One of the best ways to keep your company up to date is creating a small business culture that's focused on learning. When your staff continues to learn, they'll stay up on the latest skills and developments in their profession and industry and keep their minds sharp. Sharper employees means greater innovations and fewer mistakes, all important for keeping your company at the forefront of what you do!
Want to create a culture in your small business where staff stay as eager to learn as they were in Kindergarten? Here are 3 things you can do:
Want to create a culture in your small business where staff stay as eager to learn as they were in Kindergarten? Here are 3 things you can do:
Set aside time for professional development every week. Make sure your staff learn something new at least once a week -- and we don't mean routine meeting announcements. This should be a separate gathering focused purely on learning. Bring in speakers with topics relevant to your business, and assign staff to present on topics they're learning about. Keep your eye on conferences and events happening in the area, and encourage staff to attend.
Encourage intellectual discussions as water cooler talk. Do your employees spend many of their breaks gossiping about celebrities? This isn't a bad thing, but unless you work in Hollywood, not beneficial to company learning. Spend time talking with employees in their down time, bringing up stimulating topics related to your field. Put relevant industry newspapers and magazines near staff break areas to encourage stimulating conversation.
Give your employees a learning allowance. One of the most challenging aspects of learning is that it can cost money. Going to conventions, classes, and lectures adds up quickly. Give your employees a quarterly annual financial allowance they can use on company relevant training they choose. Allow them to take off work periodically for education opportunities without having to use vacation time.
Hoping to spend more time learning and less time dealing with financial details? Contact us and let us handle your back office financial tasks.
Encourage intellectual discussions as water cooler talk. Do your employees spend many of their breaks gossiping about celebrities? This isn't a bad thing, but unless you work in Hollywood, not beneficial to company learning. Spend time talking with employees in their down time, bringing up stimulating topics related to your field. Put relevant industry newspapers and magazines near staff break areas to encourage stimulating conversation.
Give your employees a learning allowance. One of the most challenging aspects of learning is that it can cost money. Going to conventions, classes, and lectures adds up quickly. Give your employees a quarterly annual financial allowance they can use on company relevant training they choose. Allow them to take off work periodically for education opportunities without having to use vacation time.
Hoping to spend more time learning and less time dealing with financial details? Contact us and let us handle your back office financial tasks.