More than half (52%) of workers in Portugal felt that their requests to develop on a personal level “are not taken into account”, according to a study released by the e-learning platform GoodHabitz.

Together with the market research agency Marketeffect, GoodHabitz asked 1,047 employees of the active population in Portugal and another 12,568 in Europe about how they saw current opportunities to develop their skills and talents in the context of companies.

One of the main ones I understand is that “collaborators feel that they are not heard”.

According to the study, 43% of employees in Portugal ask their employers for “more opportunities to develop on a personal level”, however, “52% of these (…) feel that their requests are not taken into account”, a a number similar to the 51% recorded at European level, which “means that a large part of workers feel that they are not heard”.

Asked about the topic, Pedro Monteiro, commercial director and spokesman for GoodHabitz in Portugal, says that “the world of work has been developing at an amazing speed and, between the pandemic and new work models, many companies and managers I had to (re)define priorities and pay attention to issues such as the mental health of its employees”.

Despite the fact that most employees feel that they are not heard by the decision-makers of the companies where they work, “we believe that this is not a matter of insensitivity to the issue of training and personal development, but rather the need for employers to learn to prioritize it”, he stresses.

The study – which includes countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden, among 13 – demonstrates that “employees have already taken the first step and are asking to have access to training, which is a positive prognosis”, considers Peter Monteiro.

However, “it is essential that managers and decision-makers listen to this request from employees and increase development opportunities”, he says, noting that those responsible for human resources “should consider putting personal development at the top of their list of priorities” in 2023.

Already more than two thirds (74%) of European employers “believe that their employees feel that their development path is valued by them, while three out of four say they encourage their employees to work on their personal development”, says the study.

“When asked if they believe that their employees would be happier in their current position if they had more opportunities for personal development, 84% of employers agree that they would”, a figure well above the response of European employees (78%), and in Portugal this response rises to 91%.

The study also pointed out that more than two thirds (68%) of employees consider that the lack of personal development opportunities is one of the reasons for looking for another company.

In this context, “Portugal has the second highest percentage of the survey, just behind Denmark (73%). In other words, Portuguese employees are, at a European level, those who are most willing to change in order to obtain opportunities for personal development”, underlined, in statements to Lusa, Pedro Monteiro.

Asked whether Portuguese managers have not given due importance to personal development, the GoodHabitz manager says that “they are beginning to understand the value of training and personal development, but often this issue is still not at the top of their priorities”.

In fact, “decision-makers in companies need to understand that training and development are no longer a ‘nice to have’, but a ‘must have’” and the bet that is made here will have a “direct impact” on key indicators of the business, defend.

“On a day when this thought is intrinsic to companies and their strategies – and I believe it won’t take 10 years for that to happen – employees will feel fulfilled and in constant growth and companies will take a big step towards its competitiveness and sustainability”, he concludes.