Employee Learning and Training—No Retreat, No Surrender!

How much do employers spend on learning and training?

According to the American Society of Training and Development’s 2013 State of the Industry Report, U.S. organizations spent more than $164 billion on employee learning in 2012. (In this case, “learning” encompasses a wide array of educational initiatives including training.)

Training magazine’s 2013 Training Industry Report, on the other hand, offers a narrower focus on training initiatives and the dollars spent. The report indicates that U.S. training expenditures, which totaled $55.4 billion in 2013:

·       increased among large companies (from $11.3 million in 2012 to $17.6 million in 2013);

·       increased very slightly among small companies (from $294,532 in 2012 to $301,082 in 2013);

·       and fell among midsize companies (from $2 million in 2012 to $1.2 million in 2013).

No matter how you slice and dice the definitions or the numbers, it appears that employers’ commitment to training and learning remains strong overall—especially considering the state of the economy during the past few years, the increasing challenge of global competition, and the ongoing turmoil around employers’ healthcare costs, among a host of other ongoing competitive hurdles.

Make no mistake, no matter what our other business challenges are, we need a no-retreat, no-surrender commitment to training and learning for one simple reason: organizations that are dedicated to learning crush their competition.

Bersin by Deloitte’s Corporate Learning Factbook 2013 contains several persuasive proof points based on years of study. They show that organizations with “strong learning cultures:”

·      Are 42% more likely to innovate (i.e., be first to foster ideation and implement change initiatives) than their peers.

·      Are 37% more productive.

·      Are 35% more responsive to customers’ needs.

·      And have a 26% greater capacity to deliver quality products.

It’s hard to ignore numbers like those, which clearly show why our investment in employee learning must be unwavering. Obviously, how we allocate our investment is equally important. The Training magazine report shows that employers’ top three priorities in allocating training resources in 2013 were: 1) increasing the effectiveness of training programs (32%); 2) reducing costs/improving efficiency (20%); and 3) increasing learner usage of training programs (14%).

When it comes to training and learning, our bottom line costs matter. But the greater bottom line is this: if our commitment to learning weakens so will our companies.

Let Employees Learn When and Where They Want To

Despite the plethora of mobile apps for this, and the dizzying array of cloud-based solutions for that, when it comes to how businesses offer learning to employees, most organizations still rely primarily on

classroom-based workshops.

It’s ironic when you consider that businesses continue to face tight and uncertain budgets; more and more of today’s workforce is choosing to work remotely; the trend toward mobile computing just keeps growing; and the generational makeup of the workforce is getting more complex.

Consider just these two statistics:

·       By next year, millennials — people born between 1977 and 1997 — will comprise more than one-third of the global workforce.

·       There’s recently been a two-fold increase in the prevalence of mobile tools for learning, according to Aberdeen Research.

As Aberdeen puts it, mobile is no longer a “nice to have” for learning programs but a strategic part of any comprehensive learning plan. Bearing all of that in mind, you’d think companies would be on alternative learning methods like white on rice.

Some are. In fact, companies that want to succeed in driving employee development will embrace flexible training alternatives.

Research by futurethink Innovation Institute in 2009 found that almost 62 percent of companies believed that successful learning programs would need to include e-learning options. A whopping 85 percent agreed that most learning going forward would be collaborative. And every company in the study agreed or agreed strongly that learning was going to be done in short time frames, using “micro-modules” for more-focused learning and better results.

That’s some of what flexible learning looks like. At least from the employee’s perspective. For the learning and development leader, it all hinges on — or at least is substantially enhanced by — a new evolution of learning technology. For example, e-learning, collaborative learning, and the implementation of micro-modules have a greater chance of success if they’re supported by automated content-integration solutions.

These operate behind the curtain between the employee and the learning and development leader. They help leverage the full power of the new trend in flexible learning.

Reviewsnap’s automated Learning Content Integration (LCI) module is one example. It lets learning and development leaders extend information gathered from an employee’s performance reviews to automatically develop targeted learning plans for that person.

Some of the ways Reviewsnap’s LCI module makes it easier to consider expanding your learning formats include:

·       Enabling learning leaders to automatically create development goals and recommend specific learning activities based on an employee’s performance appraisal ratings.

·       Allowing employees to easily access a full external learning curriculum, in addition to their company’s custom training and learning content.

·       Providing online access to a full learning management system (LMS).

·       Providing real-time access to reporting analytics and transcripts of learning activities.

In a nutshell, Reviewsnap’s LCI improves talent management by integrating learning activities and performance management. It’s another way business is changing how it manages employee development.

Developing Internal Case Studies: 5 Tips to Market LMS Value

Companies have been putting more money into their learning and development budgets. In fact, Bersin by Deloitte’s 2013 Corporate Learning Factbook shows that U.S. organizations grew their

spending by 12 percent in 2012.

With all those dollars being allocated to training, are your employees taking advantage of the opportunities? It’s easy for employees to forget or even miss that there’s learning management software available to them. Courses that are relevant to their job might be hard to find, lost in a large library of titles.

Instead of sending reminders, take a marketing spin and create internal case studies of what employees learned and how the training applies to the job.

1.     Find people who are your power users. Your LMS or learning content management system should track who’s using what courses or downloading additional resources.

2.     Interview them about the courses they’ve been taking. Approach the power users and ask about their experience. Make sure they’re getting value from the training and would be willing to participate in a promotional case study.

3.     Learn how the training has impacted their performance. Training should help employees do their jobs better, so ask how the training has made a difference. Also ask how the team’s performance might have been improved.

4.     Include insight from their managers. Managers could be encouraging development, or they might not even know employees are going the extra mile to train themselves. Find out what each manager knows, including how improved performance could be changing the way those managers work toward developing the rest of their teams.

5.     Capture the story. You can capture the story in any number of ways — writing an article, taping a Q&A, or even making a video. Make sure you put the story in a format that’s easy for other employees to consume when you share it with the rest of the organization.

Keep tracking use in your LMS so you can find additional power users and see which case studies might have increased usage overall. It’ll be powerful information to share with your executive team, and it can help ensure future budget increases for training.

Internal Expertise Is an Untapped Learning Resource

While learning programs are going more digital, don’t forget that your company has many internal experts who have knowledge to share. Those specialists have expertise in areas that affect different parts of the business.

For example, the logistics manager will have insight into how the supply chain affects whether products are delivered on time. When marketing needs to set product launch dates, it’s critical to partner with the logistics manager.

What if marketing could get a download from the logistics manager before ever scheduling a meeting?

Your company can create learning content developed by your own internal experts. Here are some things you can do:

·       Have departments record introductory videos about responsibilities and contacts

·       Launch a wiki for the product development team to give everyone the ability to learn the ins and outs of your new offering

·       Set up Google+ Hangout events with your executive team and let employees ask about new initiatives or strategic direction — or allow people to collaborate remotely on projects

·       Record radio and webinar broadcasts that feature your employees and share them on the internal network

·       Invite teams to host “Lunch and Learn” events to keep everyone abreast of what’s happening in other departments

·       Let authors of internal process manuals deliver a recorded presentation of rules, processes, or best practices to follow so new employees have access to onboarding resources

As you can see, there are many ways you can transform your learning programs from being generic to being customized. As you log all these materials, you’ll create a learning library that makes it easy for employees to get answers faster. Your teams will stay productive, and your experts can share their insight across the company.

Connect Learning Back to the Job

With the Internet, it’s never been more obvious that the skills you learn in school could drastically change over the years of your professional career. The Internet (as we know it) didn’t exist prior to 1991, yet graduating college students are incredibly savvy about SEO and mobile connectivity.

When you don’t have the option to go back to school, get updates through skills-based learning.

Learning exists to help you do your job better, and learning management systems have matched the most-needed skills with training modules. Instead of classes on topics too vague or high-level to be useful in your daily job, today’s learning dives into the proficiencies that you actually need.  

Here’s how a flexible learning strategy can help you perform better:

·       Learning to update your skills: You might have already learned something once, but your brain fills up fast. If you need a refresher, you should be able to breeze through some short learning modules that help you remember what you covered before. For example, you might have to work on a new machine in the shop, something you’ve done before but it’s been awhile. A quick tutorial will get you up to speed and moving products down the line in no time. 

·       Learning just in time: Usually more tactical, these types of training courses will cover skills you need to perform a function or get you background information when you need it. The idea is that you don’t spend five weeks in classes to get where you need to be. If you’ve got a sales meeting and you’re pitching the most recent updates to a product, just-in-time training should have a short video of the product updates along with some talking points so you don’t sacrifice the sale.

·       Learning for the long term: These types of training courses might include strategic perspectives or behavioral development that you don’t need right away. Learning how to communicate as a manager (when you’re not a manager) will help you practice early in your career, help your soft-skill development and help you better understand the communication techniques your own manager uses.

You can always learn, and unfortunately, the pace of change means you’ll be constantly learning on the job. When you’re in need of some information, check out your company’s learning management system. You could find the answers you need before you have time to ask questions

Corporate Learning: Training Doesn’t Have to Be Old School

Corporate learning programs get a bad rap because people assume you just sit through an endless string of boring training sessions. How can employees learn when they have to suffer through 10-hour sessions with instructors akin to Charlie Brown’s teacher? Whaa-whaa-whaa.   

Your employees already went to school, so now’s the time to change the way your company approaches learning.

Beef Up Corporate Learning

“Beef up” doesn’t mean “add more of the same.” We’re talking about making the learning more meaningful. When corporate learning can be integrated with development plans, employees know there’s a reason why they might need to attend training or complete a learning activity in the first place.

Look to diversify your current learning offerings. You could use online learning modules that employees can complete on their own, saving you the time and expense of trying to get everyone in a room. Videos can provide just-in-time training when an employee needs a refresher, and a wiki can include the most up-to-date information on a project.

Don’t forget about the topics. If your learning library only offers training on mastering Excel or Word, your employees could be missing out. Ask around — what do your employees wish they knew? There are going to be a number of missed learning opportunities for a variety of situations. For example, an employee traveling overseas on the company’s behalf for the first time could watch a quick video on how to prepare for travel, how to behave in the country, and how to manage time and expenses.

Don’t Make Learning a Distraction

When corporate learning programs force employees to put their jobs on hold, everyone sees the drop in productivity. Instead, learning should help people improve their skills without pulling them away from their daily tasks for too long.

Homework takes on a new meaning with corporate learning. Instead of theoretical pre-work, have employees bring on-the-job challenges to training sessions. Activities should focus on improving the employee’s job performance instead of completing exercises that appear irrelevant. By focusing on job-related topics, employees could end up developing templates and processes you wouldn’t have known you needed if you’d stayed in the theoretical.

There are many options for learning programs and technology on the market. Adding modules or updating systems might be expensive, but if you build in proper tracking, the investment is worth it. When you combine tracking with a beefed-up program that doesn’t distract employees, you will make your corporate learning program a success.

Now What? Why Continuous Learning Improves Performance

It’s been six months since your latest performance review. You had walked out of your boss’s office with a development plan in hand, and you were ready to get started.

And then it got busy. And there was that emergency project. And you suddenly realize you’ve made zero progress on that plan. OK, well, no one’s really paying attention. You can say you worked on “improving communications” — just send a few more emails. It’s not like there are training classes or checklists for you to actually use as part of your development.

As a learning manager, that’s not the picture you want to see. You want employees not just thinking about development but also acting on their plans. You want managers to be involved year-round, not just at the annual performance review. You want a continuous learning culture.

But how do you get there?

The first step is easy: Know what you’re doing now. Do the development plans include clear actions? Or are the steps vague, with subjective measures of improvement? Do you offer a library of training materials or budget to reimburse employees if they seek outside training? You want to perform an audit of everything you’re currently doing at your company with learning, including getting some honest feedback from employees. Do you offer online training but no one uses it? Find out why.

Next, review the gaps in your program. Once you’ve done your audit, you can match the current state with the desired state to see the gaps. Maybe you’re not using an online Learning Management System (LMS) or there isn’t budget to send employees to outside training. Or maybe employees just don’t know what you offer. See where the gaps are and determine which areas are priorities for improvement.

Bring the learning and development together. Ideally, a development plan would have action items that match the learning activities your company offers. “Improving communications” would include the online module about giving feedback, a quarterly check on communication styles and perhaps written exercises so the employee can practice. Bringing the current state and ideal state together requires some work, but you can start small. Do an internal communications campaign to tell employees what resources are available to them. Informing the workforce is a good way to get people to use the programs. Next, revamp the review process, making the development plan more reflective of the learning programs you have in place. Then start looking at changing the resources. You can find technology that automatically creates development goals or has progress checks for managers.

A continuous learning culture doesn’t have to come with a big investment upfront. Knowing what is happening in your company and which areas you want to tweak can start making changes for you immediately. As you plan ahead, include these audits on a regular basis. You won’t get to the ideal state right away, but you’ll be marking progress so you know how you’re doing. Just like in your own development plan.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall — Reflections of Performance: Five tips for writing an effective self-assessment.

There it is — the email invitation from your manager suggesting a date for your next performance appraisal. No sweat, you think. You’ve been killing deadlines and kicking the competition for the past six months. But what’s that last sentence? “A self-assessment should be completed prior to the meeting.”

Unless you’re a practicing narcissist, the idea of assessing one’s own performance leaves most employees either cold or confused. “What if I underrate my performance and negatively influence my manager’s assessment?” “If I toot my own horn, won’t it come off like I’m boasting?”

Employee self-assessments have been widely accepted for some time, and for good reason. Asking employees to evaluate their work against their own standards of performance gives the manager insightful perspective to use when preparing feedback.

Don’t leave employees scratching their heads, not knowing what to expect from the process. Share these best practices to help them reflect honestly and accurately on their performance:

1.      Tap your long-term memory. It’s easy to forget about the accomplishments or learnings from long ago. Cite specific and relevant examples of performance throughout the entire time frame under review.

2.      Be confident. This isn’t the time for modesty. Your manager has asked for specific examples of your performance, so highlight your accomplishments with professionalism and humility, and distinguish between “I” and “we” when referring to team-based assignments.

3.      Request development. Consider areas where you might benefit from additional learning or development. Be prepared to suggest specific training or developmental activities that will improve your performance and help you to contribute in your role.

4.      Focus on results. Present accomplishments that best support the company’s key business drivers. Use objective data for support, such as delivering early on completion dates, bringing costs in under budget or achieving high customer-satisfaction scores.

5.      Stay open minded. Remember that your perception of performance represents a single, biased viewpoint. Self-assessments and performance appraisals rarely align perfectly. Use this as an opportunity to explore and learn from differences of opinion related to your performance. 

Reviewsnap Partners with OpenSesame for Enhanced Delivery of Performance Management Solution

Reviewsnap, the leading cloud-based performance management software solution, today announced a powerful partnership with OpenSesame, the e-learning marketplace. The alliance integrates the services of both companies, giving customers of either vendor greater and more streamlined access to performance management content.

“With this partnership, our customers will have the tools to instantly act on performance information to more directly and immediately enhance their organization’s capacity to bring learning into the workflow,” said Chris Arringdale, vice president of marketing for Reviewsnap. The combination of the Reviewsnap and OpenSesame platforms will “ultimately accelerate the speed of innovation and improvement for any of our customers,” Arringdale said.

Reviewsnap is a performance management system that lets managers and supervisors give real-time, detailed feedback to employees, while capturing meaningful data about performance at the organizational level. OpenSesame is an online marketplace of corporate training courses. Its clients can choose from thousands of courses, read customer reviews, watch course previews and instantly use purchased courses.

The two companies will offer an integrated platform for the employees of Reviewsnap customers to connect with online training opportunities based on gaps in performance competency identified through the Reviewsnap performance system.

“OpenSesame has reviewed and selected course curricula based on core competencies defined by Reviewsnap,” said OpenSesame CEO Don Spear. These include courses in areas such as business acumen, customer service and communication skills. “Excellent training courses from OpenSesame’s 100-plus developers will be embedded in the Reviewsnap platform, giving employees instant access to performance improvement opportunities,” Spear said.

About Reviewsnap

In times like these, growth is earned by companies that align their people behind shared goals. If you are working to get everyone on the same page, Reviewsnap is with you. More than performance management software, we offer true partnership through genuine customer service and support. And unlike those other guys who care more about shareholders than customers, we can’t sleep at night unless you can. We are all together now. We are your performance management partner. We are Reviewsnap. Visit us on the Web at www.reviewsnap.com or follow @reviewsnap on Twitter.

About OpenSesame

Based in Portland, Ore., OpenSesame is an open marketplace connecting e-learning buyers and sellers. Buyers browse thousands of courses in a wide variety of subjects, from workplace safety to business skills, all compatible with any learning management system. For more information, visit www.OpenSesame.com or follow @OpenSesame on Twitter.