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Navigating Learning and Development Post-COVID
We are (hopefully) quickly approaching a world post-COVID. As things return to normal, employers wrestle with the question of whether or not to return their employees to the office. If this last year has taught employers anything, it’s that employees can still effectively do their jobs from home—and they want to!
A study from PwC containing 1,200 U.S office workers, found that more than half of those employees want to continue remote work at least three days a week. As companies like Google and Spotify are giving their employees the option to work remotely or return to the office, many companies may decide to follow suit.
This new reality of work has led to an increased need for learning and development programs that help their employees navigate this hybrid working environment.
There are three major areas that should be considered as you look to enhance your learning and development programs.
Individual Employees
A portion of your training should include training that improves the employee’s individual development. Training that involves education on mindfulness, productivity, and improving well-being are essential to ensuring your employees have the tools to improve their life both personally and professionally.
With topics like mental health, well-being, and personal development being so important right now, it’s important that your company is involved in these conversations with your employees. After a year full of challenge and strife, it’s important to ensure your employees’ well-being is prioritized.
Individuals Working Together
As an employer, you also have to consider how digital collaboration has affected your employees. Shifting from in-person communication to online communication, employees need to understand what it takes to convey ideas through presentations, storytelling, and other digital avenues.
Individuals and Your Organization
As an organization, your values and purpose are at the forefront of everything you do. When employees are less connected with the organization physically, how can you ensure your mission and values remain intact? One specific area that may need updating is your onboarding process. In a hybrid office environment, onboarding must be more strategic, rather than just pushing information to new hires.
In this hybrid work environment, managers and supervisors have a large role in the culture. They must be good coaches who are involved with their employees. These managers and supervisors are the ones displaying the company’s values a majority of the time, so it’s crucial they be aligned with the organization’s values.
The Challenges of Hybrid Learning
Moving to hybrid learning may require a complete redesign.
There are many options on how to redesign a learning and development program that ensures maximum efficiency and effectiveness. This might mean asking employees to review materials as pre-work to live sessions or asking employees to give feedback after each session to ensure your employees are receiving the support they need.
Ensuring your employees remain engaged and persistent.
Drop-off rates are worrisome when it comes to online learning and are one of the biggest cons of online learning. What used to be a one or two-day workshop, now needs to be stretched over a longer period of time. As an employer, it is important to reinforce the reason behind the program.
Determining the need for live learning experiences.
If Gen Z has taught us anything, it’s that almost everything can be communicated online. As you design your learning and development program, it’s important to consider which topics need to be covered with a live discussion. There are pros and cons to both options, and designers can get carried away with both.
On the one hand, facilitators can overcompensate with too much unnecessary live interaction. On the other hand, too much online education can result in webinar fatigue and scheduling difficulties.
As you navigate the challenges that come with learning and development in a hybrid workforce, it’s important to understand what strategies can be effective. Our team at Culture Works are experts at implementing learning and development programs that really work. Contact our team today to learn more!
