Learning is more important today than ever before. Investing in individual development is an important aspect of life which each of us should always strive for. However, it makes it easier if the company you work for, invests in this growth and supports you on your journey to being a leader in what you do.
Our adult lives are shaped by the experiences we go through. Without even knowing it, our motivations are powered by the desire to fulfil certain needs. Motivation is the key to unlocking and achieving true potential, but motivational triggers vary from person to person.
For example, your employees will evaluate how well your objectives and goals align with their needs. If you seek to meet an outcome that detracts from their objectives or needs (the need for development for example), they will see your outlook as undesirable and will resist performing to the highest expectations.
According to LinkedIn, 94 percent of employees would stay with a company longer if there was an investment in learning. With this being said, here at Red-Fern, we prioritise this because after all, if we develop our employees, we develop our overall agency - it’s a win-win!
Do you value your personal and career development? Should it be one of the main priorities for businesses and their teams? Let’s take a look at the benefits it has for an employer and a team member. Plus, we’ll show you how Red-Fern continues to invest in individual development.
In today’s post we'll cover:
- The importance of individual development
- The benefits of individual development for your team
- The benefits of individual development for you
- The Red-Fern way to individual development
The importance of individual development
Employee training and development is a term often used interchangeably, across sectors, and covers different learning practices. Training programmes are a chance for employees to learn precise skills or knowledge to improve performance. Individual development has always been at the centre of our core values because it helps employees continue to not only be competent in their profession but also excel in it and feel a sense of self-worth and belonging.
If you invest in your people, they invest in the organisation.
Remember, employees are a business’ most valuable assets and choosing not to invest in your team’s development means you could be risking the following results:
- Losing the best people. Unengaged team members will feel a sense of disconnect from your company and you could lose the most valuable people from your organisation.
- Having a negative work culture. Having an unengaged workforce can have a detrimental effect on your work environment. But with better engagement, you can keep the team morale high!
- The service you provide will suffer. The quality of service provided to clients is a primary focus for any business. When a company doesn’t invest in its employees and their development, this only risks poor customer service from unmotivated employees.
The benefits of individual development for your team
The benefit of development for the workforce is a two-way thing! The employees grow as individuals but as a team, you’re collectively becoming more skilled and you can all move forward together.
Below, we’ve listed some of the main benefits of individual development and how this affects your team:
- Increased employee performance.
- Higher levels of job satisfaction, staff engagement and team morale.
- Retaining and attracting good employees.
- Increased operational efficiency.
- Enhancements in innovative thinking.
An empowered workforce is one that feels like an asset to their employer. When an employee feels like they’re valued and trusted, they’re more likely to stick around for the long haul and produce the greatest work.
The benefits of individual development for you
As an individual, the benefits of individual development are ever-growing! Your confidence will improve in your role, you’ll gain a clear vision for the future and you’ll feel motivated to get those targets met and achieve the work you’re most proud of.
Below, we’ve listed some more main benefits for you:
- Gives clarity to personal vision = yep, it’s going to give you room to shine!
- Sharpen existing skills and aid confidence.
- Motivation driver… It’s time to get motivated and thrive in your space.
- A key ingredient for happiness alchemy (all the good vibes).
- Increased self-worth and belonging.
Claim back your empowerment, feel like a leader in your role and aim high. This is all possible if you have the team to back you! Here at Red-Fern, we do just that!
The Red-Fern way to individual development
Workforce development isn’t a tickbox way of thinking. It’s an ongoing process of educating and empowering your team so that they can tackle the workplace problems of tomorrow!
Prioritisation
As outlined, individual development is at the centre of our core values and we think it is just as important as the work our employees produce in their role day-to-day. If we aren’t evolving as individuals, the team will only suffer the consequences.
As a collective workforce, we are always on the lookout for different resources for learning opportunities whether that’s marketing events, blog posts or HubSpot training courses.
Each week we encourage each employee to schedule time in their calendar for development and training. We don’t want this getting pushed to the back of the queue concerning responsibilities.
Of course, none of this would be possible without us assigning a budget for training and development. For us, this will make our employees the best they can be - so this is an ongoing investment.
Apprenticeships
At Red-Fern, we’ve welcomed our new Digital Marketing Apprentice, Aaliah. Each apprentice we hire will be exposed to every area of the business and then they will get the opportunity to choose one key area they would like to focus on.
Apprenticeships allow us to nurture young talent and also contribute to team culture, they provide extra support in the team and they’re always hungry to learn and thrive in their role! At Red-Fern we love investing in the new generation of professionals by creating apprenticeship opportunities.
Personal development plans and 1-1’s
We take pride in investing in our employees to ensure they create the greatest work but also continue to grow as individuals. We do this by creating personal development plans for each employee and we consistently update these each quarter via 1-1’s.
Personal development plans aren’t always directed towards skills that will directly benefit the individual’s role. Sometimes an individual might want to improve their confidence in presenting or learn more about another role in the agency entirely. With every goal that is set, they are always aligned with the wider organisational goals and aspirations. We want to ensure our employees are confident, focused and motivated.
Skill-based training
Agency life is ever-changing and our focus is to keep our employees' creativity at the top level! Having scheduled skills-based training not only breaks up the monotony of everyday work life but it also means the employee who receives the necessary training is more able to perform in their job.
Meaning, job satisfaction + higher motivation = increased productivity in their role. A no brainer!
HubSpot training courses and certifications
One of our favourites here at Red-Fern are HubSpot training courses and certifications. HubSpot provides high-quality free online training from marketing to sales allowing you to “stay sharp and learn the latest business trends from leading experts.”
HubSpot also updates their blog regularly (a great resource to bookmark on your browser). Not forgetting, they also share free downloadables including e-books and infographics via their newsletter.
Always prioritise your individual development
By investing in your workforce development continuously, you can retain your top talent, recruit fresh talent and always stand strong in the ever-changing economic landscape.
At Red-Fern, our people are always a top priority. If we empower our employees, we’ll continue to “create with the heart, build with the mind”. Have you always wanted to work in a fast-paced digital agency? Are you ready to grow with a close-knit team? Get in touch and register your interest!
After reading this, if you’re interested in learning a little more about us, we have created a free guide. Grab your copy today and learn about our unique company culture and core values!
