‘Broken’ employee development plagues small business – breatheHR

A third of the UK’s small business workforce is not getting the input it needs to further careers, according to research by SME HR software provider, breatheHR. This represents a significant 4.7 million of the 15.7 million people employed by SMEs, the firm says.

A quarter of employees find the appraisal system in operation at their employer a waste of time, compared with 20% who found it motivating. Younger SME employers place a greater importance on employee satisfaction, putting it above new business acquisition in their list of business priorities.

Jonathan Richards, CEO at breatheHR, said:

‘Businesses that dismiss personal development as the ‘fluffy stuff’ are gravely underestimating the impact it has on motivation and morale. Your people are your competitive advantage; the very soul of your company. They want to know that you understand their ambitions and support them. Personal development is key to that.’