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[Learning & Development]

3 Ways Professional Development Boosts Employee Retention & Wellbeing

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

 

It can be easy for any business to slip into ‘task mentality’ and leave out some of the emotional connections that employees so greatly need for deeper engagement and belonging.

Particularly in SMEs, time and deadlines can be a barrier and all too easily ‘tasks’ can get in the way of focusing on ‘people.’

According to a study organised by Breathe HR, 47% of employees said they felt their Boss didn’t take their personal development seriously.

This can cause a feeling of being a number rather than being cared about as an individual and feeling invested in. So how can busy SME learning and development teams make sure that a focus on personal and professional development for all employees will give the business a return it needs?

Personal Development That Boosts Staff Retention & Wellbeing

In this article, we explore 3 ways personal development boosts employee retention and  wellbeing and how you can take easy steps forward to boost employee wellbeing and employee engagement in your business.

1. Personal development increases self-worth, which inspires employees to achieve more

When a leader takes time to speak to employees about their needs, aspirations, ambitions and feelings, there is a deepening of trust as staff feel invested in them as a human being, valued for who they are not just what they do.  When people feel valued it helps them value themselves even more. When this happens, they can produce their best work.

We did some coaching with a team member of one of our corporate clients, and she wasn’t used to being asked so many questions about herself, her opinion and needs. This refreshing approach helped her discover more about herself, her patterns of thought and she started to realise what she felt confident with and where her perceived limitations were. The more she overcame these perceived barriers, the more she believed in herself and achieved. At the end of the year she won the company values award for outstanding achievement.

When you invest in your employee as a person, you are also investing in results.

When managers and teams busy ‘doing tasks’, it’s easy to miss out on reflection time.  Reflection time is necessary for the processing of thoughts and feelings, to arrive at clear decisions and confidence.

When you show you’re an employer that makes time for personal development and reflection time, you’re giving permission for staff to become their best self, delivering for themselves as well as the business which can be a game-changer for your company results.

What if everyone in your business unleashed their full potential?

We help companies discover the flavour of success that can be accomplished with the magic ingredient: personal development.  Helping your employees value themselves, will make your employee value proposition (and your employer brand) impactful beyond measure.

There is no greater gift you can give an employee than a deep sense of self, of being able to achieve and live their life.  This has profound impact on employee wellbeing and employee performance.

2. Personal development minimises stress, which improves employee wellbeing

In statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive, 44% of work -related stress was caused by workload.  However, workloads will always remain high as there is always more to achieve right?

In order to look after mental wellbeing, reduce the stress and associated absence caused by stress, employers can use personal development to boost workplace wellbeing. Personal development equips employees with mental resilience and mindset tools which combat and eliminate the reaction to external stress factors.

One of our professional development experts worked with a Sales Manager who felt anxious under increasing pressures. By using personal development tools, the employee was able to get control of his thoughts and even though the workload remained exactly the same, his reaction towards it completely changed and he was able to start approaching the work with a calm and confident mindset.

When you help employees get control of their thoughts and feelings, you will have fewer stress-related challenges and employees will feel well and happy coming into work.

Corporate membership on Life Ladder's personal & professional development platform allows employees to develop a growth mindset, get the best out of themselves, feel happier and achieve more.

This helps our corporate members to boost employee engagement and financial performance.

When employees learn how to manage their minds and control their thoughts, stress is reduced, and employees have the resources to maintain their own mental wellbeing.

personal development tips to boost employee wellbeing

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

3. Success boosts wellbeing

Investing in personal development, helps employees realise more of their potential and experience more success. This is a massive boost to personal wellbeing and workplace wellbeing as a whole.

An article on the neuroscience of success by Psychology Today explains “Success also acts like a tranquilliser – it reduces levels of the stress-hormone cortisol – and may even have mild anti-depressant qualities. Finally, its psychological effects are powerful – it gives our self-confidence and feeling of control over the world an ego-enhancing boost.”

The good news is, that you can access this boost to wellbeing with a simple ‘well done’, but true success comes from personal growth, that’s why corporate members love Life Ladder, finding it transformational for the learning and development strategies,  helping all employees across the business develop, be happy and achieve more.

Intrigued? Simply book a demo of Life Ladder's professional and personal development platform.