Create An Employee Development Plan For Your Start-up

Is uncertainty in the post-pandemic world and the political instability in Europe challenging your start-up business? Now more than ever, an education strategy for employees is important. In an interview, Viktoria Lindner, CEO of DIMPACT and Mindsurance, will let you in on why you need an employee development plan and give employee training tips.

What is the mission of DIMPACT?

„DIMPACT is a consultancy founded in 2018 that covers people development and training in Berlin for startups and SMEs. Our expertise consists of supporting companies to build an employee culture through the application of methodological skills from psychology, "says Viktoria Lindner. The workshops and training aim at unfolding the growth of teams sustainably. DIMPACT delivers employee development plans as well as organizational structures and processes that support companies through phases of transformation. We offer HR resources such as access to HR technology tools, education strategies for employees and management best practices, modern employer branding, and employee benefits via our business partner network.

How are education strategies challenged in today’s startup ecosystems?

We currently observe that most start-ups operate remotely. Companies try to keep the productivity levels of their employees high, but this is not always possible. Decreasing orders results in fewer operational tasks, and as a result, start-ups are forced to cut down on the hours of their employees. This alone means that many employees are no longer able to work 100%. We are also observing that measures of leadership development are scaled back. This is due to reduced budgets. Startups face rising prices, which gives them less money to invest. These savings have negative effects on learning and development budgets. 

Why is employee development so important in today’s startup world?

Contrary to the reactive trend, now is not the time to scale back on employee development plans. With uncertainty becoming an integral part of life, employees will question their place in the company and look for options for development -inside and outside the company. If you can’t provide that, they will leave. A lack of perspective may lead to psychological and professional burnout.

_This is exactly why you, as an employer, need to provide good employer branding and motivate your employees through employee development. Setting affordable learning and development budgets is the key to success. With digital transformation happening, you also need to consider the training of your managers. They face challenges in remote work and digital networking that are fairly new and need to be understood fully. _

What are your employee training tips?

Don’t focus on one single topic and don’t go down the road alone. External partners, like DIMPACT, offer expertise and know-how to train your employees in the most efficient way.

3 employee training tips

1. Train your employees in business-relevant topics like leadership, OKRs, remote work, and so on. Stay on the pulse of time.
2. Train yourself with business coaching. Consider questions such as, "How can I develop and adapt my corporate strategy to current conditions?"How can I develop new digital MVPs? How can I drive business development in general?
3. Give specific coaching to your sales team. The sales employees are always crucial in a company; they bring the cash. At the same time, they are the interface to many other departments in the company. Not training sales effectively and regularly will have negative effects on other parts of the company as well.

How can DIMPACT help with the education strategy of a startup?

DIMPAC offers an internal survey to see what people are interested in and where they most likely require support and coaching. With suitable coaches we individually adapt to the needs and wishes of the employees. Our sessions include one or two coaching sessions per week. The content of the coaching sessions can also be individually adapted. We have experience in: 

• Leadership training
• Sales coaching
• Individual coaching
• Education strategy
• Setting an employee development plan
• Setting learning and development budgets

Thank you for your time and insights, Viktoria!

As a startup, you live in a challenging time that requires keeping you and your employees up-to-date. Investing in a long-lasting employee development plan is the key to success. DIMPACT helps you with customized coaching packages and employee training tips. Contact us for more information.