Help Your Team Thrive

According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees would consider staying with a company longer if there was a clear investment in learning. Young people in particular put learning, development and progression high among their top motivators. With lockdown over, many employees may be looking for new positions and it’s important that employers look at ways to retain staff.

Sodexo Engage, specialists in employee engagement, has identified four tactics that businesses should consider this Learning at Work Week to support their employees:

Design a learning journey

Traditionally, a training session would be delivered in a classroom or via a long zoom meeting with little or, no follow-up session. The downside is that people tend to forget what they have learned without regular reinforcement.

It’s important to move away from a one-off session and make learning and development a continuous journey. This could include pre- and post-workshop,activities,digital learning, on-the-job coaching, and shorter skills based workshops. Employers should also consider rewarding this behaviour to encourage ongoing learning and development in their employees.

Focus on upskilling

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing a projected loss of 195 million jobs, at least 54% of all employees will need to upskill to meet changing work needs by 2022. Offering employees a chance to upskill not only supports their ambitions, but wider company success.

Digital skills, in particular, will grow in importance as the way we work and conduct our lives changes. Without the necessary skill sets, employers will find filling gaps challenging and ultimately lag behind more forward-thinking competitors.

Develop your managers

It’s easy to forget the important role of middle managers – they have a direct line of communication with employees and are often placed in a role without suitable training. Poor middle management can cause a rippling effect on engagement and staff retention. Companies should consider providing regular development to both new and existing managers to ensure they are fully equipped with the right tools. 

Ensure staff have a say

While employers may think they know what staff want and need, there is no better way of making sure than opening the lines of communication. Regular feedback from staff on their ambitions and needs can ensure that everyone is given a chance to take control of their own learning journey. It’s important that requests aren’t left to just annual reviews or annual employee surveys and that they can flex around current needs and requirements.

Laura Coleman Head of Learning and Development at Sodexo Engage, comments:

“An unengaged workforce can be detrimental to employers Not only can it negatively impact staff retention, it’s also the biggest threat to an organisation’s bottom line. Providing employees with access to learning and giving them the opportunity to grow is a powerful way to keep employeesengaged, and ultimately be even better at their job now, and in the future.

“On a wider scale, upskilling is a key enabler for economic growth, and the growth of individuals and our community. Following COVID-19 it’s become even more important for learning and development to move up the corporate priority list.”