P2 The SpokeSman • WedneSday, January 19, 2022
BBB TIPS
5 ways to invest in your employees
BY KEYLEN VILLAGRANA
Better Business Bureau
Research continues to show that
investing in the growth of employees
significantly benefits organizations. It
helps businesses retain their workers
and stand out from their competitors.
94% of employees say they would
stay at a company longer if it invested
in their learning and development.
Additionally, organizations that em-
brace a more inclusive approach to
leadership training are four times
more likely to outperform those that
restrict development to management.
Every company should strive to
have enthusiastic and motivated em-
ployees. Demonstrating that you sin-
cerely care about employees’ growth
and success builds loyalty. Not only
will they actively work to improve op-
erations, but they will become trusted
advocates.
Investing in professional develop-
ment can also significantly decrease
turnover rate. That means less money
and time spent hiring and training
new people. Furthermore, a stable
team does not interrupt progress on
critical initiatives. Employees who
have stayed loyal to a company and
have made it to the management level
are more prone to understand/em-
body your company’s mission than
hiring managers outside of the orga-
nization.
Better Business Bureau rounded up
some valuable and affordable options
small businesses can implement for
their team starting the new year:
Set up a growth plan
for each employee
Every staff member should have
a clear idea of their professional tra-
jectory. This is a process you should
develop alongside the employee. Not
only should you ask what their goals
are as it pertains to their role, but their
greater career goals as well.
Once goals and
timelines have been
identified, deter-
mine what skills the
employee may need
to develop. By do-
ing so, both you and
Villagrana
your employee are
on the same page,
and expectations are clear. You’ll also
help motivate and keep them longer
if there’s a set plan they can work to-
wards.
Mentorship programs
Create a mentorship program em-
ployees can opt into. There are multi-
ple benefits for both the mentor and
their mentee. It builds deeper con-
nections amongst colleagues, helps
individuals feel empowered, boosts
their confidence and strengthens their
leadership skills. Seasoned employees
can leverage their experience to help
guide young professionals when they
need it most. It just takes one conver-
sation to make an impact.
Set funds aside for certifications
Courses and certifications are the
perfect solutions to implement into an
employee’s growth plan. Whether it’s
a certification for technical skill in a
trade industry or a course to develop
in-demand soft skills. You can pro-
vide recommendations or also allow
employees to submit requests they are
interested in throughout the year. Be
flexible and allow requests that may
not be exclusive to their role but will
significantly help their personal devel-
opment.
Personal development assessments
A successful employee is in touch
with their strengths, skills, personal-
ity traits, communication styles, etc.
They understand themselves. Com-
prehending the factors and environ-
ments they are most successful in will
REDMOND, BEND
significantly improve productivity
and job satisfaction. Having your em-
ployees take yearly assessments can
identify areas for improvement and
track their growth progress.
Guest speakers
Invite monthly or quarterly speak-
ers to present to your team. Host a
leader within your industry who can
provide insight or bring in a speaker
specializing in a professional develop-
ment topic. Those are opportunities
to build business partnerships and
promote the value of networking to
your employees.
There are designated agencies that
can provide recommendations on
how to improve employees’ profes-
sional development. Before hiring an
organization, be sure to ask for testi-
monials and look them up on trusted
websites, including BBB.org.
For more business tips, visit Trust-
bbb.org.
PET OF THE WEEK
Deschutes County allocates
$425,000 to shelter projects
Bulletin staff report
The Deschutes County
Commission is allocating
$425,000 in federal American
Rescue Plan Act funding to St.
Vincent’s de Paul’s alternative
shelter project in Bend and to
Shepherd’s House Ministries
shelter kitchen project in Red-
mond.
St. Vincent de Paul will
use the money to pay for se-
curity systems, fencing and
landscaping at its St. Vin-
cent’s Place project located
behind its food bank on Third
Street, according to Deschutes
County. Last fall, the non-
profit broke ground on the
10-unit shelter project to help
temporarily house homeless
residents.
Some money will also go
toward operating costs in the
first year.
“St. Vincent’s Place is an-
other example of the commu-
nity coming together to create
a place for individuals to get
stabilized to be able to move
forward,” said Commissioner
Tony DeBone in a written
statement.
Money allocated to Shep-
Submitted photo
dean Guernsey/The Bulletin
Gary Hewitt, Bend’s St. Vincent de Paul executive director, stands on the foundation of one of 10 units in a
southeast Bend village for homeless people in need of temporary shelter.
herd’s House Ministries will go
toward opening a shelter that
will provide meals to homeless
CROSSWORD
people in Redmond.
Of the $38 million De-
schutes County received in
American Rescue Plan money,
about $33.5 million has been
allocated.
Meet Lucy! Lucy was surrendered to us at Bright-
side because her owners were moving and couldn’t
take her with them. Lucy’s personality is an ener-
getic, sweet and happy girl who can be a bit physi-
cally pushy at times. As far as we know, Lucy shows
no aggression to strangers and wants to show love
to everyone. Her previous owner describes her
very high energy and would do best with an active
lifestyle. Lucy does have some issues with house
training, but with the right training and family, we
believe Lucy would fit right in. If you would like to
meet Lucy, come to Brightside!
SUDOKU
WEATHER
Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every
3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9, with no repeats.
FORECAST
HIGH
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
monday
Tuesday
LAST WEEK
Answers on Page 6
50
56
50
54
56
56
53
HIGH
LOW
LOW
36 Cloudy
30 partly Cloudy
29 partly Cloudy
30 Sunny
33 Sunny
34 partly Cloudy
32 partly Cloudy
PRECIP
monday, Jan. 10
51
31
.02
Tuesday, Jan. 11
56
40
0
Wednesday, Jan. 12
57
33
0
Thursday, Jan. 13
52
33
0
Friday, Jan. 14
51
28
0
Saturday, Jan. 15
56
29
0
Sunday, Jan. 16
53
24
0
precipitation to date this year: .71 inches
* = daily record
national Weather Service broadcasts are on 162.50 mhz.
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