CAREER DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT
Workplace learning strategy
Fredrik Högemark, chief information officer at findcourses.co.uk, outlines design and delivery
A s more organisations focus on return on investment (ROI), implementing an effective learning and development (L&D) strategy to aid engagement and retention has never been more important. Inclusive workplaces that place a high value on equal opportunity and continuous learning are best placed to attract a wide pool of talent and in keeping valued existing employees. According to jobs site Glassdoor (https://bit.ly/2raiVKU), the main reason people leave a job is to go to a company with a better culture and development opportunities. This makes it essential for companies to showcase what they can offer top talent from the start. To tempt people to your business management should provide detailed job descriptions that clearly communicate prospects for training and development. This is because 87% of millennials (https://bit.ly/2xwRuiI) rate professional or career growth and development opportunities as important to them in a job; so introducing a rotational scheme for those entering your business can be a good way to make your company stand out from the crowd. Increasingly, your business’s commitment to employee advancement will be recognised, either by word of mouth or through feedback on sites such as Glassdoor. As a result, universities and recruiters may actively promote your organisation to ambitious graduates based on the quality of its training and reputation. For businesses looking to improve retention, efforts should be focused on talking with current and prospective staff about their aspirations for progression. The better informed an organisation is, the more equipped they will be to tailor learning activities to the needs of its workforce. Businesses must be wary about dictating which training employees should pursue. Employees should feel encouraged to identify the individual areas they need
training in and what will be most valuable to them in the long-term. There are several methods for this, the easiest of which is normally to conduct an internal survey to accumulate opinions. While some employees will choose not to participate, it will give a good overall view of areas for improvement. Another option is to conduct focus groups or speak to managers to obtain feedback from their own teams or individuals. You may be able to achieve better insight here too, as a chat with a manager may garner more in-depth, personal information than a check-box survey. A study (https://bit.ly/2xFg0ym) found mentorship is a beneficial and impactful practice, particularly for women and minority employees. L&D is a process, not a test to pass or fail, and the merits of training – professional development, fulfilling career aims, more effective day-to-day work – must be conveyed to motivate employees. Developing a formal mentoring programme, allowing incoming or junior employees to be paired with senior executives – or those with different skill-sets – can create effective connections and enable learning from past experiences. Of equal value is ‘reverse mentoring’, involving collaborative, informal training between different employee generations. This offers an opportunity for businesses to broaden and grow some of the skills of all employees in an inexpensive and time- efficient way. Human resources teams can help by encouraging and facilitating these opportunities among staff. One way is by introducing ‘inclusion allies’ (https://pwc. to/2xEa7BA) – designated executives who support and advocate for people of different workplace demographics – to create a positive and progressive working environment. When developing a L&D strategy, managers must consider the disposition of each learner and take into account
diversity and generational differences in the workplace. For example, according to a PwC report, just 6% (https://bit. ly/2xsFLCP) of millennials would value formal classroom training. Younger employees are more comfortable with technology so may be receptive to online courses. Although millennials and generation Z are set to make up half the workforce by 2020 (https://bit.ly/2MvHwnZ) you must cater for the older demographics who may prefer more formal training structures. These strategies should not be seen as ‘fixed’ for each generation, as every individual has unique preferences when it comes to how they learn best. Businesses should prepare for this by introducing a mixture of training options, from independent advancement, group tasks or peer-to-peer learning. One study (https://bit.ly/2DrdgKS) on workplace training discovered that while 62% immediately applied their learning to a role, only 44% were still using what they’d learnt after six months, falling to just 34% after one year. Participants are often assessed as competent in a training room environment but still need time and assistance to transfer learning to their roles. The success of results cannot be fully assessed until it’s clear staff are confident using their new skills. But how can businesses know when that has been reached? Encouraging ongoing feedback through employee surveys, focus groups or an internal online forum, is a good way to start calibrating such insights. Managers should also be tracking performance through agreed key performance indicators and holding regular one-to-ones to check on staff progress. Employees need to feel valued by employers, who can achieve this by delivering a diverse and flexibility training programme. If your strategy is successful, you will not only see strong ROI, but improved retention and engagement throughout the business too. n
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | October 2018 | Issue 44 12
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