We all seek out happiness in our everyday life; it's in our human nature to do so. So, wouldn't it be natural to foster the same emotional environment in the workplace? The answer to this question is obvious, but you may be wondering how I can effectively promote workplace happiness - and what are the benefits?
Providing your employees with a path to grow and thrive within the workplace means creating a satisfied worker who is loyal to the company, who is motivated and whose morale is high. Building a culture of workplace learning to support this has several benefits:
Improved job performance
When properly implemented, learning in the workplace can have long-term benefits for the company. By developing the skills of each employee, you are ensuring the company's success through developing skill sets and, in turn, a more efficient workplace. Employees who accomplish more in their role will naturally be happier. This productivity will contribute to goal achievement for the company and, in turn, its long-term success.
Take, for instance, someone on your team who wants to undergo leader and development training. This improvement in skill sets will equip the employee with the necessary tools to excel in their role and in their overall performance. With a performance boost, the employee feels supported and trusted in the workplace, naturally contributing to their workplace happiness.
Presence at work
Employees who are unsatisfied in their role are unlikely to exert energy when challenges arise. An unhappy employee may not show up to work, fall behind or become disengaged from their position. Learners who follow this notion tend to be unsupported in the workplace and feel like their contributions don't count towards the bigger picture. By promoting learning, you are ensuring the employee holds the abilities and knowledge to conduct their role and remain engaged, involved, and a happier employee.
Reduced turnover
Employee turnover is a current and fundamental issue for businesses. The higher the turnover, the more money is spent on recruiting new talents; the more this occurs, the more expensive it becomes. Investing in employee learning and development helps promote employee retention, making your employees feel valued and supported within the organisation.
Learning is a critical part of career growth, but the benefits of employee learning are specific to how effective the learning program is. Let's dive into how to build a learning and development culture that promotes employee growth and supports achieving your organisation's goals.
Surround learning culture from the get-go
In a survey, *52% said a “learning culture” is more important to them than a “fun culture” at work. A robust onboarding process will allow newcomers to enter the organisation with confidence and readiness. Creating a seamless transition into your organisation's existing teams and work patterns creates an inclusive workplace, deepening the learner's connection to the organisation. When employees feel more connected in the workplace, they work more cohesively within a team environment; this will invite room for the learner to feel more comfortable contributing. The more people actively involved in the teamwork, the more productive the team becomes - leading to inclusivity and a productive workplace.
Encourage skill development
Employees want to be the best they can be. You are contributing to the employee's success by encouraging skill development. When people learn something new, whether that be through upskilling or reskilling, they hold the desire to try it out. By trying out new skills, they can reflect on how relevant the learning program was in developing their unique role at work to further their careers. The more an employee's role grows, the more they feel like a necessary part of the company.
Skill development is a necessary part of any employee’s career, by fostering the skills of your employees you can ensure you are reaping the benefits of a well-equipped worker. Fostering skill sets throughout the course of your employees career will boost their engagement and in turn feel more happy to contribute to the workplace and company goal achievement as their career progresses.
Facilitate knowledge sharing
Employees can pass knowledge sharing from peer to peer or from managers in a mentoring role. Employees appreciate being able to understand their influence on the company, and by having leaders passing on their knowledge, they feel they are valued and that growth in their role is contributing to the company's success.
Peer-to-peer knowledge is a powerful tool in the workplace; it allows one employee to become an expert at a given process while having the same knowledge passed along. The more people that share the knowledge, the more reach it has, and again, the more employees feel connected to their team as they can accomplish more together.
By implementing and facilitating these ideas into your employee's learning experience, you help ensure that the outcomes of your learning programs contribute to your employee's overall job fulfilment and happiness at work, driving productivity in the workplace and encouraging long-term career success among your teams.
* SmartCompany. 2022. Investing in training and upskilling will "turbocharge" Australian economy, report finds. Available at: <https://www.smartcompany.com.au/partner-content/articles/investing-in-training-and-upskilling-will-turbocharge-australian-economy-report-finds/> [Accessed 20 July 2022].