Workplace learning presents an opportunity to expand the knowledge and skills of all employees. It can help the companys mission and vision and is recommended as a tool to engage employees and invest in the growth of the company. Workplace learning should be a top priority because it is going to happen, regardless of the methods used to administer it. As an employer, You must take this process seriously because it can be the reason for your companys success or the beginning of its downfall.
Through offering growth and development opportunities, organizations can increase the standard of the work experience of their workers and reap the benefits of employees that reach their full potential. In research conducted by the Blessing White consultancy firm, employees revealed they are staying at an organization because they enjoy the work they perform. However, the number one reason that they leave is to develop their career further.
The workplace environment was found to be the primary reason employees stay with a company, where 30 percent were quoted saying, \"I like the work I do.\" Only 17 percent of respondents stated career opportunities as the primary reason for staying in the job. However, when it came to the reasons for leaving a job, the primary reason cited was the lack of opportunities for career growth and development, with 26 percent (more than a quarter) of respondents attesting to this. â €
Working is interconnected with learning, and consequently, workplace learning is how skills are upgraded and knowledge are acquired at the place of work. Workplace learning mostly occurs through work-related interactions and is generally described as contributing to the learning of both the individual employee and the organization as a whole.
Ways of developing employee skills
Encourage professional growth - The status quo does not satisfy high-potential employees. They will become the future leaders of your company if you provide proper guidance in their growth.
Develop a development plan - Have the staff set goals that are consistent with their talents, interest, and expertise, and the overall business strategy. Establish goals and expectations to help them repair career opportunities in their sights.
Mentorship - For someone in a position close to the staff, mentoring employees may promote positive and productive working relationships, offering support, and encouraging workers in their careers. Employees may help a company respond to changes and achieve its goals when motivated by guidance and support.
Challenge the workers - Get your team out of their comfort zones. If they dont grow, workers can not move forward, and they will not grow if they never leave their comfort zones.
Show employees that you trust them - If you want to help employees improve, support them by getting out of the way. Let them know what your standards are by clearly stating your desired outcomes and expectations. Then shows them you trust them.
How covid – 19 has influenced learning and development
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Increase in remote working
A recent Gartner poll showed that 48% of employees will likely work remotely at least part of the time after COVID-19 versus 30% before the pandemic. As organizations shift to more remote work operations, explore the critical competencies employees will need to collaborate digitally, and be prepared to adjust employee experience strategies. Consider whether and how to shift performance goal-setting and employee evaluations for a remote context.
Contingent worker expansion
The economic uncertainty of the pandemic has caused many workers to lose their jobs and exposed others for the first time to nonstandard work models. Many organizations responded to the pandemics economic impact by reducing their contractor budgets, but there has since been a shift.
Gartners analysis shows that organizations will continue to expand their use of contingent workers to maintain more flexibility in workforce management post-COVID-19, and will consider introducing other job models they have seen during the pandemic, such as talent sharing and 80% pay for 80% work.
\"Our research finds that 32% of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure,\" says Kropp. \"While gig workers offer employers greater workforce management flexibility, HR leaders will need to evaluate how performance management systems apply to these workers and determine whether they will be eligible for the same benefits as their full-time peers.\"
The transition from designing for efficiency to designing for resilience
A 2019 Gartner organization design survey found that 55% of organizational redesigns were focused on streamlining roles, supply chains, and workflows to increase efficiency. While this approach captured efficiencies, it also created fragilities, as systems have no flexibility to respond to disruptions. Resilient organizations were better able to respond — correct course quickly with change. To build a more responsive organization, employees need to be provided with adaptive and flexible roles so they acquire cross-functional knowledge and training.
It is important to note that every company has its set of priorities to help take it to the next level and knowing which initiatives will make the greatest impact can be tough. But what makes a business prosperous and truly differentiates one organization from the rest is not the product it sells or the service it offers, it is the people within it.
Taking care of your employees does not simply mean offering fun happy hours or paying for lunch once a week. Each person, no matter their level or where they choose to work, wants to feel genuinely cared for. An impactful way to do this is through a commitment to support their professional advancement and personal growth.
Employee development is a long-term initiative, but it also leads to short-term benefits like increased loyalty and improved performance and engagement. Here are five ways you can begin improving employee development at your company.
Workplace learning can improve employee performance by giving them the means to grow with the company and contribute to a culture built around performance. Employees are more likely to succeed when allowed to do so. Continuous learning in the workplace makes employees knowledgeable about their role and how to better enrich their time at work.
Workplace learning presents an opportunity to expand the knowledge and skills of all employees. It can help the companys mission and vision and is recommended as a tool to engage employees and invest in the growth of the company. Workplace learning should be a top priority because it is going to happen, regardless of the methods used to administer it. As an employer, You must take this process seriously because it can be the reason for your companys success or the beginning of its downfall.
Growth and development initiatives empower employees to enhance their expertise, talents, and abilities and adapt the skills they have learned to unfamiliar scenarios. The ability to gain new skills may improve employee engagement, and allow employees to handle stress at work more successfully. This, in turn, can result in positive gains for an organization through improved productivity which is a by-product of engaged employees.
Carl Tapi is a Consultant at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a management and human resources consulting firm. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-tapi-45776482/ Phone +263 (242) 481946-48/481950 or cell number +263 772 469 680 or email: carl@ipcconsultants.com or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com