Investing time and effort into team development is an effective way for managers to build on the strengths of the University through its individuals.

Supporting the career development of your staff will help:

• develop a culture of continuous improvement
• improve motivation
• make employees feel more valued
• develop confidence, personal pride and satisfaction
• demonstrate that the University is committed to its staff

There is more to developing staff than sending them on a course. Self-development can be achieved in many other ways.

Opportunities for development

• Project experience - to gain more responsbility or exposure at a more senior or challenging level
• Representation on Departmental Groups and Committees - to gain more involvement in planning/decision making
• Work shadowing - to observe the work of others
• Task rotation - to experience different elements within the same area of work
• Secondments - to gain experience in another role
• Mentoring - becoming a mentor or a mentee
• Coaching - being coached or coaching others
• Structured development plans - to help employees new to a role or preparing for a next role
• University-led activities - to learn new skills by taking on additional duties eg joining a University Committee or taking on a role such as Departmental Computing Officer, Departmental Training Officer etc