- Nearly two-thirds (65%) of employees feel a lack of personal development is a reason to look for a new employer
- Seven in 10 (70%) state that they would be happier in their current role if they had further opportunities to develop themselves
- Nearly 1 in 5 (17%) don’t feel that their personal development opportunities are good enough at work
- Survey of 1,039 UK employees, 12,576 employees from other European countries and 2,500 European Learning & Development decision makers
A new study shows that personal development is an increasingly important factor in where people work, and a key factor for job satisfaction. Sixty-five percent of UK employees consider lack of proper personal development opportunities a reason to look for a new employer according to GoodHabitz, Europe’s fastest growing learning platform.
The research was conducted in cooperation with Markteffect among 13,615 employees in 13 European countries. It included 1,039 employees from the working population in the UK, and 12,576 employees from other European countries. Additionally, 2,500 European Learning & Development decision makers were asked about their experiences.
Tim Seger, UK Director of GoodHabitz, explains: “The survey shows that unfortunately not all UK companies offer enough opportunities for employees to develop themselves.”
“Almost 1 in 5 employees (17%) in the UK completely disagree that current personal development opportunities are good enough. The UK results differ little to the European average of 16%, so it shows a clear signal to employers that lack of personal development programmes can only increase the risk of losing their people. Another way of looking at this is if 65% of British employees feel that the lack of personal development is a reason to switch jobs, almost 1 in 5 employers could be at risk.”
Across Europe, personal development is a key reason for people to hunt for a new employer. Denmark tops the list with 73% agreeing that it is cause to look externally for a role, followed by Portugal (68%), Switzerland (66%), the UK (65%) and Sweden (62%).
The lack of personal development opportunities is a reason to seek a new employer (per country) – I agree:
| Belgium | Denmark | Germany | France | Italy | The Netherlands | Austria | Poland | Portugal | Spain | United Kingdom | Sweden | Switzerland |
| 60% | 73% | 55% | 46% | 58% | 44% | 45% | 46% | 68% | 56% | 65% | 62% | 66% |
Personal development has exceedingly high impacts on job satisfaction
The GoodHabitz study also shows personal development is important to continue in a job. No less than 67% of UK employees state that to experience adequate job satisfaction, personal development is important, showing their preference to personally and professionally grow.
Personal development is very important for employees within my organisation to (continue to) experience adequate job satisfaction – I agree:
| Belgium | Denmark | Germany | France | Italy | The Netherlands | Austria | Poland | Portugal | Spain | United Kingdom | Sweden | Switzerland |
| 69% | 77% | 61% | 52% | 62% | 67% | 53% | 56% | 74% | 60% | 67% | 68% | 68% |
On top of this, 7 out of 10 (70%) employees state that they would be happier in their current role if they had further opportunities to develop themselves. Across Europe, this figure rises to 78%.
Employees may not know they have access to education
Seger continued: “Another insight shows a contradiction between employer and employees. We asked UK employers about the personal development opportunities employees have access to, they said that 9% grant their employees access to offline courses, 29% offer online courses and 55% opted for a blended learning.
“Only 7% of UK employers mentioned they don’t offer any personal development opportunities at all. Yet, 24% of employees indicated this is the case – 17% lower. It shows a bigger problem: employees don’t know how to find or access online and offline learning programmes offered. This missed opportunity could easily be tackled by learner marketing. This ensures all employees understand the development opportunities available no matter their current role, as well as helps them change their learning behaviours so they feel positive and confident about their progress.”
Research details:
The research was conducted by research agency Markteffect among 13,615 employees in 13 European countries. One thousand and thirty-nine employees from the working population in the UK and 12,576 European employees answered an online survey about their experiences with personal development opportunities and the effect it has on their job satisfaction. The employees who completed the survey were between the ages of 25 and 55 and active in different roles, different industries and different company sizes.
Additionally, 2,500 European L&D decision makers were questioned on their experiences. Results were weighted based on a representative distribution of the UK. Based on the sample size, results are generalisable to the population with 95% confidence.
About GoodHabitz
GoodHabitz, founded in 2011 in the Netherlands, is a leading European provider for E-Learning solutions for corporate companies. By offering engaging and fun online courses, from soft skills to digital skills and languages, GoodHabitz contributes to the personal development of every employee. Various engaging learning formats make sure that the content is accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Coaches help to establish learning cultures in the organisation and all that for one fixed price. Currently, more than 2,000 companies, like Puma, ADAC or DEKRA upgrade their workforce with GoodHabitz. More than 200 employees are working for GoodHabitz in offices all over Europe. Please visit the website www.goodhabitz.com for more information.
