Learning and development strategies have come under the spotlight post-pandemic as organisations adapt to an increase in remote and hybrid working, skills shortages and the changing expectations of employees.
People Management Insight, in partnership with MHR International, brought together a panel of senior HR professionals to discuss some of the main challenges being faced and some possible solutions.
It’s tough getting people to engage
Engagement with L&D was identified as an issue for many organisations who offer multiple options only to see a lack of take-up or complaints that it is the wrong kind of training, said Simona Liverzani, senior HR director, Deltatre.
“For the past two years we have had LinkedIn Learning which offersthousands of courses but engagement is very low and people claim they are not getting trained. There has to be some personal responsibility,” she said.
Compliance culture in organisations can make ‘training’ seem like a drag, said Ruth Taylor, HR business partner, Sensient Flavours.
“People do it because they have to but they don’t engage with it. We need to try and speak about people’s learning journeys and also what’s in it for them,” she said.
Even organisations where compliance is mission critical, such as the armed forces, are adopting a more personalised approach.
Rachel Smallwood, head of human performance and leadership for the Royal Navy pointed to a switch of mindset from “spoon-fed” training to a more personal approach.
“There’s a shift from delivering training at them to enabling them to fulfil their potential,” she said. “We are trying to move to a learner-centric approach where we assess whether somebody really needs three sessions on something. Some get it first time.”
Different strokes
Will Searle, chief people and culture officer, National Grid agreed that L&D systems had lost a focus on the individual and the fact that people learn in different ways. HR had to address this rather than getting frustrated if people don’t use the tools provided.
Yamuna Morton, international total rewards lead at JS Held pointed to a 70:20:10 mix encompassing learning on the job, experience, and a smaller element of formal training.
Yet, working from home and hybrid working have lessened the ability to interact with colleagues and learn on the job, she said.
Training beyond the classroom
Overall, there was a feeling that the remit of what passed as training needs to be expanded.
Traditional classroom L&D approaches are not suitable for every individual, nor indeed for the agile requirements of today’s organisations and their future skills needs.
TikTok, YouTube, TED Talks, podcasts, and even just workplace discourse could all be seen as forms of learning and are often less intimidating options, although they are not always easy to log or share, admitted Ian MacKinnon, product owner, L&D, MHR International – the company is looking at building products that facilitate this.
Christina Pattrick, HR business partner at Bosch said it has introduced a self-service platform that allows colleagues to bypass line management approval for training under a certain cost as a way of increasing engagement.
This includes training that is not directly work related but may be a passion project that the company is happy to support.
This approach could appeal to younger colleagues who can present a particular challenge at a time when retention is harder than ever.
Harrods’ learning manager, Hannah King said generational differences are more obvious with Gen Z. “Onboarding can be quite difficult in a traditional company and there is a lot of turnover in the 3-6 months period as it’s hard to reach them.”
But, they bring a lot to organisations, said Taylor who recommended reverse mentoring to see what they could do for others.
Searle said he didn’t recognise the stereotype of the ‘disengaged Gen Z-er’. “They work harder than I did and care more about learning than I did. They are focused on their job and career, and are committed and invested,” he said.
The latest tools
Just as technology has enabled more widespread remote working, it brings new opportunities to L&D. Pattrick said Bosch has had success with gamification of some training, and MacKinnon highlighted opportunities with AI.
Yet, he cautioned against being too dazzled by technical toys and that remote working meant organisations had to assess the technology that their staff had.
“In sectors like care you may have casual staff who are using their own devices. Not everyone has a laptop so you need to meet them where they are,” he said.
As organisations continue to deal with the power pendulum swinging ever more towards people, such a compromising approach could pay dividends.
Learning rethought: discover strategies that work with MHR here.