Although training programmes are expensive and sometimes difficult, especially for smaller companies, to undertake, employers that prepare their employees with suitable job and management skills have found great benefit to the bottom line and in their ability to attract and retain the best employees.

1. In a period of rapid and continuous change, employers should prepare their employees to accept this and benefit from it. Employers should encourage their employees to develop themselves continuously and provide means for them to do so. There are many tools available for developing employees that include computer learning, job rotation, special projects, joining internal teams and secondments for example. Any and all will be beneficial to both employer and employee and many are inexpensive and low risk.
   
2. Employers should provide comprehensive on-the-job training and development at all levels, to ensure their employees are as well-equipped as possible. They should use consistent selection criteria in setting priority for employees to attend training.
   
3. Employers should encourage employees to take up further study and to acquire broader and relevant skills and qualifications. Many employers have found benefit in helping employees study relevant programmes either by paying for them or by giving time off for the employees to attend, or both.
   
4. An employer's best source of future leaders is from within. Employers should regularly review the potential of their managers and develop them to provide succession for more senior managers. By assessing the competencies required and those existing, employers can decide the best form of development for their future needs – and provide development and career paths for their employees.
   
5. In considering employees for promotion employers should look as widely as possible inside the organisation and if possible try to draw future leaders from as wide a background as possible. Those employers that have adopted specific diversified people development policies (to include people from as many different ethnic, social and national backgrounds as possible) believe they now take better decisions.
   
6. Employers will benefit from regular assessment of their people development programmes and activities. Often this may be through the employees themselves and also a thorough and detailed review top down to include succession planning for key posts, retention of key employees and through links to the performance management system.