13 Barriers to Employee Development (and How to Overcome Them)

Employee development is essential for driving innovation and long-term success in any organization. However, many organizations face barriers to successful professional development initiatives, from time and resource constraints to negative employee mindsets. These challenges can stall progress and growth and even have a negative impact on employee morale.

Overcoming these barriers requires thoughtful strategies and a commitment to creating a culture that values continuous learning. Below, Business Journals Leadership Trust members share common obstacles to employee development and the steps you can take to overcome them.

1. A Lack of Individualized Plans

Individualized career planning is missing in most organizations. Ideally, each employee should have a proposed career path with multiple options to seek growth, either as an individual contributor or as a leader. Without such a path, employees can’t visualize and work hard toward the next steps in their careers. To overcome this barrier, we use AI HR technology (such as HR Signal) that can predict and individualize career paths for every single employee. – Andrew Spott, VividFront

2. Being “Head Down” in Daily Demands

All too often, our day-to-day demands and time pressures get in the way of looking up and out. Employee development initiatives—whether through training, enhanced delegation or growth opportunities—must be on our radar. We must commit time and resources to these initiatives. It’s not always easy, but it is worth the effort! – Mary Abbajay, Careerstone Group LLC

3. Low Employee Confidence

One barrier to employee development is the mindset of the employee. They may have had a difficult past or struggled with their current leader, so it’s essential to build up their confidence. At Goodwill, a significant percentage of our employees have faced long-term unemployment or have histories of criminal activity or addiction, all of which can impact their self-esteem. In discussions with our director of training, we’ve found that, when working with employees who are unsure of themselves and struggling with specific issues, one-on-one interactions can lead to significant breakthroughs. Establishing long-term mentoring relationships with organizational leaders can also greatly enhance employee development. – Mark Hohmann, Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, Inc.

4. Limited Resources

One common barrier to employee development is a lack of time and resources. With everyone focused on their immediate tasks, professional growth often gets pushed to the back burner. To tackle this, companies can weave professional development into the daily work environment. This could mean hosting fun and engaging monthly training sessions, setting up reward systems for completing training modules, or creating mentorship programs. – Bryan Palmer, UnitedHealthcare of Georgia & Alabama

5. A Lack of Financial Support

One barrier to employee development can be a lack of budget alignment. Organizations can overcome this by integrating structured development into their financial forecasting and budgeting processes. – Andrew Bird, CFP®, RICP®, CLU®, Mosaic Financial Partners – Northwestern Mutual

6. Boxing Employees Into Defined Roles

Often, companies hire people for specific roles and expect them to only provide X output. As leaders, it is our role to create an environment where people can flourish. – Bill Rokos, Parsec Automation

7. A Lack of Honest Feedback

Without honest feedback, employees become stagnant. Encouraging dialogue fosters growth, motivates employees and allows them to develop the skills needed for advancement. – Amy Loth Allen, Emery Sapp & Sons

8. Limited Training for Those Tasked With Employee Development

Too often, employee development falls to managers who have never been trained to coach or develop others. Investing in leadership development helps organizations grow people effectively. – Gary Braun, Pivotal Advisors, LLC

9. Not Dedicating Time and Space for Skill Development

Employees often lack time for growth beyond daily responsibilities. Allocating time for development strengthens both individuals and organizations. – Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Advertising

10. Constant and Immediate Work Responsibilities

Workers constantly “fighting fires” have no time to train. Growth requires intentional time allocation. – Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures

11. Employee Resistance or Indifference

The most effective training starts with hiring growth-minded individuals. – Kent Lewis, pdxMindShare

12. Viewing Training as a Task Rather Than a Solution

Training works best when integrated into real work, not treated as an add-on. – Ali Sinan, Occams Group

13. Valuing Immediate Output Over Long-Term Growth

Prioritizing short-term output over development limits long-term success. – Mark D’Agostino, ConnectedHR

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