As we come to the end of 2021, it’s important to reflect on the last 12 months and look ahead to what 2022 may bring.
To get the most out of the new year it’s critical to formulate resolutions that help you to grow personally and professionally; a keyway to do this is through professional development.
Although many employers under-appreciate the value of continuous training and development, professional development is critical in the workplace to improve overall performance and can become a vital part of a long-term investment and growth strategy.
Studies highlight that the office is one of the most powerful institutes for learning and is of fundamental importance to professional development. Working in a physical environment allows you as an employer to create an environment where significant importance is placed upon professional development and thriving.
When working from the perfect office space to rent, many learning and personal development opportunities are created that your employees wouldn’t gain whilst working at home. It’s easier to gain first-hand experience, get support, learn from colleagues, track, and encourage personal development, receive on the job training and access to resources (training material and tutorials) in a physical office environment.
In this post, we explore the 7 benefits of encouraging professional development when working from a business centre, and how this is essential to the success and growth of your business.
Business growth is crucial for your next step as a business, so we’ll focus on this benefit first…
Professional development is an essential part of creating and maintaining business growth. Due to fast-paced advancements in technology, learning and development tools are ever-changing, offering many more options and solutions to business owners.
Supplying your employees with the chance to develop professionally can deliver a great return for both the individual and your business as a whole, as when you set the office up for success you set your company up for success too. Not only will employees bring more to their role due to their extended knowledge, but new ideas and skills learnt will help your business to outgrow competition, and this will build your reputation in the industry.
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Unfortunately, offering professional development opportunities aren’t considered crucial by every employer, despite 87% of employees stating that personal development is important to them.
47.8% of employees who work within SMEs claim that their personal development isn’t being taken seriously by their employers and this highlights the advantage of offering professional development opportunities to staff. Companies who actively make sure that their employees are constantly developing move in the right direction and stay ahead of the competition.
Participating in and offering professional development opportunities ensures that your employees stay engaged and up to date with relevant knowledge and skills. It also increases their awareness of the changing trends and directions within your industry, which could act as a competitive advantage. Likewise, sharpening their skills through professional development will help to deliver an exceptional service to your customers.
Courses taken to further professional development can lead to connections. Attending an open training day is an ideal opportunity to network with others and gain inspiration. Connecting and discussing business with fellow attendees could even land you with a new partnership, collaboration opportunity or even a job offer.
The interactive nature of learning can inspire new ways of thinking about concepts that can be applied to new or existing ideas. Professional development can expand employee horizons, sparking creativity and new ideas for business operations. In turn, these new pieces of information can then be brought back to the business to create new streamlined processes. This will lead to greater efficiencies for your business and teams like benefiting from new technologies, that save time and heighten productivity.
Studies have highlighted that ongoing professional development can make employees more productive. Actively participating in activities that grow and stimulate the mind can empower your employees to focus and feel engaged as a valued member of the team, positively impacting your bottom line.
Research has highlighted that learning can boost job satisfaction and can positively affect job performance and morale. Professional development activities can help to break up the monotony of daily tasks, helping your employees to gain a fresh perspective and new skills, causing an increase in confidence, enthusiasm and positivity. Employees who feel positive about their work typically put more effort into it, resulting in happiness, loyalty to your company and long-term success.
Companies that encourage and allow for their employees to undertake additional learning and development activities are considered as much more attractive places to work. Actually, 42% of employees consider learning and development as the most important benefit when looking for work.
In addition, 94% of employees claim they’d stay at a company longer if it invested in their career. Therefore, allowing your workforce opportunities for professional development can make them feel valued and engaged, consequently lowering the chance of them seeking other opportunities in the competitive marketplace.
Now you know all the wonderful benefits associated with professional development, all you need is the perfect environment to encourage and foster it – and we must admit we think there’s no place better than our own HUB26.
With the new addition of our new HUB26 Lawrence House site, our two business centres are ideal for encouraging personal development, due to a unique mixture of in-person experiences, other like-minded individuals, and business opportunities. The inspiring and stimulating atmosphere here will not only help your employees to develop as professionals but will result in numerous benefits for your business.
