially if an employee comes to a new position from outside the company, he or she will need time to learn workflows and adjust to a new team dynamic.

Speaking with Harvard Business Review, best-selling author Michael Watkins noted that it could take between six months and a year before an employee reaches full productivity, depending on the complexity of the role. Beyond this time frame, managers should monitor employee productivity levels using quantifiable metrics such sales figures or task completion rates.

Watkins also told HBR that productivity is directly impacted by corporate culture. If the company is too punishing with employees in the onboarding phase, it could stymie skill growth. Assessing employees about their opinions of the company's culture could uncover opportunities for improvement.

4. Team collaboration

Anyone who has taken part in a team project understands that interpersonal dynamics directly impact the group's ability to perform. New teams take time to warm up, as individuals get to know each other's working styles and communication habits.

Collaboration can be difficult to measure, as it is an abstract concept. However, if a new collaboration initiative has recently been implemented, managers can assess productivity rates before and after implementation to better understand the success of the new program. For instance, if a team recently integrated a new communications solution into its workflow, stakeholders can monitor quantifiable metrics to determine if the new solution is producing the desired effect.

5. Employee engagement

According to Gallup research, 87 percent of employees are not engaged at work. Essentially, employees who are not engaged find it difficult to become emotionally invested in their work. They might show up on time and they might perform all of their necessary functions, but their heart is not in the work.

Forbes contributor Kevin Kruse explained that engaged employees use discretionary effort to complete tasks. In other words, they are more committed to their work and more likely to take personal pride in their achievements. Showing employees how their contributions benefit the organization and lead to more opportunities for increased compensation can help them feel more engaged with their work.

To learn more about how to optimize employee development at your organization, check out our resource center today.

This content is brought to you by the Marketing Team at Beacon Hill Staffing Group.