Why development should be a top priority
Table tennis, foosball, space hoppers, and bars. It’s not unusual to find one or all of these in working environments today. Ever since the success of interactive and playful cultures like Google, many organizations have introduced some element of ‘fun’ into their offices as a means for employees to bond, let off steam and enjoy themselves at work. And this is all good. All good except for one important finding:
Employees would rather grow than have fun
Recent research conducted by 33 Talent has revealed that only 16% of employees believe that having fun at work is more important than personal growth and development. The sentiment for the majority is that ‘its fine to enjoy ourselves at work but not at the expense of our growth'
Growth is seen as such a critical part of their career that a whopping 83% of employees stated that if they don’t feel like they’re growing in their role they will look for a new job.
This points to two important learnings:
1. For employers:
Companies must prioritise growth and development, and work to create environments that encourage people to learn and stretch themselves.
How are you currently encouraging a mindset of learning and growth across the company? What more could be done to demonstrate how serious the business is about individual growth? How are you balancing your investment in fun versus growth opportunities for your teams in 2020?
2. For employees:
Communicate with your leaders about what and how you want to grow.
What do you need in order to develop your skills and capabilities? Who can you learn from? What can you do to help drive initiatives within your company to help others grow?
As highlighted in a previous blog, growth is an essential human need. Without it, we have the potential to stagnate. This research indicates just how seriously we need to take this, both for ourselves and for others. We thrive when we grow, and who doesn’t want that?
If you’d like to know more about the employee research, or about how our coaching can help take you to the next level please contact me directly: cat@33talent.com