Professional development: fostering #curiosity through continuous learning
By Sasha Fomina, Talent Acquisition Expert at Movinx
Attracting and retaining top talent has always been a core challenge for companies. To address this, organizations are increasingly investing in comprehensive employee development programs. Here’s how we do it at Movinx.
Movinx is a culture-first company that cares about people and aims to create Mover-first policies that make a difference to people’s lives in and outside of work. Maintaining this is no easy feat, so we always try our best to lead with our values and understand what it is we need to do as a company to attract (and retain) those who most align with these values.
#Curiosity is one of our values, and as a disruptive company, it’s a pretty significant one!
And if “being curious” is something we ask of every current or prospective Mover, what are some ways we can keep it up on the day-to-day? Enter: the combo method.
The combo method.
A combination of external and internal training is the most effective strategy for fostering personal growth and skills. A combined approach – one that considers the employee’s interest and talents, as well as organizational gaps – should be holistic and continuous.
The combo method forms part of an ongoing conversation between Movers and their managers, and there are a range of natural milestones and touchpoints we identified to help facilitate this conversation.
Individual development plan.
We understand that each Mover has unique aspirations and development needs. To cater to these requirements, we offer an Individual Development Plan (IDP) for each Mover which is formalized once a year, and serves as a guide for discussion throughout the year and beyond.
This involves identifying specific skill gaps and career goals, and creating a tailored plan to bridge those gaps and nurture individual potential. This ensures Movers receive the guidance and support they need to thrive in their respective roles. We set up IDPs as part of our internal feedback process, and it’s a live document.
Learning from peers.
Knowledge sharing is a powerful tool for personal development. We’ve established internal learning sessions where employees can share their expertise and experiences with their colleagues. This enables a collaborative learning environment where individuals can learn from one another, exchange insights, and gain a broader perspective. By encouraging employees to act as trainers, we promote continuous learning and create a culture of knowledge dissemination within the organization.
Every year, Movers have the opportunity to feed into this process by actively seeking out and voting on the knowledge sharing sessions they will find most useful.
Pushing beyond your skills.
Learning should be an ongoing process that extends beyond formalized training. We promote continuous development by encouraging Movers to learn on the job.
A great example of this is through ‘cross-pollination’, where we encourage our teams not only to put their hands up for cross-functional projects, but also to extend themselves beyond their immediate core skills (read more about this on our article about ‘mentoring and stability in tech teams’). By taking on new responsibilities and challenging tasks, individuals can enhance their skills, gain valuable experience, and broaden their professional horizons.
To support this process, we are committed to providing a supportive environment where Movers feel empowered to explore new opportunities and expand their capabilities, and are not afraid to ask questions or make mistakes.
Formal training.
We can’t possibly know it all, and at times formalized training can help Movers broaden their perspective, stay up to date with industry trends and best-practices, and importantly, network.
We encourage Movers to participate in workshops, seminars, conferences, and other external learning initiatives relevant to their roles and interests. By investing in external training, we empower the continued growth and success of all Movers. And of course, we back this with a generous training budget for every Mover (find out more about our benefits, here).
Why combo?
It’s no secret that growth and development is a key talent attraction and retention tool for companies. Beyond this, companies that make a point of putting the needs of their employees at the core of their internal policies, show that they see their people as ‘whole humans’ who have needs at work and beyond their lives as employees. And that really matters.
We found that fostering curiosity among our team – keeping them asking questions, and nurturing a learning organization where this is part of our DNA -takes work, and we actively choose to do that work every. single. day.
For us, our combo method – including individual plans, and on-and-off the job learning opportunities – fosters dynamic and supportive teams that help Movers do what they do best… #keepMovinx!
Like what you see?
Have you thought about a career with us? Learn more about what life at Movinx is like, here.
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