Could Your Business Improve Its Workplace Learning And Development Programme?

Learning and development programmes are essential for any business. When you provide training and development opportunities to employees, you help to enhance their knowledge and skills, improve engagement and nurture the talent that exists within your business.

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There are arguably a lot of benefits that come with learning and development, but for many workplaces, training can take a back seat. The pandemic has been particularly tough for workers, with the focus on ‘getting the job done’ over learning and development.

Reinvigorating your workplace development programme could breathe new life into your business and give your employees fresh motivation.

Could your business improve its workplace learning and development programme? Here are some suggestions to help you secure success.

Why is workplace learning and development important?

Workplace learning and development are important for many reasons, including:

Enhances skills and experience amongst your employees
Improves morale and productivity
Boosts employee satisfaction
Helps to grow your business

An L&D programme ensures your business takes employee learning seriously, providing the tools and resources for employees to improve their skills.

What are the challenges facing learning and development?

For a lot of businesses, L&D can fall down the list of priorities. There is often a focus on immediacy, output and results, leaving little time for employees to seek learning opportunities, even if they’re readily available.

Budgets can also be a concern for businesses. Many have a set amount to put towards L&D, which may not meet the needs of all employees. This can leave employees frustrated, and perhaps seeking a move to a different employer who will provide them with the training they need.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also presented challenges for workplace learning. Some learning opportunities have been unavailable due to restrictions, and online learning isn’t always an option for employees. Some find it difficult to stay engaged during online learning sessions, and others can find it difficult to switch off from their other work activities due to their environment.

Despite these challenges, the pandemic has caused a surge in online learning, with many providers adapting quickly to changing work practices. As businesses move back to office-based working or hybrid working practices, e-learning could continue to provide employers with simple, flexible L&D solutions.

How can businesses improve their L&D programmes?

Now that businesses are largely returning to normal, they can begin to focus on L&D once again. Finding ways to enhance and build on your L&D programmes should be a key priority for your business, and ensure employees take advantage of the opportunities that are available.

Prioritise learning and development

It’s important to communicate your learning and development programme to your employees. Employees need to know what’s available to them, how it’s accessed and how they can benefit from L&D. Having a dedicated individual or team to action your L&D programme can help it become a key priority for your business, and make sure the work takes place.

Make it a firm part of the onboarding experience

Learning and development should be prioritised for every new starter in your organisation. Internal learning can help new joiners learn about the business quickly. A dedicated learning programme could help your new employees settle in quickly and feel more confident in their new roles.

At this early stage, it’s important to communicate the different L&D opportunities that exist and how they can take advantage of them. Objectives and personal development should also be discussed to ensure new recruits can make the most of the opportunities available to them.

The pandemic has presented challenges for onboarding, especially in instances where new joiners choose to work remotely. Being able to train junior staff remotely and effectively can be difficult, but the right programme can make it happen. It’s important to consider remote learning alongside face-to-face learning to ensure all employees are given the same opportunities.

Ditch the formality

Typical perceptions of L&D can be negative. Many people associate workplace learning with dull, corporate videos and presentations read aloud by unengaged and unenthusiastic employees. But workplace learning doesn’t have to be like this.

There are many ways you can make learning fun again, including changing the format of the courses and ensuring they’re delivered by people who engage with the class. Rebranding your learning offering can help people change their perceptions of your L&D programme, encouraging them to explore and sign up for opportunities.

Take advantage of the systems that modernise learning

Workplace learning becomes more attractive when there are systems in place that make it easier to access L&D. Learning portals can be particularly effective to show employees the courses and opportunities that are available, while also being able to monitor their own progress. More and more businesses are using learning management systems (LMS) to enhance their L&D programmes.

What is LMS, and how can it boost your business? An LMS helps employers manage learning opportunities, making it easier to assign learning and identify different training needs. These systems can save a lot of work for L&D professionals while aiding record-keeping too.

Work with employees to identify their strengths and interests

With an effective L&D programme in place, the next challenge is to get your employees to take up the opportunities on offer. Encouraging employees to pursue personal development can be difficult, but working with employees on an individual level could help you see better results.

Giving employees the opportunity to choose their training can help them take ownership of their learning, and helps them learn things they have an interest in. This can help maintain enthusiasm and ensures they continue to learn new and relevant skills throughout their time with the company.

Make learning a priority across the organisation

L&D isn’t just something for your junior members of staff. Making learning a priority across the organisation will ensure everyone’s skills stay sharp, bringing new knowledge into the business. Senior management can share their L&D experiences and serve as advocates for learning across your organisation.

Working L&D into performance reviews and development programmes can help motivate employees to complete training, especially if pay, bonuses and progression are tied to meeting objectives.

Boost confidence as well as skills

Learning new skills is one way to boost confidence. But these new skills don’t have to be specifically linked to an employee’s role within the business. Providing learning opportunities which target other areas of personal development could help employees gain confidence through mastering another skill.

Many companies are happy to fund courses that contribute to personal development. This not only boosts confidence but helps with morale and motivation too. Some great examples include language classes, cooking classes and even circle skills or stand-up comedy.

Providing unique learning opportunities can maintain an interest in learning, encouraging employees to try other types of learning that could bring fresh skills and knowledge to your company.

Introduce different types of learning

Learning doesn’t just have to be conducted in a classroom setting. While these types of courses can be effective for delivering information quickly, they may not be the most engaging type of learning for employees.

Learning can take different forms, including practical and hands-on approaches, which can teach employees through doing. Other great ways to educate and inspire your employees include inviting guest speakers to share their experiences with your organisation.

Keeping your L&D programme helps keeps things fresh, ensuring your employees don’t become bored with the learning opportunities on offer.

Encourage colleagues to learn from each other

Employees can learn a lot from each other, even if they work in completely unrelated fields. Job swapping is a fantastic way for people to learn more about work in other departments, develop new skills, and shadow opportunities that might normally be unavailable.

A job swapping programme could provide opportunities that last days, weeks, or even months. They can be a simple way of upskilling different members of your team, and help employees decide on their progression path. It’s a good idea for your senior leaders to take part in job swapping exercises, helping them to develop a better understanding of the responsibilities of people within the organisation.

Give employees the time to focus on their learning

Finally, if you’re going to make L&D a priority for your business, you need to give employees the time and resources to learn. Many people fail to take advantage of L&D opportunities because they haven’t got time in their schedules, or they’re concerned about missing days of work. As a responsible and modern employer, you can ensure that provisions are made to support learning, including time to reflect and test out new skills that have been learned.

Learning and development are an important part of any workplace. Even small businesses can benefit from a formal L&D programme. Dedicating resources to your employees’ learning and development helps them develop a range of new skills while ensuring your business benefits too. Give L&D the focus it deserves, and see the impact it could have on your organisation.