What are Employee Development OKRs?
The Objective and Key Results (OKR) framework is a simple goal-setting methodology that was introduced at Intel by Andy Grove in the 70s. It became popular after John Doerr introduced it to Google in the 90s, and it's now used by teams of all sizes to set and track ambitious goals at scale.
Writing good OKRs can be hard, especially if it's your first time doing it. You'll need to center the focus of your plans around outcomes instead of projects.
We understand that setting OKRs can be challenging, so we have prepared a set of examples tailored for Employee Development. Take a peek at the templates below to find inspiration and kickstart your goal-setting process.
If you want to learn more about the framework, you can read our OKR guide online.
How to write your own Employee Development OKRs
Option 1. Turn ideas into OKRs with Tability AI
While we have some examples available, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here.
You can use Tability's AI generator to create tailored OKRs based on your specific context. Tability can turn your objective description into a fully editable OKR template -- including tips to help you refine your goals.
- 1. Go to Tability's plan editor
- 2. Click on the "Generate goals using AI" button
- 3. Use natural language to describe your goals
Tability will then use your prompt to generate a fully editable OKR template.
Watch the video below to see it in action 👇
Option 2. Optimise existing OKRs with Tability Feedback tool
If you already have existing goals, and you want to improve them. You can use Tability's AI feedback to help you.
- 1. Go to Tability's plan editor
- 2. Add your existing OKRs (you can import them from a spreadsheet)
- 3. Click on "Generate analysis"
Tability's Strategy Map makes it easy to see all your org's OKRsTability will scan your OKRs and offer different suggestions to improve them. This can range from a small rewrite of a statement to make it clearer to a complete rewrite of the entire OKR.
You can then decide to accept the suggestions or dismiss them if you don't agree.
Option 3. Use the free OKR generator
If you're just looking for some quick inspiration, you can also use our free OKR generator to get a template.
Unlike with Tability, you won't be able to iterate on the templates, but this is still a great way to get started.
Employee Development OKRs examples
You'll find below a list of Objectives and Key Results templates for Employee Development. We also included strategic projects for each template to make it easier to understand the difference between key results and projects.
Hope you'll find this helpful!
OKRs to boost teamwork and development via regular manager-employee meetings
ObjectiveBoost teamwork and development via regular manager-employee meetings
KRImplement a standardized meeting schedule for managers and their onsite teams by week 2
Select a consistent time and day for weekly manager-team meetings- Communicate proposed schedule to the managers and teams
- Incorporate feedback and finalize weekly meeting schedule
- KRAchieve a 20% increase in the employee development index by quarter end
- Implement mandatory professional development workshops
- Foster a mentorship program within the organization
- Increase feedback and coaching sessions
- KRConduct at least two remote team-building activities each month
- Facilitate the planned team-building sessions
- Schedule the activities on team calendar
- Identify suitable remote team-building exercises
OKRs to improve Employee Retention
- ObjectiveImprove Employee Retention
- KRImplement a professional development program and have 80% of employees participate
- Design and deliver engaging training sessions that align with employees' needs and goals
- Establish a tracking system to monitor employees' participation and measure the program's effectiveness
- Conduct a needs assessment to identify specific professional development opportunities
- Create a structured mentorship program to support employees' professional growth and knowledge sharing
- KRConduct exit interviews with departing employees and identify recurring themes for improvement
- Ask open-ended questions to gather feedback on employee experience
- Analyze data from exit interviews to identify common areas for improvement
- Implement strategies to address recurring themes and enhance employee satisfaction
- Schedule exit interviews for departing employees
- KRReduce voluntary employee turnover rate by 10% compared to the previous quarter
- KRIncrease employee satisfaction score by 15% through quarterly surveys
- Analyze survey results to identify areas of improvement and develop action plans
- Communicate survey findings and action plans to employees to ensure transparency
- Implement an anonymous and confidential survey to gather employee feedback
- Regularly track and evaluate progress towards the goal and adjust strategies accordingly
OKRs to boost employee skills development by 20% with minimal budget
- ObjectiveBoost employee skills development by 20% with minimal budget
- KRAchieve 85% employee completion of online, self-guided courses
- Implement regular email reminders for course completion
- Establish incentives for employees who complete courses
- Develop engaging, relevant content for online courses
- KRImplement cost-effective, peer-led training programs for 75% of employees
- Select a diverse group of employees to undergo leadership training
- Assess current training programs and identify areas for peer-led instruction
- Develop and launch peer-led training sessions for selected employees
- KRIncrease internal mentorship partnerships by 30% to promote skills transfer
- Implement a promotional campaign for mentorship program
- Establish incentives for participating in mentorship
- Identify potential skilled mentors within the organization
OKRs to improve employee development and training programs
- ObjectiveEnhance employee skillset and productivity
- KRImplement personalized development plans for each employee
- KRGenerate a 15% increase in overall productivity after training
- KRAchieve a 90% employee satisfaction rate for training and development
- KRIncrease participation rate in training sessions by 20%
OKRs to enhance employee recruitment, mentorship and development strategies
- ObjectiveEnhance employee recruitment, mentorship and development strategies
- KRRecruit and onboard 15 new high-potential employees
- Identify talent through LinkedIn and job board searches
- Arrange interviews with selected candidates
- Develop comprehensive onboarding plan for new hires
- KREstablish mentorship programs impacting 80% of team
- Identify potential mentors within the organization
- Develop a structured mentorship program outline
- Implement program and monitor participation rates
- KREnsure 70% of employees engage in at least one development program
- Monitor and announce progress towards target regularly
- Promote benefits of development programs to all staff
- Oversee individual sign-ups for at least one program
OKRs to improve Employee Experience
- ObjectiveImprove Employee Experience
- KRImplement at least 3 new employee development programs to enhance professional growth
- KRIncrease employee satisfaction score by 10 points on quarterly engagement survey
- KRAchieve an average response time of under 24 hours for employee inquiries and concerns
- Implement an automated ticketing system to prioritize and assign employee inquiries efficiently
- Create standardized response templates to expedite resolution of common employee concerns
- Conduct regular training sessions to enhance employee support team's response time and efficiency
- Streamline internal communication channels to ensure prompt receipt and review of employee inquiries
- KRDecrease employee turnover rate by 5% compared to previous quarter
- Improve communication channels to ensure employees feel heard and valued in their roles
- Implement a recognition and rewards program to boost employee motivation and retention
- Conduct exit interviews to identify the main reasons behind employee turnover
- Enhance employee training and development programs to improve job satisfaction
OKRs to enhance proficiency and knowledge through ongoing professional development
- ObjectiveEnhance proficiency and knowledge through ongoing professional development
- KRAttend at least 3 webinars or workshops related to my professional field
- Research upcoming webinars/workshops in my professional field
- Schedule time to attend these events
- Register for chosen webinars/workshops
- KRRead and analyze 5 industry-related books to broaden expertise
- Allocate daily reading time for each book
- Select five relevant industry-related books
- Write a summary and analysis on each book
- KRComplete two relevant industry certifying courses with at least 85% scores
- Take, pass courses with minimum 85% scores
- Schedule consistent study hours for course preparation
- Research and select two industry-relevant certification courses
OKRs to enhance confidence and development through targeted training
- ObjectiveEnhance confidence and development through targeted training
- KRImprove scores on post-training evaluations by 20%
- Conduct constructive feedback sessions after training
- Implement more interactive teaching methods in training sessions
- Increase frequency of immediate post-training revision
- KRApply learned techniques from training to at least 3 different work projects
- Identify 3 work projects that can use new techniques
- Monitor and tweak the applied techniques as required
- Implement learned techniques in chosen projects
- KREnroll in at least 2 skills-enhancing training courses related to role
- Register and pay for the identified courses
- Schedule time for attending the selected courses
- Identify relevant courses for professional development
OKRs to minimize employee turnover in the organization
- ObjectiveMinimize employee turnover in the organization
- KRReduce company-wide voluntary turnover rate by 10%
- Implement a comprehensive employee engagement and satisfaction program
- Improve compensation and benefits program based on industry standards
- Conduct exit interviews to understand reasons for leaving
- KRImplement an initiative to improve employee satisfaction, achieving 85% positive feedback
- Conduct a survey to identify current employee satisfaction levels
- Develop and implement strategies to address identified dissatisfaction areas
- Regularly monitor and adjust strategies based on employee feedback
- KRIncrease average employee tenure by 15% through career development initiatives
- Design a comprehensive career development program for all employees
- Implement regular mentoring and coaching sessions
- Encourage employees to attend professional development workshops
OKRs to improve professional development through agreed certifications
- ObjectiveImprove professional development through agreed certifications
- KRAttend 3 industry conferences or workshops
- Arrange travel and accommodation if needed
- Register and pay for attendance at each event
- Identify 3 industry conferences or workshops of interest
- KRObtain positive feedback from manager on professional growth
- Actively ask for manager's engagement in professional development
- Showcase work improvement and better decision-making skills
- Consistently exceed targets and expectations at work
- KRComplete 2 relevant certifications by end of period
- Complete course materials and pass exams
- Research suitable certifications related to your career goals
- Enroll in chosen certification programs
Employee Development OKR best practices
Generally speaking, your objectives should be ambitious yet achievable, and your key results should be measurable and time-bound (using the SMART framework can be helpful). It is also recommended to list strategic initiatives under your key results, as it'll help you avoid the common mistake of listing projects in your KRs.
Here are a couple of best practices extracted from our OKR implementation guide 👇
Tip #1: Limit the number of key results
The #1 role of OKRs is to help you and your team focus on what really matters. Business-as-usual activities will still be happening, but you do not need to track your entire roadmap in the OKRs.
We recommend having 3-4 objectives, and 3-4 key results per objective. A platform like Tability can run audits on your data to help you identify the plans that have too many goals.
Tip #2: Commit to weekly OKR check-ins
Don't fall into the set-and-forget trap. It is important to adopt a weekly check-in process to get the full value of your OKRs and make your strategy agile – otherwise this is nothing more than a reporting exercise.
Being able to see trends for your key results will also keep yourself honest.
Tip #3: No more than 2 yellow statuses in a row
Yes, this is another tip for goal-tracking instead of goal-setting (but you'll get plenty of OKR examples above). But, once you have your goals defined, it will be your ability to keep the right sense of urgency that will make the difference.
As a rule of thumb, it's best to avoid having more than 2 yellow/at risk statuses in a row.
Make a call on the 3rd update. You should be either back on track, or off track. This sounds harsh but it's the best way to signal risks early enough to fix things.
How to track your Employee Development OKRs
Your quarterly OKRs should be tracked weekly in order to get all the benefits of the OKRs framework. Reviewing progress periodically has several advantages:
- It brings the goals back to the top of the mind
- It will highlight poorly set OKRs
- It will surface execution risks
- It improves transparency and accountability
We recommend using a spreadsheet for your first OKRs cycle. You'll need to get familiar with the scoring and tracking first. Then, you can scale your OKRs process by using a proper OKR-tracking tool for it.
If you're not yet set on a tool, you can check out the 5 best OKR tracking templates guide to find the best way to monitor progress during the quarter.
More Employee Development OKR templates
We have more templates to help you draft your team goals and OKRs.
- OKRs to boost community membership and customer conversion
- OKRs to increase operational efficiency significantly
- OKRs to enhance focus to achieve higher productivity
- OKRs to enhance the technical proficiency of adservice team
- OKRs to increase visibility and knowledge of our brand
- OKRs to boost labor retention through strategic implementations