Increase the Employee Experience By Encouraging Self-Directed Learning

The current work environment is unprecedented, with hybrid work, the Great Resignation, and the ongoing stressors of navigating through a pandemic. Employees face numerous challenges while striving to remain productive. Hybrid and virtual work settings have created new opportunities for careers, and employees are continuously seeking ways to prepare themselves for their next role.

In order for organizations to maintain their status as preferred employers, it is important they prioritize their investment in employee development. This is essential for fostering a healthy workplace culture, enhancing employee retention, and improving the overall employee experience. In light of the current circumstances, how can companies provide effective training to their employees when physical gatherings are not feasible? The solution lies in the integration of microlearning with the Learning and Development (L&D) team, which can offer contemporary on-demand learning opportunities that are highly sought after by the present-day workforce.

The role of your L&D team

The significance of the influence that Learning and Development (L&D) has on employees cannot be underestimated. This group serves as the most significant ally of your organization in fostering an environment of growth and professional development for your teams. L&D practitioners play a crucial role in shaping the company culture and guaranteeing that your organizational objectives are reinforced through tailored and curated learning programs for your workforce. By seeking feedback from employees to identify skill gaps and from executive leadership on the skills required for future growth and recruitment, they can effectively identify the learning opportunities that will best enable you to achieve your goals.

How can organizations close their skill gaps?

The advantages of cultivating employees have far-reaching effects on a global scale. According to the World Economic Forum, a widespread investment in upskilling has the potential to increase GDP to $6.5 trillion by 2030. In order to maintain a competitive edge, companies must initiate a process of curated learning without delay. To determine a viable course of action, one of the most effective approaches is to establish learning journeys for employees, which promote consistency throughout the organization. This method enables companies and L&D leaders to create content that addresses the most pressing needs of their workforce. By aligning learning with organizational objectives, company values, and other essential skills, companies can enhance their operations and achieve optimal outcomes.

Learning and Development (L&D) teams have the capability to construct these learning journeys and disseminate them to your employees through your internal Learning Management System (LMS) or Learning Experience Platform (LXP), social and instant messaging channels, or Intranet – any component of your ecosystem where your personnel frequently congregate – at a frequency that is most suitable for your environment. Depending on the size of your L&D team, this may entail a significant amount of time spent sourcing content or creating materials to ensure continuous learning. To alleviate some of this burden for your team, engaging a learning partner can meet your content requirements and allow your L&D team to devote more time to other initiatives.

What makes effective learning journeys?

Organizations or small businesses that are inexperienced in offering internal professional development, discovering the appropriate blend of impactful and accessible learning for their staff can be a daunting task. As per the Harvard Business Review, successful learning journeys encompass the following crucial elements:

• Comprehensive guidance on the objective of the learning journey and its target audience
• A coherent sequence that establishes the learning in incremental stages
• Endorsement from top-level executives.

An essential element of successful learning expeditions is the facility for the content to be readily accessible. Given that a significant number of employees operate on a hybrid schedule, arranging full-day in-person training sessions can be arduous, as it often entails a considerable time commitment and poses a significant obstacle within the day. Employing microlearning is an excellent approach to guarantee that your teams receive the necessary content in a format that is easy to comprehend, at any time they have brief intervals of time available during their day.

How can organizations make learning part of the employee experience?

Personnel seek to be employed by establishments that offer them prospects for progression and opportunities to enhance their skillset. The availability of such resources within your organization distinguishes it from competitors, enhances employee engagement, and heightens the probability of your staff feeling self-assured in their capacity to advance. Additionally, employees expect their employer to demonstrate concern for their welfare. Therefore, incorporating content on psychological safety, allyship, and emotional intelligence can provide your personnel with a comprehensive learning experience. Christine Dagenais, CEO of Bright Wire, enumerates four reasons why companies should allocate resources to microlearning for their workforce.

Continuity in practice

The compact design of Microlearning enables your employees to incorporate learning as a continuous aspect of their experience, without the need to reserve extended periods for traditional classroom-style training. This approach facilitates seamless integration into their schedule.

Consistency company-wide

Microlearning facilitates the expansion of an organization’s training program to guarantee that all employees can access it concurrently, rather than staggering the audience to accommodate a conference room comfortably. It enables effortless monitoring of the completion of learning by individuals and forestalls any impediments to employees’ access to the content.

Modern and relevant content for our world

The contemporary workforce is characterized by its dynamism, and it is imperative that the training provided to teams is reflective of this reality. Microlearning, with its adaptable format, enables learning to be delivered through various modalities, thereby ensuring that it remains at the forefront of innovation. Blue Ocean Brain’s content, for instance, integrates articles, videos, knowledge checks, and brain games to reinforce the subject matter and sustain learners’ engagement. Additionally, leaders can disseminate lessons to their teams for group discussions or one-on-one sessions, thereby fostering commitment and ensuring that employees are responsible for investing in their professional growth.

Conciseness boosts engagement

Acknowledging the difficulties posed by the hybrid work environment, it is imperative to note that the available time for employees to engage in activities beyond their core duties is constrained. The adoption of microlearning presents an opportunity for individuals to enhance their skill sets at a self-determined pace and at a time that is most convenient for them.

In order to maintain competitiveness in the contemporary job market, it is imperative for companies to allocate resources towards the development of their personnel. The implementation of self-directed learning initiatives enables employees to concentrate on professional development areas that are of utmost importance to them, at a time that is most convenient. Investing in the professional development of employees yields an invaluable return on the employee experience. By fostering a culture of personal growth and development, employees are provided with a comprehensive work environment, while the organization remains at the forefront of industry advancements, thereby becoming a catalyst for change.