but when it comes to business management, investing in strategies that increase longevity is the game. Without training their future leaders, companies risk a significant stall on growth and innovation. Look back a decade and the landscape looks almost unrecognisable, such is the speed at which business and technology now move. In order to keep up, companies must train the next generation of leaders and empower them to provide a new perspective through which innovation and success can flourish. Finally, while much learning and training is directed at junior employees, I would encourage everyone, at all levels, to explore how they can develop their expertise. As an avid podcast listener, I am constantly reminded how endless the pit of knowledge is. As an optimist, I am convinced that if more companies commit to creating a lifelong learning culture within their organisations, we will see happier employees and, in turn, make the world a better place in which to work and play.
the skill they would like to learn can guide the direction of their professional progression. And by asking each individual to share what they have learned with the group, our departments can join forces and problem solve with multi-skilled members of other teams. Due to the pandemic, few organisations have had the luxury of taking their eye off the bottom line. But training and development is only is it a good way to maintain employee morale and activity, it’s proven to help boost profits too. Like a well-oiled machine, a well-trained workforce with purpose and clear direction is unstoppable. By filling knowledge gaps and upskilling employees, companies can go from good to great in a matter of months. Additionally, increasing employee learning opportunities provides businesses with a way to use and build on the personal strengths of every employee. According to a 2016 study by Brandon Rigoni, and Jim Asplund entitled ‘Developing Employees’ Strengths Boosts Sales, Profit, and Engagement’ in Harvard Business Review , this is said to increase profits by up to 29%. Along with pleasing the shareholders, this link between higher profits and employee learning also signals to employees that their personal success is directly linked to the success of their company. Despite what some say, work shouldn’t be boring. It should be quite the opposite. Work should be the place that allows you to express the best version of yourself. It should make you feel motivated – and fulfilled. Learning is one of the
delivers career progression and offers a positive culture to the next generation, is that this builds reputation. Take Glassdoor, for example: this is the platform where everyone can share how they feel about their workplace, and importantly, inspire and attract new recruits. Often, when leaders talk about their key decisions or successes, they refer to a mentor or teacher who was able to help them learn and develop. The power of this cannot be understated. When it’s done well within a company, a mentor can help a new joiner to learn rapidly and bestow years’ worth of experience in a matter of days or even hours. While it’s true that the mentee benefits greatly from mentoring, it’s worth mentioning that there is significant value for the mentor too; in particular the opportunity to test new management styles and develop communication skills. Encouraging teams to set aside time for mentoring, increases the belief and confidence of employees that their skills, wellbeing and success is cared about. Additionally, by building bonds between senior-, mid- and junior-level staff, mentoring supports relationships that help cultivate an inclusive company culture, inspiring loyalty among employees and lifelong friendships. As I mentioned previously, to achieve greater productivity, many businesses have removed the time and resources reserved for training, such as workshops, courses and one-to-one sessions. While, in the short term, this may appear necessary, I would argue that nurturing a workforce of cross-skilled employees ultimately creates a much more sustainable strategy. As a company, HappyOrNot believes that workplace culture and collaboration is the route to efficiency – and that to achieve this, employees need to be given the time and space to learn. To this end, we’ve implemented a half-day policy, whereby every employee is entitled to take half a working day per week to learn a new skill that they believe will help them to do their job more effectively. Giving employees the autonomy to choose
‘The moment an employee feels that they are no longer learning, the clock is ticking’
fundamental parts of making this positive experience a reality.
The moment an employee feels that they are no longer
learning, the clock is ticking. When we learn, we share and we grow. It sounds like an advertisement, but it’s
true. The sensation of gaining knowledge that we can then share, and put into practice, is exciting and is what drives ambition. Sometimes it can be hard to look ahead,
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Ambition | BE IN BRILLIANT COMPANY
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