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Have you heard of Revise Your Work Schedule Month? Observed during May, it’s the perfect time to revisit how our workdays are structured and ensure that we’re making time for what’s most important.
One of the things on that “most important” list: learning the skills that allow us to keep improving and progressing in our careers. The benefits of employee upskilling extend from greater productivity to more job satisfaction — it’s a win-win for the individual and their company.
But when you have a packed to-do list, how can you make slight adjustments throughout the day to fit learning in? Let’s look at these five different methods to make learning more accessible within your work schedule:
Whether you’re looking to expand your skillset or just want to stay up to date with industry changes, these tips will help you fit learning into your daily routine during Revise Your Work Schedule Month.
During lunch, most people typically have a bit of built-in free time, even in an otherwise packed schedule. That’s one of the reasons why “lunch and learns” are popular in the modern workplace. These events typically consist of a short presentation on a topic, followed by a discussion or Q&A session. Attendees can bring their lunch, or the office can cater or provide a gift card for those working from home.
Whoever coordinates these events can invite a guest speaker or ask resident “office experts” to give talks on a topic they’re well-acquainted with. Pitch the idea of a lunch and learn program to your office managers and offer to be involved — here are some tips for making it a success!
If you can find ways to make your learning as efficient as possible, you won’t have to worry about wasting valuable time on training you don’t actually need. Through a learning management system like Pinnacle Series and its KnowledgeSmart integration, you can create a personalized plan by taking skills assessments. An assessment can help identify your or your employees’ skills gaps and strengths, giving you a better idea of what areas you should focus training on. This is a great way to make sure that you’re prioritizing the topics that are most important to you and most useful in your role.
One of the best ways to learn in a way that will actually stick with you is to learn in the moment of need. Let’s say you’re in the middle of a task, and you run into something you’re not quite sure how to do. Or you think, “I wonder if there’s a way to do this more efficiently.” If you can find a quick tutorial that answers your question right then and there, you can take a few minutes to watch it, then get back to work and apply your learning immediately.
Learning this way — in bite-sized amounts that are directly useful — is also called “microlearning,” and it’s a great way to improve long-term knowledge retention. That’s why with Pinnacle Series, we have a ton of short-form content in addition to our more in-depth, long-form courses. If you need to learn something, just use the search tool to point you toward the right resource.
Most jobs have slower weeks from time to time. Or there might be days when you’re stuck waiting around at a job site for hours. Commuters who use public transportation might be in the habit of just scrolling mindlessly on their phone or staring out the window. These are all times you can re-imagine as a time to learn! Many online courses are flexible enough to jump into whenever you have a spare half-hour.
In Pinnacle Series, all our courses are self-paced and allow you to work through the material at your own speed so you can fit them into your busy work schedule. If you’re frequently out of the office, you can even download the materials for offline viewing on a tablet or smartphone.
If you go to your manager and make a case for the benefits of learning and development, they may be willing to work with you. Maybe you can negotiate a certain amount of hours per week you can dedicate to learning job-related skills. Position it as a way for you to grow within the company and stay competitive for your clients.
Also, remember that one of the best ways to learn is by doing. You can ask for assignments that require you to learn new skills or develop existing ones. This can help you stay up to date, gain more experience in the industry, and immediately demonstrate the usefulness of what you’re learning.
For professionals in the architecture, engineering, construction, and manufacturing industries, Eagle Point Software’s Pinnacle Series platform can help you stay ahead of the curve with on-demand videos, online courses, and other valuable training resources.
Let’s talk about how we can help your organization make the most of Revise Your Work Schedule Month! Reach out to our team today to schedule a demo or no-cost pilot program.
If you’re already a Pinnacle Series subscriber and are looking for ways to incorporate more learning into your team’s day, reach out to your Customer Success Manager or keep reading the Eagle Point blog for more ideas!
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