Technological advancements such as virtual reality, combined with the changes brought about by COVID-19, have impacted the traditional workplace and forced companies to rethink their approach to learning and development.
With an increase in people working remotely, HR teams are reemphasising the importance of a ‘people first’ approach that adopts a continuous learning culture and emphasises health & wellbeing, resilience and empowerment for all employees.
Individualised training
Due to the changing face of the workforce, a ‘one size fits all’ approach has become redundant. It’s no longer acceptable to simply send employees to an off-site training day as a way of ticking the training and development box.
Employees want to feel valued and appreciated so it’s essential to create a more personalised approach to training that is tailored to their individual learning needs.
Emergence of micro-learning and virtual reality
Once upon a time, extended face-to-face training was the only option. Thanks to today’s remote workforce, micro-learning has emerged as an easily accessible form of training. It provides employees with bite sized pieces of information that can be accessed anywhere, any time and on any device.
Employees now have the freedom and flexibility to search for relevant content in real time, allowing them to apply what they’ve learnt immediately. This means they can listen to an educational podcast on their way to work or watch a quick instructional video relevant to their job rather than attending an all day course. It means that organisations can realise the value of modulised development courses in short blocks, including prework, post-work and reflective learning, to really embed behavioural change in individuals and teams.
The current digital revolution has also seen an increase in virtual and augmented reality used for training purposes. Virtual reality allows employees to practice important skills with minimal risk by using the latest technology to simulate real-life scenarios that helps them develop skills in a safe environment before applying them in real life.
Focus on health and well-being
The current global pandemic has also forced businesses to rethink their approach to health and wellbeing and its importance to a successful and harmonious work environment.
Now more than ever, employees are prioritising their health and wellbeing and it’s about more than just physical workplace safety. It’s about ensuring employees feel that their emotional needs are being met and can include things like Employee Assistance Programs, flexible work practices that enable employees to tailor their work hours, meditation classes and mental health services.
This helps contribute to an overall sense of wellbeing as well as improved productivity, quality of work and retention rates.
Developing a growth mindset
There is also an increased focus on developing a ‘growth’ mindset amongst employees. Developed by Dr Carol Dweck, a Stanford University Research Psychologist, the term refers to the fact that people who enjoy challenges and strive to learn new skills are more likely to work harder, perform better and adapt to change better than those with a ‘fixed’ mindset.
Organisations are realising that if they can instill not only a growth mindset in their employees but a more holistic approach to learning and development, their employees will be better equipped to handle any challenges and changes that might come their way.
If you want to take the chance to reimagine your approach to learning and development, contact our specialist team at Seed People Consulting.
