Employee training in 2023: The whole truth

There is a dire need for companies to redefine their employee training strategy. If they’re still following the age-old plan, content and tools, they’re making a mistake. Because the interests of employees are different now. They want training to be done in a way that “adds value” to their job profile.

Employees are inclining towards organizations that are genuinely interested in their growth.They want organizations to make training programs that look more like an investment in their careers and not like just another task ticked off from the annual employee engagement plan.

Companies that are just starting out, they’re in the best position to lay out and build a long-term learning environment. They can develop a deeper connection with your employees at the beginning which will give them manifold returns in the future. 

Before we get on to how organizations can redefine their training program, let’s first understand why it is even necessary to do that.

For any organization, it’s a tough time to train their employees. In spite of their best efforts, they might see employees showing lack of interest and low motivation towards work.

Here’s our analysis on why their training would not work -

Change in priority

The world is recovering from the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic. Governments are pulling together the best resources to rebuild the economies. However, employees are leaving their jobs - 4 million people quit their jobs every month last year. This phenomenon has earned a name - The Great Resignation.

This was not due to apprehension that the economy will not recover, or the world will come to an end. In fact, one of the strongest reasons that is compelling people to leave their jobs is lack of career advancement in the workplace. Employees are ready to quit if they do not find opportunities to grow in their job profile.

Organizations have to realize that these are the people they want to tap into to build a sustainable future. These employees are not motivated because they get paid, and a few other benefits. These employees want their employers to take note of their talents, personalize their learning experience, and help them grow. 

As the working environment has changed, and most likely will undergo a lot more transformation in the future, this rare breed of employees is going to be valuable assets for companies. The best way of keeping them onboard is by relooking at the training program strategy and personalizing it to their employees’ roles.

New meaning of employee engagement

The pandemic phase has not only made the workforce rethink their priorities, but also define what tactics will keep them engaged in their job. Casual dressing at the workplace, free snacks and foosball tables worked well for adding that fun element to an employee's work life. However, after the pandemic, the engagement element has taken a shift.

Employees want more freedom to choose where they want to work from. They prefer asynchronous communication over hour-long video calls. They want to develop boundaries that clearly define their work and personal life. Also, employees are more interested in knowing how their skill-sets are actually making a difference in the company’s growth.

This shift in engagement pattern can only be fathomed with an effective training program. By enlightening employees on how the company is working towards upgrading the working norms. How it’s striving to be more remote-friendly, and where employees fit into the equation.

Digital involvement in learning

Like we mentioned earlier, working norms have undergone tremendous changes. Remote working is preferred by many employees, and as they want to decide where they want to work from, they also want to take control of how they learn. This can be done effectively if organizations start involving technology in making training programs. 

However, before that, organizations have to realize that a training program is no longer about making a learning course, and then measuring its effectiveness. It goes way beyond that. Companies have to prioritize training in a way that is conducive to remote working. Where employees can take charge of their own learning without being dependent on anyone. 

As employees take charge of this, organizations have to focus on how the content is being delivered. As employees have options to learn courses online from any platform at their own pace, organizations have to figure out a way to think about something in similar lines. In addition to that, they have to understand how these online courses take a goal-based approach, and they can implement them in the workplace to get maximum engagement.

All of this can happen if companies take an active step towards redefining their training strategy, keeping technology in the forefront.

We know the reasons why organizations have to rethink employee training. But, knowing doesn’t solve the problem. Doing it will give long term benefits.

Build a sustainable training environment

A sustainable training environment is one that focuses on all the aspects of employee development. Skill-based learning is necessary as it gives more confidence to employees to produce better results. 

But, if these training sessions happen at the cost of the mental health and overall physical well-being of the employees, then it’s futile exercise. Actively involving these aspects in training is the key. This is crucial for companies to understand this.

Bell, Canada’s largest communication company, has an annual campaign called “Let’s Talk Day”. Let’s Talk is a mission to create a positive change for people who are battling mental health issues. So far, this campaign has contributed more than $100 million dollars to support initiatives that talk about mental health and well-being of employees at the workplace. 

It’s not just for a single day. Employees in the organization get access to digital resources which they can refer to at any moment. Moreover, there is a dedicated 24/7 helpline for employees.

Conduct employee survey

Organizations who wait to hear from employees what they want to learn or how they want learning to be done at the workplace are setting them up to fail.  Because this has to be done the other way around. Companies have to take the initiative to conduct surveys, and involve employees.

Even a high achieving employee will not walk up to the senior manager to do this. As a matter of fact, these employees will be the first to look elsewhere when their growth needs are not met. Sometimes obvious red flags like lack of motivation or absence from the workplace might not be present. Therefore, to avoid such risks from lurking, employee surveys are a great solution.

But, this process has to be transparent and defined clearly. Here are some points that can help -

- Clearly describe the objective of the survey

- Mention the approximate time that will require to fill the survey

- When should the employees hear back about the result?

- What results should they expect from the survey?

- How frequently will this happen?

Find out the skill gaps

Skill gaps are serious concerns for organizations. Skill gaps hinder productivity as it creates a vacuum between the employees’ skill set and the skills required to perform a job. When this goes unchecked for a long time, employee retention becomes a huge challenge, and employee output crumbles down. 

One of the effective ways to identify skill gaps is conducting surveys which we mentioned earlier. Besides, companies can also arrange interviews with managers and their subordinates to get a real deal about what challenges they’re facing due to lack of skills. 

Organizations also have to take a proactive approach in resolving this problem. Some of them are - 

- Revisiting recruitment strategies: Clearly defining the skills and knowledge that candidates should possess to get hired

- Staying agile: The pandemic, and the rapid digital transformation fuels the ever-changing business landscape. Companies have to keep a close tab of what are the in-demand skills, and how they can make their employees adapt these

- Networking: Not all will be served to companies on a shining serving plate. They have to get out there, hire consultants or participate in HR conferences to discover what thought leaders are talking about employee skill management

Define metrics

As employees get more specific about how their skills are making a difference at the workplace, and what organizations are planning for their growth, organizations, on the other hand, have to be more prudent on how to measure the effectiveness of training programs. And, this can be done, by defining goals and metrics.

While the training program is in the starting phase, some important metrics will look like this - 

• Expected cost of running the program
• Expected duration
• Goal of this program 
• Number of employees participating 
• Rate at which the program will be completed

After the above metrics have been set, organizations can focus on measuring how employees are responding to the training program. There is no meaning in spending so many resources if employees are not retaining the learnings. 

To do this properly, here are some ways companies can analyze the metrics

- Run quizzes after a few chapters are over

- Design a short survey to gauge employee satisfaction

- Give assignments 

After the training program is over, comparing the outcomes with the goals set at the start of the program will help to determine the success of training employees.

Incentivize employees

Not every employee will show an equal amount of enthusiasm towards training programs. A cold shoulder response is common at the workplace. However, if organizations want to maximize the returns from training employees, they have to find ways to engage these employees too.

One of the best ways of doing this is by providing incentives. Incentive doesn’t have to be money necessarily, it can be done in different ways. 

- Giving gift cards and certificates to honor their participation

- Opening opportunities to fast track their career growth

- Sharing words of encouragement and appreciation in company forum or meeting

- Allow employees to take some time off their work to focus on learning

- Work on communication after the program is over. Train managers to listen to their subordinates’ views and ideas on how they can make a difference after having completed the program

Wrap up

The workplace environment has changed and so have the priorities for employees. As companies try to steer them away from Great Resignation, training programs have to be taken more seriously. 

Using the above techniques, organizations can redefine their learning and development programs for long-term growth. With better employee retention and high engagement, they have higher chances of producing future leaders that can survive even at uncertain times.

Recommended Reading:

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3 Essential Steps for Making an Effective Corporate Training Program

Employee upskilling and attrition rate - What L & D managers should know about?