Michael Wight — February 13, 2018 — February 13, 2018
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Henry Ford
There are a lot of important factors behind the success of a business, and most important of them all is the human resource. It would not be wrong to state that employees are the building block of a business and no business can thrive without skilled and loyal employees.
Employees play multiple roles. They do not only help you manufacture goods, but they also help bring new customers and retain old customers. It’s a continuous chain that has to be well taken care of.
Employees work together (or, in some cases, against one another) to establish company culture and tone; they represent everything your company is to your customers and partners. When you take care of your employees and help them feel valued, they will help set the kind of tone you want to be reflected in your business in return.
You need your employees to be happy. Only a happy employee will be able to put his or her 100% at work. However, sadly, about 39% of employees feel under appreciated at work, which is one of the major reasons why employees quit.
Although providing occasional perks and hosting corporate events can help employees feel motivated, valued and satisfied with their work, they also need to be challenged and presented with problems to solve. Moreover, they also need a chance to grow.
There are a number of ways you can challenge employees and encourage them to develop, but one of the best ways to support employee growth and motivate employees while helping your company thrive is by encouraging ongoing education.
There are several benefits of lifelong learning. It helps employees grow while keeping them motivated. Moreover, it also helps companies as businesses are able to retain employees, reducing turnover rate.
So, what can you do to encourage ongoing education?
Accommodate education-related schedules. Some employees may be interested in going back to school or taking a few classes at a local college or community center but may feel they can’t due to scheduling conflicts.
Accommodating education-related schedule is a great way to encourage employees to obtain ongoing and continued education. Letting your entire staff know you’re willing to accommodate education-related schedule requests will show them you value their education.
Offer reimbursement for educational costs. Another factor that hinders would-be students from continuing their education and taking ongoing education classes is the cost.
Schools and even training courses can be pricey and may be a deal breaker for some. Offering to cover educational expenses will not only push your employees but also allow you to have employees that are more skilled. In order to make sure it benefits you, you may sign a specific contract with such employees so that your company can enjoy the benefits of these added skills.
Bring in educational opportunities. Another great way to encourage employees to pursue ongoing education is to bring educational opportunities to them.
You can hold seminars and training sessions for your employees. Moreover, you may try online education platforms like Udemy and Studypool. While Udemy is a popular platform, Studypool is also quickly growing due to its unique approach. It’s also more suitable for businesses since the platform is designed keeping corporate clients in mind.
Richard Werbe, founder and CEO of Studypool shed further light on his company’s commitment to ongoing education. “At studypool we like to provide educational opportunities for our 50 thousand tutors. Not only do we work with them vigorously with through an in-house education team, but we also provide scholarships for some of our best tutors. This has been effective in pushing our mission to educate the world and has built a stronger community with in Studypool,” says Werbe.
Provide educational resources. Sometimes an employee may want to continue their education but may not know where to start. Providing books, textbooks, or lists of relevant websites where employees can go to learn is a great way to encourage ongoing education.
Encourage your employees to teach. Teaching is a fun way to learn. It can help your employees develop presentation skills, learn about and adapt to different communication styles, and so much more.
While teaching is definitely fun, a lot of people do not know where to begin. You do have the option to sign-up as a freelance teacher, but that requires a lot of hard work and effort. I suggest you try a platform like AIETA, which aims to connect quality teachers with established English institutes around the world.
Your employees can sign up on one such program and learn by teaching others. The extra money they make through such programs can also act as a motivator.
The world is quickly changing, and so are the skills required to perform a job. During such times, continued education is all that can save a career. Your employees may not necessarily be open to the idea of learning new things, but once you highlight the importance of continued education and how it can benefit them, they’d be kicked to learn more.
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