Five things you can do to motivate employees to learn and develop

As the business landscape continues to evolve and change — especially following the past year — as a responsible leader, it’s important to keep driving forward and improve and grow your knowledge, both as an individual and as part of a wider, collaborative workforce.

For many finance employers, investing in your team is not only advisable, but necessary in order to inspire the best in your colleagues and retain hard-working, motivated staff who are all pushing towards the same goal.

So, without further ado, here are our top five tips to encourage learning and development throughout your workforce…

1. Reward enthusiasm

It’s no secret that people respond to positive feedback and reinforcement. Rewarding those who genuinely care and invest their own time and energy into growing the company will help to build employee loyalty.

Rewards can come in all shapes and sizes, and don’t have to break the bank — a free day’s holiday, delivery of sweet treats, or even a small bonus can go a long way.

2. Discuss progression paths

Many brokers — regardless of the stage in their career — prefer to have a clear idea of what direction their job will take them.

Encourage open and honest discussions about where a colleague hopes to be in one, five, or ten years’ time to better understand what you can do to help their development, and show your commitment to their success.

3. Encourage industry workshops and courses

Allow employees to take part in online learning sessions to develop their knowledge and passion for your industry. There are a multitude of digital platforms dedicated to professional development, which you can nip into any time and anywhere — a win-win!

4. Introduce specialists

Guest speakers can be a great boost to rally the workforce and bring in a fresh face to share their pearls of wisdom. Whether for group sessions or individual mentoring chats, they can prove instrumental in blowing away any cobwebs and shifting focuses.

5. Listen to their feedback

Put simply, people like to feel heard. Open up channels of communication and encourage colleagues to provide suggestions for how you could improve the growth of your financial organisation and better support their careers – and act upon the advice.

Hopefully we’ve provided a good starting point to rally the troops and reinvigorate your workforce. For more expert advice, head to the Invoice Finance blog page to for financially-friendly development tips and learning support.