According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of managers across 50 organizations were dissatisfied with their company’s learning and development functions. With that statistic in mind, and the $359 billion spent on training in 2016, it’s essential that your company’s learning and development program is developed properly. As a business owner, you probably know you should start implementing a learning and development program.
It seems as if the COVID-19 business shutdowns are far from over. With a new strain of COVID-19 appearing in the United States, it’s safe to say that employers should be prepared for potential shutdowns. After all, in December 2020, employers are said to have laid off upwards of 140,000 employees.
With that being said, as an employer, it’s important to understand what direction you should go in terms of furloughs and layoffs regarding your workforce. In some cases, furloughing employees might be more beneficial for both you and your employees.
Recruiting top talent is one of the foundational steps in crafting your company culture that serves your company’s purpose. Implementing this step in a thoughtful, effective manner is essential to your success as an organization. At Culture Works, we understand that your people make up your organization, and it is essential that your people are working toward greater business success.
In order for your recruiting strategy to be effective, you must hire employees who are in alignment with their role and your organization’s values. This starts way before you receive your first application. Let’s walk through the essential elements of a successful recruiting strategy.
Are you debating if your company truly has a positive culture, one that implements Learning and Development? Read our blog to learn the 5 signs that your company does have a positive company culture.
It is not enough for a company to say it invest in its company culture. Creating a healthy workplace environment is a process that takes time and commitment. A factor that is often forgotten with any process is that learning new skills is essential to change. With learning comes vulnerability.
So, let’s chat about the power of learning and development within the workplace.
Learning and development (L&D) is an HR function: “a way of accruing value in employees that involves evaluating staff for potential and then developing it… on-boarding new staff and honing the skills of current employees.”
How is this accomplished?
By “using appropriate curriculum and techniques such as coaching, individual and team training, and staff assessments. Learning management systems also increase employee engagement.”
To reiterate the importance of L&D, we acknowledge that, “The term ‘learning’ often applies to immediate teaching, and ‘development’ has a longer-term connotation.”
Culture Works acknowledges that part of our impact is through:
The process means that we align HR and operations to simplify internal processes. We drive results by implementing HR infrastructure upgrades which are the building blocks of aligned organizational culture and business goals.
Learning and development are creating specific skills and connections that stay with employees when they leave the office for the day. Learning and development, in the long run, boost company culture while also improving the bottom line. L&D programs, in short, benefits employees and the company as a whole.
The news of the Great Resignation affecting all industries right now has pushed for more active implementation for positive company cultures in the workplace. There are ways to improve positive company culture with L&D.
In order to be a company that values a learning culture, you should put more emphasis on KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities) rather than key performance indicators (KPIs). Employees should be encouraged to better themselves in order to contribute to the greater success of the business.
It’s important for employees to understand that learning and experimenting with new skills in the workplace is encouraged as well as expected. Empowering employees to take the initiative in their development is one of the best ways to help your employees and your company grow.
In everything you do, it’s important to assess the results. These assessments will give you the information you need to build a better program and keep your employees motivated.
Employee surveys are a great way to assess your efforts. Start with an assessment to establish benchmarks in areas like knowledge and performance. Once you have the base assessment, you can base your further efforts on the evaluation. These will help you uncover the impact of the program on retention, internal mobility, business results, and other factors that lead to success.
It’s also important to assess employee responses to your efforts. Are employees taking advantage of the provided opportunities? Are they utilizing the online resources? If not, you may need to change course.
It is said that company culture changes start from the top down, and while that is true (without high-level buy-in any culture initiative will fail), it is also essential to engage your middle management. If your mid-level managers do not understand the importance of learning and development, their direct reports will never completely buy-in.
Middle managers need to know that the learning and development programs are designed to help keep employee skills up to date, and prepare their employees for potential growth opportunities.
Managers can serve as a mentor to their employees, performing the training programs, and following up after. When employees take the time to develop new skills, it makes them better contributors to the team and gives them the opportunity to act as team players. When managers understand this, they will buy-in.
Understanding the difference between skills and behaviors will help you tailor your programs to ensure employee success. Skills are typically straightforward to learn and can be easily transferred in an online teaching environment.
Changes in behavior are more complex. How people act in specific circumstances, like high-pressure situations, is more challenging to teach. Teaching the ‘why’ behind behaviors helps to promote a greater learning environment. You must teach your employees how you would like them to conduct themselves in the workplace. Part of this teaching process is modeling the behavior you’re actively encouraging your workforce to implement yourself.
For example, if you have a collaborative, candid environment, you would do well to give employees the skills to be candid, accept honest feedback, and collaborate with teams. Understanding how your corporate culture meshes with your employees’ communication styles will define your company’s overall approach to learning.
Are you debating if your company truly has a positive culture, one that implements Learning and Development? Read our blog to learn the 5 signs that your company does have a positive company culture.
California has updated the laws surrounding sexual harassment training effective Jan. 1, 2021
As of January 1, 2021, the laws regarding sexual harassment training in the workplace have changed. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act protects employees from unlawful practices and harassment. Starting in 2005, the law required employers with 50 or more employees to provide at least 2 hours of training and education on the subject of sexual harassment and abusive conduct. This year, the requirement has been adjusted to apply to businesses with five or more employees.
Understanding your human capital while operationalizing human resources (HR) is essential to success creating a company culture that thrives.
Most companies today practice a reactive recruitment approach. They wait for a position to open up and believe that simply posting the job online will bring in enough applicants to effectively fill the role. So, we have put together some proactive recruiting tips- building a killer bench six months to a year before you need them.
When was the last time you were really excited about something upcoming? You can probably name a few times in the last few weeks. When was the last time one of your employees felt really excited about something upcoming? Unsure? Taking the emotional temperature of your employees is just as important as taking your own. In order to create a company culture that fosters excellence, you need to be able to support your employees when they need it most.
Have you ever met someone and just instantly clicked? You leave thinking this is the best conversation you have ever had. You bond about vacation spots, music, shared likes and dislikes. How could they not be the best employee you’ve ever hired? Well… they might not be.
At the center of great companies are great employees. In order to create great employees, you must motivate and inspire them to become better. Some leaders feel as though they have to make all the decisions regarding their company, but that’s not the case. As a leader, it is your responsibility to empower your employees to continue to grow as both employees and people. This begins with trust.