Your employees are likely your most important capital, but does your corporate culture convey that message? Are learning and knowledge sharing encouraged at the workplace? Terranova has studied these issues and identified some points to ponder.
Learning versus training
Do you find it hard to motivate your employees to sign up for training programs? Naturally, you want your staff to have all the knowledge and tools they need to perform their daily tasks, but have you thought of training in terms of value for team members rather than as a benefit to the company? When you advocate, communicate and promote the advantages of learning as a personal benefit for employees, you’ll do more to bolster their engagement than if you force them to take part in training only for the good of the company. This will make it easier for you, as a manager, to add value to your team and help it to improve and become more productive.
Collaboration versus competition
Your workplace critically influences your employees’ learning abilities, especially in industries where risk management and security have a tremendous impact on the company’s operations or reputation. Creating a positive environment and a workplace conducive to knowledge sharing will greatly enhance learning, and instilling a climate of trust where employees feel free to ask questions and suggest ideas is a good starting point. Encouraging discussion and a variety of opinions rather than competition among employees is a good way to establish a culture of learning.
Creating a corporate culture based on openness, communication and knowledge sharing is bound to foster employee engagement. And since it’s a proven fact that engaged employees learn and perform better, why not ensure that they’re at the core of the solution? No matter what project or task is at hand, you’ll always benefit by making your employees your best allies!