Leading employers know how important it is to put professional development at the heart of company policy. Why? Employees and job candidates expect it now. Talented professionals want to work for a company invested in building their skills and knowledge and interested in their future.

Managers who minimize the importance of supporting employees’ career advancement put staff morale and productivity at risk. Over the longer term, the company could face the loss of dispirited employees to competitors.

Show your workers they have both company and manager support in their desire to grow professionally. The following seven strategies to promote employee development can help you do exactly that.

1. Take a personal interest in employee career goals

Help your employees outline a potential career path within the organization, so they can better visualize their future at the company. Identify specific milestones for achievement and the supporting resources employees will likely need to tap along their journey.

It is always important to prioritize frequent communication with your workers, especially if you’re managing a remote team. Your interactions should include meeting regularly with each employee one-on-one, in person or virtually, to discuss their career aspirations and expectations. Clear, direct and consistent communication from the boss about career advancement steps can help keep workers feeling engaged and valued.

2. Promote training and development of employees

Job training and continuing education help to fuel employee career growth. So, you’ll want to encourage team members to pursue relevant business courses and workshops that can help further their professional development and career advancement.

In addition to nurturing individual needs and growing specific skills, help your employees keep up with what’s happening in the wider industry. One cost-effective method that’s easy to arrange is to host lunch-and-learn sessions featuring either external or internal guest speakers.

Give your employees the time and flexibility to attend relevant industry events, from webinars to conferences. Consider asking those workers to share what they learn at these events with their colleagues.

3. Encourage mentoring and job shadowing

Establishing a formal mentoring program might be one of the wisest employee development moves a company can make — for itself as well as for its workers’ personal and professional growth.

Though often seen as a transfer of knowledge from tenured team members to less-seasoned employees, mentoring in the workplace is a two-way street. While senior staff members can offer hard-earned insights and professional guidance to less-experienced colleagues, they also can benefit from the fresh perspectives and technological know-how of up-and-coming employees.

4. Rotate employee roles

The human brain thrives on variety, and job rotation can be an effective way to shake up your workers’ daily routines. Consider allowing employees to work in different but related departments or positions. A formal job rotation program can help facilitate this.

These opportunities will help your team members gain new skills, more appreciation for their colleagues’ duties and a better understanding of the business overall. Job rotation can also help increase cross-departmental collaboration and build rapport in a remote team. The organization will benefit from having a more well-rounded workforce, too.

5. Support work-life balance

Encourage your employees to work smart, maximize their efficiency and leave time and energy for their interests outside of work. This advice is especially important for remote team members who may find it difficult at times to keep work and life separate.

Taking a proactive approach toward promoting your employees’ well-being can also prevent stress from rising and leading to burnout. By adopting flexible policies that enhance work-life balance, you can buoy employee morale. You’ll help your workers find the time to do their jobs, attend to personal demands, and even engage in professional employee development activities that can aid their career advancement.

6. Paint the big picture

Reminding employees of their unique contributions to the company’s mission adds more meaning to their role. It can also increase their motivation to expand their responsibilities and advance in the organization.

Don’t assume your employees already know how their work adds value, however. Offer regular insights into how their day-to-day actions make a difference to the organization. In your regular updates to team members, be sure to highlight the firm’s progress toward key objectives. And acknowledge individual employees for specific achievements helping to drive the company toward those goals.

7. Create a succession planning program

Succession planning can demonstrate to high-potential employees that you not only want to invest in their professional development but also see them evolve into future leaders for the business.

That is a powerful message. So, don’t push this important process to the back burner. Create a succession plan for every key position in your organization. It can help motivate employees to learn the skills and knowledge needed for career advancement.

Your employees will be better positioned to achieve their career goals if they know their manager is invested in their success. Emphasizing employee career growth can create significant and lasting benefits for your workers, and it can provide many positive returns for your organization as well.