How Can Organisations Build a Culture of Continuous Learning?
A learning culture in the workplace is the attitude of employees and business owners to continue to seek out opportunities to learn new skills or processes with the objective of improving oneself and how the job is performed. A positive learning culture has been shown to increase employee retention, keep organisations up-to-date with world changes, and generate business growth. With all these benefits, business not only want to to developing a learning culture, but also creating the right environment for their staff to learn and grow.
Who is responsible for employee training and development?
There is the clear question in who is responsible for the training and development of employees. And the answer is easy. As it is said that it takes a village to raise a child, so be true that it takes everyone’s commitment for continued learning in a business.
The many players in the field are the:
Employee – who ultimately is the person who does the work required to accomplish the continued learning. They are responsible for signing up and putting in the effort to learn the added skills that will improve their performance and productivity for the business.
Line Manager – who encourages the employee by suggesting skills to learn and granting time away from work to accomplish the learning.
HR – who puts into place the right systems for easy learning by the employee.
Organisation – who create a culture of continued learning that not only supports the employee in their journey of learning but provides resources for that learning and the time the employee needs to accomplish the education.
How can we create a culture for continuous learning?
As recent years have shown, it has become a clear trend that learning is at the very core of employability for people and ensuring the right work gets done at the right time for organisations. Hundreds of thousands of workers around the world have found themselves taking on new tasks and responsibilities, a movement that is not showing any sign of slowing anytime soon. So, once all the players are on board and understand their role with continued learning, the next thing to do is create the right company culture that promotes continuous learning.
There are numerous ways to foster an environment of learning, but first organisations need to communicate the importance of continued learning with teams and individuals. They should let staff and leaders know and understand the benefits for themselves and for the company. Once that is share, then organisation can lay out the plans for moving this forward.
Next, business should create a mindset of continuous learning. Unless everyone is excited and “all in” with continued learning, there is less likelihood that much will be accomplished with the learning programs. People will just go through the motions. But if staff has set their mind that continued learning is not only good for the company, but is good for themselves too, they will put in a solid effort into getting the most out of their journey.
Once that is established, employers should be mindful according to Janice Burns on the Digital HR Leaders Podcast, to give:
“Employees the freedom to learn what they want, when they want, and how they want to learn. And we shouldn't limit people in terms of what they are learning, because the act of learning itself, regardless of if it is directly applicable to the role that someone is in or not, is something that helps to fuel innovation and creativity and imagination.”
At this point, it is wise to offer resources employees will need to continue learning. Here you can purchase the learning your employees need or create the content yourself to fit the unique needs of your industry. Mentorship may be provided to guide learners by making suggestions or offering support.
While employees are asked to take on additional learn, it is important to know that they are watching their leaders. If the leaders of your company and HR professionals are continuing their learning as well, then your staff will be more motivated to follow suite.
After employees have made strides in their learning, provide a means for employees to share their achievements. This can be done in group meetings where managers compliment on an employee’s accomplishments. Or make certificates readily available that can be shared with their internal and external network. We’ve found offering certifications with every course offered in the myHRfuture Academy provides learners with a greater sense of achievement.
Lastly, ask for feedback. To truly provide the right environment for employee learning is to gather data on what is working and what is not. It is only when you have solid information can you make strategic decisions and adjust the program to best fit your employees.
How is the shift of hybrid work impacting learning?
It is no surprise that hybrid work is here to stay. For continuous learning, this may come with some challenges since not all staff is at the workplace or office and cannot be easily called into the training room to receive additional education.
Because of this shift, new technologies are developing to better serve those who work from home or at a remote location, including the rise of VR. In many ways, this can make continuous learning easier. Employees will be freer to choose their types of learning. They also will have more access to learning in regard to flexibility in times when they take classes.
But what companies are going to want to do is clearly evaluate the technology they deploy in their organisation. Though it might seem appealing, if it doesn’t deliver on its promise, then it can be an unwanted expense that fails to provide the right training for their hybrid staff. So it is vital that HR professionals and business leaders collect the right data to make these important decisions.
How can organisations lean into blended learning?
To make continuous learning more accessible to staff, offering up several options or blended learning experiences is valuable for company innovation and growth. First though, organisations will want to have an idea what they want from the learning and how that will fit with their business goals. Look at what skills you want to develop with your employees and how you plan for those skills to be utilized. After that is established, it is much easier to move forward with how the learning can be implemented and blended.
After planning what you want in your blending learning approach, take an inventory of what you have. This way, if some learning can be repurposed to fit your need, it can save on the budget for purchasing and developing new programs to fit the learning. Look into means to create the learning you need or develop the skills of content curation.
Then, you will want to look at your people and the reality of what works. Do most of your employees do better with hybrid learning and online programs or is in-person training a more suitable fit. Or do they learn just as well under both types. Also consider what technology you have access to. Is it easy for employees to use? Is it accurate and effective in delivering the desired information? Is it in budget? From the answers to these questions will better prepare you for putting together a continuous learning program that is right for your company.
Once again, as you move through the processes of leaning into a more blended learning approach, it is vital to gather information on the training programs and evaluate the effectiveness of one vs. another and adapt and change where needed. The end goal is a more skilled workforce that brings business growth and a competitive edge in the market.
Key Takeaway
Employees want continued learning. It only makes sense. They need meaning when they punch into that time clock or open up their laptop. They wish to be working toward a better version of themselves so they can be more productive. So, for companies to help their employees, creating a learning culture in the business not only helps their employees, but helps the business grow and prosper. And HR can help, by building on their skills too, concentrating on skills that are data driven, business focused, and experience led.
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We help organisations reinvent learning. Our learning programs support your HR Business Partners to build the skills they need to effectively use analytics in HR to have data driven conversations with the business that drive actionable outcomes. The Data Driven HR Fundamentals certification is a collection of 6 on-demand, video based training courses that can be completed within a 12 month period, at their own pace. This certification program is designed to support your team build their skills in analytical thinking, data analytics and storytelling. By completing this learning program your HR team will learn how to better interpret HR data and be confident in having data driven conversations with the business, that drive actionable outcomes.