This has been an issue that many learning and development and HR experts have been trying to figure out way before the time of the #GreatResignation – how do you keep up employee retention, increase productivity and engagement, whilst making sure that everyone is obtaining the right skills that they need to progress in their role?
Some L&D and HR teams take the ‘one size fits all’ approach and enlist recruits, long time employees and everyone in between on one course, with the same structure, accessibility, and teaching style. Good for time and money, yes? But what if it does not help everyone learn in the best way? What then?
Cutting on time and money by offering the same training and development course might be great for the finance department, but what do you lose by not prioritising your employee preferences, learning style, and other individual factors? Lots.
Your employees’ opinions should be the first thing that matters when assessing how you are going to plan your training and development approach. You might be tempted to install what you see as the most economical and safe possibility, but have you listened to your employees' input on this?
Sodexo found that active listening was a key ingredient to a high rate of employee engagement, and further statistics find that 87% of workers wish their workplace did more to listen to their needs and wants within the workplace. And who doesn’t want to be listened to in their place of work?
Communication in the planning of training and development provision (not just in task and project management) is a sure way to make your employees happy.
What happens when your employees become less happy? Employers who haven’t considered the power of personalisation and active listening risk the migration of their employees to a different workplace, which might just be your competitor. Oracle found that a large share of the workforce is watching for new opportunities, whether they are passively looking or actively applying.
Therefore, addressing personal needs and wants on training and further professional development is key for really understanding your employees, who would be less likely to look for work elsewhere, if they are happy with you!
You already know, personalisation is king regarding effective work, and this also applies to the effectiveness of training.
Hurix makes a great point of highlighting that training content suited to the needs of the employee and their areas for development, rather than a dreaded one-size-fits-all approach helps the individual ‘...improve their performance, achieve various organizational objectives and keep them engaged throughout...’ which is more than you could hope for from an effective training and development plan! Therefore, tailored, and personalised learning and training clearly seems like an easy decision when the result is increased employee motivation to adapt those new skills in their everyday work.
So, you can see all the benefits, you understand how personalised learning and development is the way – but how do you personalise it?
Well, talking to your employees, communicating, and asking them for their perfect learning and development scenario that may best suit them is part of the solution. We offer a tool to help you do this: our recognised psychometric behavioural test uncovers communication, working and training preferences. We can help you understand the nuances of your employees’ behaviour and their needs. It is a personalised tool to help your learning and development programs support each employee. Our tool is also able to show you how each employee is contributing to the performance of your organisation.
To improve your learning and development strategy - learn more about it below.