{"id":50768,"date":"2021-08-17T11:56:28","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T15:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=50768"},"modified":"2023-06-01T03:17:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T07:17:29","slug":"future-of-professional-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/future-of-professional-development\/","title":{"rendered":"The Future of Professional Development"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Regardless of where a company resides on the continuum of professional development for their employees, most agree that people (employees, customers, and others) are intrinsic to a company\u2019s success. Today\u2019s businesses know that investing in professional development for their employees is one avenue for reaching people important to their success. Companies realize they can\u2019t make anything happen for the better unless they have the right people with the right skills, knowledge, and preparation to be successful.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50771 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD1-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"An open book with specs laptop and a pen on the table\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD1-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD1-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD1-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p>If your business landscape doesn\u2019t include employees with the right skills and knowledge, you will probably struggle. You must care for, feed, and invest in your company\u2019s and your employees\u2019 future. But many flounder when confronted with how to build the workforce of the future. Your best bet is to take a page \u00a0from the playbook of successful companies to help you determine where to start building the talent of the future.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2>Post COVID-19 flexibility<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s difficult to talk about post-COVID when new variants and challenges continually crop up, but you can learn a lot from companies that evolved or are still evolving. Flexibility is a game-changer, based on defining what has changed and how to address that change.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>First, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/solid-rules-in-fluid-workspaces-boosting-productivity-while-working-remotely\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">remote workforces<\/a> are the norm. No one imagined this would be a fact in 2021, but here we are. Every company is different, but the vast majority need to find a way to deliver professional development (PD) to remote workers that\u2019s effective and efficient. We\u2019re asking employees to work in different ways, and we must prepare to offer PD that meets this new paradigm.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Second, people want choices. Individuals have varying needs; some want a physical space where they can connect with co-workers while others are absolutely thrilled that they don\u2019t have to commute. Each worker&#8217;s physical atmosphere drives what choices they need. Regardless of their desire for more or less physical space, most employees benefit from PD that\u2019s offered when and where they need it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2>Offering alternative PD<\/h2>\n<p>Post-COVID, companies see an increase in employees wanting to learn and progress. People are taking stock of where they are in their employment and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/pandemic-influenced-employee-churn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">where they want to be in the future<\/a>. Providing the education and PD that helps them get there can boost your retention rate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Many businesses discover that employees want a more formal PD program. Those companies that pivot and offer PD aimed at workers\u2019 needs and wants are seeing less attrition and increasingly educated employees. When you tap into online PD offerings, you can scale your workforce more quickly and make it easier for employees to advance. Increasingly, tech-assisted PD that isn\u2019t limited to business hours is more acceptable to a wider section of staff.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2>Future PD offerings<\/h2>\n<p>Businesses on the leading edge of technology are gravitating toward online PD offerings. Some curate courses offering short, gamified education. Since millennials are the largest cohort of employees after baby boomers, it makes sense to position your PD toward individuals who grew up with technology and games. Companies find that a three-minute gamification experience boosts professional training and development using real-life problems employees are likely to encounter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/storyworks\/capital\/the-rise-of-the-free-agent\/the-future-of-professional-development\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CPA Australia<\/a> created an online virtual reality training module to challenge employees to put into practice what they learned in their day-to-day exposure and in online learning situations. They found participants loved the VR component because they felt it better related to their jobs and the situations they experienced.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Technology helps companies create the PD of the future by offering a wide array of options, such as employee training, onboarding for new employees, compliance testing for corporate standards, and even behavioral change to keep staff motivated and help them improve their skills.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Future gamification of PD programs is a great tool for simulating and testing new ideas. You can address customer concerns and other issues as well as get immediate feedback from employees and those on the front line.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h2>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n<p>Law students have countless paths for their legal careers, but most pursue, participate in, and benefit from professional development. For lawyers and many others, PD is the means they use to guide their career paths, developing skills and knowledge in a marketplace that constantly shifts and changes. For example, in today\u2019s modern law practice, PD comes in a variety of offerings aimed at entry, mid, and senior levels, including diversity, equity, and inclusion courses, trial advocacy skills, leadership, and coaching. The law is only one of many sectors that have pivoted in the last 18 months to reach and educate their staff and employees in an increasingly diverse and expansive society.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-50770 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD2-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"A person typing on a laptop\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/PD2-50x33.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Online learning and virtual experiences are the PD of the future. Today\u2019s businesses and their employees must take advantage of these online and virtual programs to help expand knowledge, understanding, and skills, regardless of industry or position. Those who quickly adapt to online or remote learning stand to acquire what\u2019s needed to succeed. And the companies that provide this style of PD will see increased retention and more satisfied employees in an increasingly competitive job market.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Ready to step up your professional development game?<\/strong> Start with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/survey-templates\/professional-development\/training-needs-assessment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">training needs assessment<\/a> to understand your employees&#8217; skills, needs, and interests, and put those answers to work!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Regardless of where a company resides on the continuum of professional development for their employees, most agree that people (employees, customers, and others) are intrinsic to a company\u2019s success. Today\u2019s businesses know that investing in professional development for their employees is one avenue for reaching people important to their success. Companies realize they can\u2019t make anything happen for the better unless they have the right people with the right skills, knowledge, and preparation to be successful. If your business landscape doesn\u2019t include employees with the right skills and knowledge, you will probably struggle. You must care for, feed, and invest in your company\u2019s and your employees\u2019 future. But many flounder when confronted with how to build the workforce of the future. Your best bet is to take a page \u00a0from the playbook of successful companies to help you determine where to start building the talent of the future. Post COVID-19 flexibility It\u2019s difficult to talk about post-COVID when new variants and challenges continually crop up, but you can learn a lot from companies that evolved or are still evolving. Flexibility is a game-changer, based on defining what has changed and how to address that change. First, remote workforces are the norm. No one imagined this would be a fact in 2021, but here we are. Every company is different, but the vast majority need to find a way to deliver professional development (PD) to remote workers that\u2019s effective and efficient. We\u2019re asking employees to work in different ways, and we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":49241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[156],"tags":[164,241,168,385,512,208],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Future of Professional Development - Sogolytics Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Investing in professional development is one avenue for business success. 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