Produtivity and Engagement

“…we don’t give the learning process much thought, particularly as it relates to work. The importance of the ability to learn at work has never been adequately pursued in any premeditated or informed way.” (Calhoun & Leon)

Recently I’ve been teaching TAFE students the subject ‘Develop a Workplace Learning Environment’ and in some of the later lessons we reviewed the fundamentals of individual learning and experiential learning… Of interest though were the discussions around individual learning.

Consider this… an employee works for an organisation for a number of years. During that time they learn about their role and therefore develop a number of skills whilst improving upon their confidence and competence. Then after a little while the employee thinks that the only way he/she can further develop themselves is to leave their [current] employer and find a Company that offers better opportunities!

Sadly, this suggests to me that employees are not aware of the obvious opportunities that await them within their current employer… of greater concern is that the employer [also] cannot see the great opportunity they have to continue to develop their employees, thus retaining them for the longer term.

“…the notion of simultaneously working and learning within [their] current role is sometimes foreign to most people and organisations; Most are [apparently] hungry for more responsibility and more opportunity to grow…so it’s not just the money that makes people uproot their families and move for a new position; It was the compelling need to learn and grow, a need that wasn’t being met in their current job!” (Calhoun & Leon)

For mine, smart Organisations need to become ‘Learning Organisations.’ Learning Organisations have the ability and commitment to harness and extend learning [opportunities] to coincide and support strategic goals. This organisation will also engage with their employees to allow them to develop to their potential. Having done this, the Organisation will have fostered a sense of the long term within the team as well as generated genuine enthusiasm and commitment to their work rather than just compliance!

Of course there are number of challenges that face any individual who stays in their same role for some time, these challenges include complacency and/or burn out… it is therefore up to employees to ensure they continue to grow and develop thus making themselves a more learned person which of course improves performance and job satisfaction. The Organisation too needs to manage their learning strategies effectively. They need to introduce a mechanism that addresses employee development, which then helps with the Company’s retention strategies!

People need to be engaged at work and thus be stimulated to perform better, and this will come when the organisation ensures development programs are available…unfortunately until this happens, employees will continue to leave their jobs in search of better opportunities.