Even when you feel appreciated at work, there are key areas for professional development that can help you improve your personal productivity and attain valuable skills that can benefit you in all aspects of your career. Taking time for self-improvement can help you feel more confident in your contributions at work. Though it takes some effort to identify areas you could work on, development can be a worthwhile pursuit.In this article, we discuss 10 key areas of employee development that can help increase productivity and improve office morale, and provide tips and examples to guide you on this process.

What are key areas of development for employees?

An area of development is a skill or attribute that benefits your professional life. As an employee, focusing on improvement in these development areas can help you become a more productive, empathetic and cooperative member of the team.Managers and employers can offer support for employee development beyond technical and academic skills, creating a culture that values self-improvement and allows for personal and professional growth in key areas.

Examples of areas of development for employees

Self-improvement often involves making small changes that lead to big results. As you analyze your professional behavior, consider if any of these 10 key areas of development will help you acquire valuable skills:

1. Goal-setting
2. Communication
3. Collaboration
4. Listening
5. Conflict resolution
6. Adaptability
7. Organization
8. Accepting constructive feedback
9. Integrity
10. Productivity

1. Goal-setting

If you seek more direction in your professional career, setting goals may be a good first step to improve focus and work performance. Team projects often have broad and proximal goals and milestones to reach, but your own personal development is equally important to help you feel satisfaction and pride in your work.Goal-setting practices vary, but you can try these tips to help achieve your goals:

• Divide long-term goals into smaller, more achievable parts.
• Write down your goals in a journal, as a checklist, in a spreadsheet or an electronic document in your phone that you can refer to frequently.
• Create a vision board with a visual representation of your goals.

2. Communication

Offices and teams comprise groups of people from varying backgrounds and experiences. That diversity can help bring fresh perspectives to a project, but it can emphasize how your communication style might be different from a coworker’s. Recognizing and working with others’ communication preferences is a great way to build positive relationships.

3. Collaboration

Collaboration is a skill you learn at a young age when it is called cooperation or sharing. In the workplace, collaboration involves working with others from different backgrounds to achieve a common goal. Collaboration can inspire more productivity than when a person works alone.

4. Listening

The qualities of a good listener are many, and they can be taught and developed with practice. In the workplace, good listeners are valuable for others seeking mentorship or career advice, for sharing ideas on how to complete projects and when getting to know coworkers personally for improved collaboration.

5. Conflict resolution

When disagreements arise between you and a coworker, it can be challenging to find easy solutions. If you have not been able to resolve differences, you may need to seek conflict resolution advice or mediation that can help you overcome the problem.

6. Adaptability

Even the most thorough brainstorming and planning may not anticipate the scenarios that change the scope of a project as it progresses. A change in leadership, a client’s restructuring of their vision, a financial setback or restructuring of personnel can all affect a project’s deadlines and deliverables. Employees who can easily adapt to the changing scope will both be more productive and happier even with fluctuating tasks and circumstances.

7. Organization

Good organization is a habit that can positively affect every aspect of your job. When your paperwork, your electronic files or your input into a database or a task-tracking program are in order, you will probably be prepared to answer any questions that may arise and help keep yourself on task.

8. Accepting constructive feedback

It can be difficult to receive constructive feedback about your work or behavior. However, constructive feedback can help correct behaviors and promote good work, whether between coworkers to resolve conflict or from manager to employee.

9. Integrity

The best way to gain and keep the trust of your coworkers, managers and customers you serve is to establish yourself as honest and ethical in all your business dealings, even when it may be difficult to tell the truth or admit to a mistake.

10. Productivity

At the end of a workday, it can be satisfying to look back on what you have accomplished. Some days allow you to pursue your list of tasks with efficiency and minimal distractions, and others can be filled with unexpected issues that detour your attention from your original plan. Developing your ability to be productive no matter what happens during your day is a valuable skill.

• Try to focus on one task rather than multi-tasking. You can try closing your office door, silencing your phone or shutting down your computer for a period of time to meet a deadline. Every time you look away from the task, it may diminish your focus and increase the overall time it takes to finish.
• Create a system that you can follow every day. That might be making a list every morning, checking email only at certain times of the day or being accountable to a coworker for motivation. Find something you know will be sustainable for how you like to work.
• Take short breaks when you feel especially challenged or tired. A short break, some desk yoga or a snack can help you feel revitalized and more able to refocus on the task.

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