When it comes to daily work environments, little has changed since our days in school.
Think about it. Assigned desks – whether you’re a student in History class or an employee in an office – are still an idea. Lockers in the hallways have been swapped out for water coolers in the cafeterias, and teachers are now called managers.
But most importantly, what hasn’t changed for employees of all ages is a voracious appetite for learning. In fact, 53 percent of employees say the top reason they love their company is because of interesting and challenging work.
By developing habits around learning new things, you’ll meet these challenges head on and drive your professional and personal growth too.
Your Company is a Classroom
You already understand that knowledge-savvy employees are a company’s competitive advantage. And 71 percent of CEOs agree – citing their people over products, customer relationships, and brand as the primary driver of sustained economic value.
Employees are 30 times more likely to leave their company if they feel their goals are not achievable. – IBM Corporation
Developing new habits around learning is just as important to well-being as physical activity and sleep. From better cognitive function to healthy aging, the endless thirst for knowledge keeps your mind thriving.
Retaining and attracting top talent also stems from your organization valuing and encouraging of skill building. Employees are 30 times more likely to leave their company if they feel their goals are not achievable.
Work towards building learning as habit by getting a bit more hands on with meaningful projects. And for more direct learning experiences, attend and ask for professional development trainings and seminars too.
Education is Everywhere
Developing your habits in the workplace will begin to extend to your personal habits outside the workplace too. And there are plenty of areas of learning that may not be given their due diligence by simply being referred to as hobbies.
Learning a new language, for instance, offers you a unique way to develop skills you might never have imagined would translate to the workplace. Aside from opening up new communication channels, learning a language develops skills like stronger decision-making, more agile switching between tasks, better control over focusing attention to limit distractions, and more aware financial spending.
“There’s magic in language” – Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group
Personal growth doesn’t have to be limited to solitary endeavors, either. Choosing to learn a new sport by joining a local club team will help you find new approaches to physical activity and broaden your social networks at the same time. With 41 percent of employees motivated by friends to get healthier, according to a Virgin Pulse survey, employees who meet more people grow more themselves too.
As with any habit, success leads to more success. By starting skill-building and learning opportunities inside the workplace, you’ll be doing something you already want to do. And it’s here, in the workplace, that you’re best able to begin down the path towards building even more healthier, lifelong habits.
Looking for more ways to support employees challenging themselves in the workplace? Our Pulse Paper shows you how to drive employee productivity by limiting distractions.
This article originially appeared on: The Uprising Blog
