Investing in Employees…Affordably

As the adage goes, employees are the most important resource of any business.  To grow that resource, businesses must to invest in the continual training and development of staff.  However, smaller companies often lack the time and budget to put together development programs.  The Prince William Chamber of Commerce can help to meet this need.

 

Cost-Effective Development for Small Companies

“In a small company, you expect to teach new employees the technical part of their job. But as young people enter the workforce, you find yourself also teaching the intangibles of accountability, leadership, commitment to excellence…things that are just as important to the success of your business,” says Kimberly Campbell, owner of The Dog Eaze Inn in Woodbridge.   Campbell is not alone.

 

During a meeting of the Chamber’s Economic Development Committee, a panel of small business experts was asked what they saw as the emerging skill-sets in the Prince William area.   IT, high-tech automotive repair topped the list.  Notably, they also identified a need for soft skills like communication, customer service and teamwork.  It was once assumed that new hires would have already developed these soft skills prior to entering the workforce, but today’s employers are finding that this is not always the case.  This additional training can be costly.

 

Businesses are finding that the Chamber offers a host of cost-effective resources for staff development.  These include free “Next Level” seminars, a young professionals “Learn from a Leader” series, topical luncheons and events like the recent Women’s Conference, to which Campbell brought several of her young staff members.

 

“I believe it is my responsibility as a business owner and manager of young people to provide them life skills they can utilize for years to come,” Campbell said at the conference. “The Chamber events are a great resource for this. My staff can attend events that have them interacting with professionals and potential mentors so they can learn the importance of skills such as timeliness and teamwork outside of their normal workday.”

 

Chamber Events: Larger Company Shares Its Strategy

This strategy also works for larger businesses. Betty Dean, Director of Communications and Development for Didlake, Inc. utilizes Prince William Chamber events to train and strengthen her staff of nearly 1,000 employees.  Dean regularly checks the calendar sent to members in the monthly Chamber Pak mailing for staff development opportunities. Rather than having one or two staff members who “work the Chamber,” she strategically matches a variety of employees with the programs that will be of benefit to their specific area of work.

 

“We sent IT staff members to a recent luncheon focusing on Cyber Security.  Our Contract Operations staff attend Government Contracting  Council functions and our Supported Employment staff members attend events that connect them with local businesses that might offer job opportunities for people with disabilities, for whom we provide placement services,” said Dean.

 

Dean said that the advantages of this strategy are many fold.  First, Didlake is strengthened by having staff learn and grow through ongoing professional development.  It also allows the company to highlight the many faces of Didlake, as members of the business community are able to interact with staff from a variety of departments.  Last but not least, the strategy enhances employee satisfaction.

 

“The staff loves it,” says Dean, “It gives them the chance to get out of the office, connect with peers at other organizations and develop their own contact lists.  It’s a great way to provide fellow Chamber members with multiple points of contact and they in turn learn about the many ways we can work with them.”

 

Find Events & Programs

For more information on how you can utilize the programs and events of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce to your best advantage, contact Kris Johnson, Director of Membership Development at 703-368-6600 or email kjohnson@pwchamber.org.  A list of upcoming events  and committee meetings can be found by visiting pwchamber.org and clicking the “Attend” button.