Rethinking Learning at the Workplace

Globalization, artificial intelligence along with a multigenerational workforce have forced leaders to rethink on the strategies of workplace learning.

A study by LinkedIn reveals that 59% of employees exited for better career paths and better growth opportunities. When it comes to learning many organizations still struggle with issues of insufficient strategies and resources, old systems, lack of employee engagement and proving the return on investment(ROI).

Learning and Employee development give companies an enormous opportunity to retain and improve the talent they already have. It becomes a a win-win situation, for the organizations where employees gain skills to progress in their careers motivating them to stay at your company and the company in turn gets a strong pipeline of internal candidates for future roles.

Many organizations are still doing learning the traditional way with outdated learning management systems, forced content, full day classroom modules which does very little foster and encourage a learning culture.

To strengthen workplace learning consider the following:

Bite sized Learnings

In today’s fast-paced working environment, relatively less attention spans and technological innovation, bite sized programs can be curated to boost learning. Bite sized programs break down the content into small, manageable chunks instead of subjecting employees with long, uninterrupted full day classroom sessions. The programs must be designed in such a way that the content can be adapted to any device. A learning that starts on a desktop can continue and end on a mobile phone. Generally bite-sized learning modules are short, ranging between 1 and 15 minutes, squeezing some instruction time to employees in between their work engagements.

Defining Clear Career Paths

A lot of effort must be made to make learning more personal. Integrate learning with  the career paths for employees so that they own learning. Not restricting them and if needed allowing them to explore outside the organization's learning management system. Giving opportunities and assignments that require employees to be more resourceful and make decisions with real world consequences. This allows employees to up skill and broaden their horizons to navigate in an increasingly complex market.

Role of Manager

An employee must own 90% of their learning and growth, the rest 10% is owned by the manager and must be held accountable for the 10%. No one is more aware of an employee’s skill gap than the immediate manager. Investing in employees knowledge and skills would keep them productive and employable. Empowering employees to ask for their own learning also boosts their motivation and engagement.

One size does not fit all

Everyone has a different learning trajectory. Learning programs and trainings must be rethought and redesigned keeping that in mind. For example the younger workers would need a lot of practical learning as they would have to learn to tackle the need to come out of a college curriculum which tends to emphasize on theory. Conversely a lot of  the older workers might require a lot of training on the newer technological advancements.A lot of customization is required to adapt to the learning styles of different generational workforces

The new workforce is increasingly seeing personal growth and learning as important factors in their job searches and career prospects.To improve both workplace learning and retention rates, one must rethink on the whole learning process and to cater programs to all individuals. We have to come out of the old institutionalized curriculum to make learning more aspirational and rewarding for employees.