Nearly two-thirds of employees are not being given the opportunity to live up to their potential

Nearly two-thirds of employees are not being given the opportunity to live up to their potential in the workplace and nearly 90 per cent would prefer to be in control of their own professional development according to a new study.



The survey of 3,000 employees by online learning specialist, SkillSoft, also found that a quarter of workers receive no support from their managers when it comes to professional development.

Although 57 per cent said they feel valued at work, 63 per cent think that they could be doing better in their career if they were given more training.

When asked how they preferred to train, 20 per cent said they liked to learn from colleagues and by making use of online learning materials when they needed to; 13 percent preferred to attend instructor-led courses and workshops; but the overwhelming majority (67 per cent) opted for a mix of both.

Kevin Young, managing director of SkillSoft believes this backs up the move many organisations have made towards implementing a blended learning strategy. He said:

The survey shows that Informal learning methods are really gaining ground on the more traditional types of training, but, not surprisingly, the majority of people want both. When we asked employees which option they would choose if they could only have access to one type of training, 35 per cent opted for informal learning against 36 per cent who preferred formal training. A further 29 per cent were undecided. This proves conclusively that those organisations that have embraced an integrated learning approach are on the right track.

Itís also evident from this study that a large number of people are not being given the opportunity to live up to their potential at work; particularly in the private sector where only 35 per cent of employees are given access to training compared to 65 per cent of public sector workers. Just consider the productivity gains that could be achieved if UK businesses stepped up their commitment to developing their employeesí skills.

64 per cent of those questioned said their employer allocated no time in the working day for their professional development.

This is in line with some research we did last year amongst employees already using e-learning, added Mr Young, the majority of whom were taking control of their own professional development by accessing online learning in the office before or after work, or at home in the evenings and at weekends. The effect on their jobs was evident; nearly everyone interviewed could give practical examples of how they had applied their new knowledge at work.

This latest study shows that 53 per cent already willingly spend their own free time on professional development.

However, this figure could be much more. The findings suggest that if employers were prepared to meet employees half-way and allocate some formal learning time at work, more than three-quarters would be prepared to reciprocate by spending some of their own free time on training.

The time involved isnít excessive either. Almost half (43 per cent) of employees think they would need to spend just 2-4 hours a week on training to achieve their full potential.

This is good news for UK businesses, said Mr Young. If this commitment to training was split evenly between an employer and an employee it equates to just 1-2 learning and development hours per week at work and 1-2 hours outside working hours.

When asked what sort of training they needed, 45 per cent of workers said they would like more training in communications and customer relations skills while 50 per cent wanted more management and leadership skills training.

Unsurprisingly, most employees think they should be paid more - 67.5 per cent say they deserve bigger pay packets.

But despite this, the majority of employees enjoy their work - 43 per cent say they get some pleasure from their work; 40 per cent say they enjoy their jobs a lot and 7 per cent go as far as to say they enjoy their jobs immensely.

Only 10 per cent said they donít enjoy their job at all.