Developing and engaging employees

Organisations in the Netherlands are facing a double challenge: attracting and retaining talent. The labour market remains tight; in the second quarter of 2025 there were still 101 vacancies for every 100 unemployed people. Add to this the ageing population and the loss of knowledge as experienced employees leave, and the picture becomes clear: organisations must do everything they can to remain attractive to both current and future employees. Developing employees and increasing their engagement are key.

“A technologically advanced company struggled to retain employees after reorganising its primary processes. Even before the restructuring, there was a need for stronger collaboration and leadership skills. The new way of working and decision-making made insight into career paths and the associated skills and competencies a need to have rather than a nice to have. Employee satisfaction dropped, and younger, ambitious technicians increasingly accepted offers from other employers. A clear vision on learning and development, forming the foundation for an integrated training offering focused on high-impact skills and (personal) leadership, linked to concrete career pathways, provided the solution. Employee satisfaction increased in line with retention across the entire population, not just among young technologists.” – Chantal Juijn-Goossens, Engagement Builders

Developing employees: how do you approach it?

Whereas development used to consist of separate courses or annual training days, learning is now a continuous process. In the eighties and nineties, training was often external and disconnected from day-to-day practice. The focus was largely on classroom-based knowledge transfer, with limited embedding within the organisation. Today, learning takes place in the flow of work: micro-learnings, on-the-job coaching, multidisciplinary programmes and academies that offer and secure knowledge in a structured way.

This shift does not come out of nowhere. New generations of employees,or better: today’s professionals, expect their employer to invest in their development. They want clarity about career paths, opportunities to gain new skills and a culture that encourages learning and experimentation. For organisations, this means that learning and development can no longer be treated as optional but must be an integral part of the organisational strategy. Without such a strategy, you become less attractive as an employer.

Developing employees requires more than offering a training course. It requires a clear vision on learning and development, coherence and embedding in daily practice by explicitly linking the learning offering to the organisation’s strategic direction. Several key principles:

• Make learning part of the work. Give employees time and space to learn during working hours, supported by practical tools and a culture that values learning.
• Link learning objectives to organisational objectives. Learning is an essential part of the strategy and ultimately the results. Impact mapping helps to make this connection explicit.
• Support leaders and managers. They play a crucial role in stimulating development by giving feedback and acting as role models. This means they must speak the same language as their teams, which they must therefore learn as well.
• Offer customisation and modularity. Micro-credentials, short learning modules and differentiation by role or team make learning accessible and relevant.

We also wrote a whitepaper on our vision of the ‘Future of work’, which you can download directly from our page on Teamontwikkeling en begeleiding.

Increasing employee engagement

Development and engagement are inextricably linked. Employees who can develop feel more valued and more connected to their organisation. Engagement grows especially when three factors come together: autonomy, recognition and clear development opportunities. Employees want influence over their work, recognition for their achievements and a clear path for their growth.

At the same time, engagement goes beyond individual motivation. It is also about culture and leadership. Organisations that create room for dialogue, transparency and shared ownership often see higher levels of engagement. Leadership plays a central role in this, especially when there is space for distributed leadership, where teams take responsibility and managers offer trust rather than relying solely on top-down direction.

Connection: development and engagement reinforce one another

Development without engagement often leads to ‘course consumption’: employees attend training sessions but barely apply what they learnt because the context is missing. Engagement without development opportunities is just as fragile: people become demotivated more quickly and start looking elsewhere. Only when both are in balance does a culture emerge in which employees feel connected and use their skills to contribute to shared goals.

Research confirms this: companies that systematically invest in learning and development retain more high performers, achieve higher margins and attract new talent more easily. Employees perceive development as a form of appreciation and appreciation is a catalyst for engagement. Moreover, learning and development increase the added value of employees, both in tangible output and in their lived experience. And people have an intrinsic need to feel meaningful. So, from that perspective as well, investing in employee development pays off.

The Dutch labour market will remain tight in the coming years, with ongoing competition for talent and increasing outflow due to an ageing workforce. Organisations that structurally embed development and engagement not only strengthen their attractiveness as an employer, but also their agility and performance. It requires customisation, leadership and a clear strategy, but the benefits are substantial: employees stay longer, collaborate better and contribute more strongly to the organisation’s goals.

“We notice that young employees we train in leadership and collaboration often get stuck when their managers do not speak the same language they do. When managers learn to apply the same principles in leadership and teamwork, you suddenly see teams working much more effectively, and young people feel taken seriously. That generates energy and keeps people with the organisation for longer.” – Chantal Juijn-Goossens, Engagement Builders

We would be delighted to tell you more about our vision and approach, using concrete examples of the work we do for our clients. Get in contact to schedule an appointment.