In between home-schooling three children and working for UNE four days a week, project officer and organisational development consultant Ruth Taylor also recently completed a business writing skills course. Completing it was no easy feat, but she found a way and is very glad she did.
“I watched the online course on 1.5 speed, some in the evenings eating chocolate, some while eating my lunch and the rest during work hours, often for 10 minutes at a time,” Ruth says. “I thought to myself, why watch mind-numbing TV when I can improve myself during lockdown? It was a great course and I am already reaping the rewards.”
There’s been a renewed focus on professional development during lockdowns, restrictions and working from home – and with good reason, according to UNE Acting Senior Manager, Workforce Strategy and Development, Erin Smidt.
If you decide you want to engage in some learning, then you have to set aside the time and stick to it.
“If the pandemic has proven anything, it’s that everything changes all the time,” Erin says. “Without learning, we can’t remain relevant and current. To be the best version of ourselves, professionally and personally, we have to put in some effort. It doesn’t just happen.
“Everyone is under additional pressure right now, so our managers and their managers may not necessarily have the time and forethought to provide staff with the additional support they need to succeed at the things they are being asked to take on. You may have to be more independent and proactive in seeking out that support.”
Everyday development
But not all learning is formal and there are rich opportunities for professional development every day. “Lots of people have been required in the pandemic to take on different work roles or to change jobs completely, and those are really rich professional development experiences - just as much, if not more, valuable than a course or training program,” Erin says.
How so?
“Professional development doesn’t have to be skill or task-based; it can be the development of less tangible skills, and resilience has been one that has come to the forefront in the pandemic,” Erin says. “Resilience is important because it ensures continuity is maintained within an organisation, and also helps to safeguard the productivity and wellbeing of staff.”
So if you are in the enviable position of having a little more time on your hands right now – and that’s not everyone – where do you start when it comes to professional development?
“If you decide you want to engage in some learning, then you have to set aside the time and stick to it,” says Ruth. “You need to value yourself and your development sufficiently to take that step.”
This may also depend on having a supportive employer.
“Staff need to know that their employer believes that learning is important and a valuable way for them to spend their time,” Erin says. “Professional development doesn’t just benefit the individual; the sharing of that knowledge can benefit entire teams.”
Learning hour
So how do you decide on the course, training or opportunity that is right for you, right now?
“Now is a great time for people to take stock of their career; to think about where they are headed and if they are truly happy or not,” Erin says. “If you are happy, you might look at how you can enhance your existing skills. If you are unhappy, you might want to consider what you need to do to get out of that situation, and it might involve learning some skills in a completely different area, to enable you to look for a new job. Even if you can’t make those career moves now, you can start working towards them.”
Erin likes to allocate herself a learning hour every week and includes it in her calendar, and makes it a recurring appointment in the calendars of the team members she supervises. “We probably don’t all do our learning at that time, but it sends a message that it’s worth prioritising and that I support it,” she says. “I give no direction on what staff should be learning in that hour; it’s just encouragement to take the time.”
Since completing the business writing course, Ruth is hopeful that everyone she communicates with is receiving clearer messages. “Taking time out to do a course should ultimately develop the individual and, overall, save them time. It also serves to support their fellow employees, too,” she says.
