As humans, we have been learning since we were born. We learn to walk and speak; we go to school; we learn on the job; and we go to university. Everyone’s learning experience is different, but we all never stop learning.
Continued workplace learning is one of those things that can benefit both employees and employers. It is something that can often be overlooked or not done as regularly as it should be. In a competitive environment such as business, you can never be complacent about your workforce’s skills.
Here, we will look at why and how you should encourage continued learning in the workplace.
Why is Continued Learning in the Workplace Necessary?
Here’s a list of reasons why learning in the workplace is a good thing!
Keeps Training Up to Date
The most obvious reason is that you must keep your employees’ training up to date. Whether it is data protection, internet safety, or a refresher course on manual processes, up-to-date training is an absolute requirement for the safety of your staff and customers.
Can Provide a Competitive Edge to Your Business
Instead of just focusing on work-related training, encouraging learning in other areas can add a competitive edge to your business.
One study showed that 84% of training provided by employers is job-specific. So, why not break the mold and encourage employees to learn a new language, for example?
45% of Employees Already Take the Time to Learn Outside of Business Hours
When it comes down to it, chances are your employees are already continuing to learn in their free time, as shown by this statistic.
If 45% of employees have to use their free time and breaks to learn, it can show that you aren’t maximizing your workforce’s potential. After all, they will continue to know anyway, so try to harness that talent for your business.
How to Ensure Continued Learning in the Workplace?
These steps can be taken by employers to ensure there’s a culture of continuous improvement:
Check-in With Your Employees
To see what courses or training to employ, regularly check in with your employees to see what they think. Asking for feedback on their skill level, willingness to learn, and what your current training scheme lacks can offer you great insight into what you should be offering.
Recognize Achievement
Always recognize your employees’ learning achievements. This will motivate them to keep going. We all know that learning is not always straight; there will be twists and turns along the way, so make sure to support your employees throughout their journey.
Create a Library of Learning Resources.
Finally, we will start to create a library of learning resources. Gather learning tools and training documents to be readily available to those who want them. This could be a physical library, to which you could dedicate an area of the office or a virtual collection of learning tools.
To discover what learning tools could be available, click here for more information.
Learning is a lifelong commitment, starting when you are born and developing throughout your entire time. So, encourage continued learning in your workplace for a happy, skilled, and innovative workforce.
How to Encourage Learning in the Workplace?
You can encourage learning in the workplace by following steps that can get your work done easily. Here’s how you can get the work done:
Share knowledge
If you are a leader who is concerned about the growth of your employees, this is one way to get it right. You start by being the one sharing knowledge, and your experience, and the knowledge you’ve gained over the years while being in the sector will help the employees become wiser and make better decisions.
Of course, one does not learn unless one is gaining first-hand experience. However, sharing pearls of wisdom can help them know what choices to avoid and which ones to make.
You are empowering your employees with the abilities and knowledge to grow and promote the organization’s growth. They must have the ability to satisfy the customers, and it cannot start unless they know what a part of their skillset should be.
Soft skills and technical skills are useful for an individual to thrive in the corporate sector.
Creating a Learning Routine
The learning routine for your employees should look like putting down a definite time in their schedule that helps them grow and learn new skills. A learning culture impacts all the areas of your business.
The learning routine should focus on creating habits that lead to growth as an employee. While developing this keep in mind that they must be able to maintain the routine.
It may be getting them in the habit of completing a course over time or asking them to practice some skill while they are working. For instance, practicing leadership skills while they are in the workplace.
Prioritize Building Skills
When you integrate this culture within the workplace, ensure that developing skills is part of the routine. The future is especially concerned with the development of skills that are technologically advanced.
It is only natural and wise to prioritize skills that are relevant to the industrial changes right now. Workplace learning does not just help your employees become recession-proof, they also become better engaged at work and prevent burnout.
Celebrate Learning Achievements
This is an effective way to celebrate learnings within an organization – especially those that are meaningful.
By celebrating learning achievements, you share success stories internally that help encourage the recipient and others to work on learning new skills.
Celebrating their success helps ensure everyone is involved in learning and development as there is a shift in people’s attitudes. This is significantly useful when the involvement is low and constant requests to join the routine are unhelpful.
Adopt Learning on the Job
Any level of learning within the workplace can be made effective by promoting learning on the job. It may be through tasks on the job that promote learning a skill or developing a habit (time management or delegation.)
These tricks help promote learning in the workplace without hampering work or requiring extra time from the employees.
Conclusion
That was all about learning in the workplace and how you as a leader can promote a learning culture. By adopting these methods to promote a learning culture, you can help improve the productivity of your employees.
By promoting a learning culture, you boost the organization’s success and flexibility in adopting the changing industry trends.
Which method are you going to start with first? Tell us in the comments below.
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