Revamping Employee Learning and Development Training

Adage that learning and development forms the core of a successful business strategy. A survey, based on findings from 830 companies, done by The Association for Talent Development revealed that organizations with a progressive learning culture were high performers while also attracting skilled and more talented employees.

 It is, then, needless to emphasise on the importance of relevant L&D programs. To ensure relevance it is imperative to first identify issues that companies face in an ever-evolving world. While companies have implemented different learning strategies and developed technologically advanced learning systems over the past 25 years, not many except a few MNCs have focused on what these e-learning systems have to offer with regards to the content. While most e-learning systems offer professional skill-based training, close to none offer personalised soft skills development. Henry Ford offered classes in personal finance, homemaking, and hygiene to his employees as long back as in the 1910s and 1920s. Ford believed that his workforce was a valuable asset and wanted to invest in it. He further said, “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.” While the seeds to this thought have existed for long, most employers are yet to take them seriously.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only forced businesses and companies to rework their functioning and business strategies but has also threatened to reduce productivity levels. Work from home, generally known to enhance productivity, has under the pandemic induced lockdown jeopardised employee productivity. You would ask how? The answer to that is the stress-laden times this pandemic has brought about. Most individuals are faced with an unpredictable future that is characterised by financial instability and uncertainty. 

To tackle this situation isn’t just about a tool to reduce attrition rate or increase productivity but is a moral duty. More and more companies have started taking up the duty of providing an emotionally safe and healthy environment conducive for their employees’ growth; and the results are more than just inspiring. Increased productivity, employee engagement rates, and higher turnovers are just a few advantages, to begin with. So how can you revamp your organisation’s learning and development program to your benefit?

Let’s look at the three areas that need to be addressed far more diligently in the post-COVID-19 era.

1. Financial Wellness – Today as increasingly more people are at the risk of losing their jobs or facing pay-cuts in view of the crumbling economies under the pandemic, employees are becoming ever-more anxious. It, thus, becomes essential for employers to introduce financial well-being as part of their L&D initiatives. Financially literate employees are equipped with the right knowledge required to reduce their debt, manage their assets and investments, plan and budget for life-altering circumstances. The idea is to help employees alleviate their financial-related stresses so that they’re not preoccupied while working. In turn, this will help increase employee productivity rates and reduce attrition rates while making the organisation desirable for potential employees.

2. Mental Health – According to a research paper written by Salima Hamouche, the different stressors for employees working under the COVID-19 pandemic are manifold. And it doesn’t end with the pandemic. It will have lasting ramifications. The perception of safety, threat, and risk of contagion; the fear of unknown despite information overdose; quarantine and confinement; stigma and social exclusion; and financial loss and job insecurity, are only a few of the many stressors, to begin with. The pandemic starts seeming larger than life and incapable of being handled by individuals. Employees are finding themselves increasingly isolated and stressed out. This drastically reduces their ability to function effectively.

3. Emotional intelligence – Emotional intelligence or emotional quotient is a person’s ability to perceive, understand, and manage one’s own feelings. There are five dimensions to EQ: self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, empathy, and intrinsic motivation. Prima facie emotional intelligence may not seem to concern employers. However, among workers when high performing workers are juxtaposed with average ones, a higher EQ is always a differentiating factor. So let’s examine how emotional intelligence can possibly improve job performance. An emotionally intelligent employee will be able to handle their emotions and stress better; will be a diligent worker who does not easily give in to impulses; will combine emotion and reason in her/his interaction with others; and will be better at establishing relations with others.