Every employee can benefit from a solid employee development program, whether they are salaried or hourly. Yet it's easily forgotten or let slide in the pressure of everyday business. Some days you might feel like it's hard enough to get through the day, much less manage and create a continued and future plan for employee development. But as a business owner, you can’t afford to cut employee development from your budget.

Why should you press on and try to make it happen in your business? Here are 5 reasons:

1. It helps attract and keep great employees.

Employee retention is a huge challenge (and expense) for employers. So is the hiring process. Having a solid employee development program can help make that less of a burden.

When it comes to attracting and hiring the best employees, here’s why a solid employee development program matters:

It is a benefit. Employee development can be seen as a benefit, and that is something employees weigh in the "pros" column when finding a job. Hourly employees, especially, don't always receive the benefits that salaried workers in larger companies are accustomed to. Providing employee development as part of the hiring package gives you a competitive advantage over other similar jobs and wages.
It builds loyalty. Loyal employees aren't prone to quitting. That's what employee retention is all about. Knowing that an employer is willing to provide training and development makes an employee feel important and...