Employees know what they want and it's not robotic learning.
Discover how you can improve your learning programs and keep employees engaged.
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Learning and development (L&D) programs are essential in filling skill gaps and creating a positive working culture. Naturally, many leaders have different ideas about what creates an effective learning strategy. However, it is the employees that need to have their learning needs met.
To understand what learners want and need 360Learning spoke to 3,000 employees and L&D decision makers across the UK, US, France, and Germany.
It turns out that human connection is essential in learning programs, because eLearning, virtual workshops, and massive open online courses are not valued by the majority of employees. In fact, only 29% cited these methods as a learning process.
However, learning is not as simple as shifting to in-person lectures. This is illustrated by only 37% of employees preferring to learn through external workshops and courses.
“In-the-flow” learning
61% of employees revealed that learning from peers was the best way to develop skills, and this was followed by coaching and mentoring (59%), and instructor-led, on-the-job training (53%).
Despite this, less than half of HR leaders who were spoken to said that these in-person approaches were not common. Evidently, there’s a gap between the thoughts of leaders and the needs of employees.
It is clear that employees want to have peers help them develop and then use new skills in their work. In short, employees want “in-the-flow” working.
Employees want to learn; 61% of staff said that they have a strong desire to take advantage of all learning programs, with the main motivators consisting of being better at their role (67%) and staying motivated (63%). With this in mind, companies can’t afford not to invest wisely in learning and development.
David James, chief learning officer at 360Learning, said: “Our UK and global surveys prove that, while time and resources remain tight and creating the right learning outcomes continues to be difficult, employees have a strong desire for personal and professional development. This is one of the hardest parts of the battle [to be] won.
“Shifting to more immediate, in-the-moment guidance and support is not only seen as the preferred route for many employees, and a priority for L&D teams according to our results, but it’s been shown to have a huge range of benefits for both the individuals and businesses themselves.
“We know how impactful collaborative and tailored corporate learning and development can be and the results from our survey show that this is a shared ideal. Now we just need to get everyone on the same page.”
