Overview:

• Developing and investing in ourselves at work is the best path to continued success, better productivity and combating recession uncertainties.
• Most companies offer a development budget that you can use or are happy to provide a contribution, you can also consider investing yourself for short and long-term benefits. At The Women’s Vault I also offer workshops for your business, which can be more attractive to employers as the whole company benefits.
• You can focus on industry-specific skills or work/personal skills which can also benefit you outside of work such as Personal Brand, Negotiation, Confidence, Productivity or Planning for Success.

The Why:

We can all see that 2021 will be a harder, more competitive year in our careers.

The prolonged affect of covid-19 on the economy and the uncertainty of redundancies mean that many careers have been completely overturned. For those of us still within our chosen profession, we’re sensing a little unpredictability, as the market becomes more competitive and the redundancy shadows of those who could, and are desperate to, do our job appear on the horizon.

Not only that, but we’re often finding there’s more free time at work, less urgency on tasks that would previously have been accomplished in an hour. Now we’re stonewalled by a covid- closure, or another business that’s altered its hours to suit their new WFH lifestyle, leaving us unable to accomplish what we need.

What’s the solution for this, for professionals who have invested years into our careers?

Development – Raise your Profile.

We have the time and the drive to accomplish it now, to set up in 2021 as the premier candidates for new openings, promotions or simply just retention as we face a move into recession redundancies. Continual self-improvement within your work is the key to advancement and success. It shows interest, ability and energy at work, proving that you aren’t stagnating but instead care about what you do.

The best part- it doesn’t need to be your investment.

Most companies have a professional development budget and asking to use it shows that you are proactive and raises your professional profile in a positive way within the company. This also means that that its not coming from within your own budget– when we feel we want to be retaining the hardship savings just in case.

I deal with a lot of clients now who do my courses, classes or coaching through company development funding. I create an invoice for the company and they pay me direct or you pay and the company reimburses. Its a great way to get competitive advantage in 2021 when we know we’re heading into a harsher global economic climate.

What can I do?

You can look into industry-specific online courses to improve your technical understanding. Ask your manager for his suggestions, a great way to raise early awareness of your initiative, or research online to find the best reviewed. I used The Doers Way when first starting The Women’s Vault to sharpen my entrepreneurial skills in marketing and coaching.

Alternately, you can concentrate on personal skills and approach at work, like the coaching at The Women’s Vault. It may be confidence and personal brand, to improve your elevator pitch to the top. Or negotiation skills, to improve relationships with stakeholders and prepare for yearly promotion and bonus discussions. A lot of clients also ask about productivity, operating rhythms and planning for success, or even training on Work From Home visibility.

You can also consider speaking to your employer about arranging a workshop, which I can provide to your team or Department and that you can benefit, as well as your colleagues, which is a win-win for your boss!

But would my company really want to pay?

We all know that wages are typically the biggest cost in any company.This makes you the biggest investment and like any investment you want it to be the best it can; you wouldn’t buy an outdated computer if you had the choice of the top of the line. Its also more economically viable to train someone who knows the business and company rather than hiring in new staff. Upskilling employees is something that’s always highly recommended by successful leaders; likeAnne Mulcahy, Richard Branson or Ricardo Semler to name a few; and your employers should know this. By asking your business directly to learn new skills for your job you can also reassure them of your dedication and loyalty to the company, so they know this is an investment with a long payoff.

If your employer doesn’t want to pay in full, then you can ask them to pay a small contribution or consider making this investment in yourself – just like your health, savings or your car – this type of investment can reap big dividends both in the short and long term.

Don’t ignore the power of self-improvement on the path to success and don’t be anxious about the future, instead take control and use this situation as an opportunity rather than a negative.

If you’d like to talk to me about how to discuss this with your company or any of The Women’s Vault services, click below to have a quick discussion with me.