Your employees can learn anything!
Focus on results rather than activities
For example, your employee Anna, who works in the marketing department, is very driven by results. Instead of telling Anna to attend a social media course, you can communicate a clear goal and message to her: "Increase engagement on our social media platforms by 20% over the next six months".
With this goal in mind, Anna can choose the learning activities that best help her reach her goal. For example, she could attend webinars, read professional literature, or work with a mentor who has experience with social media. Having a clear goal makes the learning process more relevant and motivating for Anna, as she can see how her efforts directly contribute to both her own and the company's success.
Personalized learning experiences
An example could be your employee, Maria, who works in the IT department and has a passion for cyber security. Maria's personal goal is to become certified in cyber security and her dream is to work with advanced security solutions. At the same time, the company has a strategic goal to strengthen IT security in the organization. By offering Maria the opportunity to attend specialized cybersecurity courses and access resources that support her own certification, the company can help her achieve her personal goals. At the same time, the increased expertise she gains through her learning will contribute directly to the company's strategic goal of improving IT security.
This approach makes the learning experience meaningful for your employees as they work towards something they are passionate about while contributing to the company's success. It creates a win-win situation where both the employee and the company benefit from the learning investment.
Create a psychologically safe environment
Another key to fostering learning in the organization is to create a psychologically safe environment where mistakes are not only tolerated, but celebrated as part of the learning process. When employees feel comfortable taking risks and learning from their mistakes, they are more likely to experiment and grow.
Some simple tools that promote a safe learning environment include:
- Leadership support and open communication:
Leadership plays a crucial role in creating a safe environment. Leaders should openly communicate that mistakes are a natural part of learning and innovation. This can be done by sharing their own experiences with mistakes and the learnings that mistakes have given them. When leaders lead by example, it will motivate employees to follow suit. - Feedback culture:
Implement procedures where feedback is constructive and regular. Feedback should focus on learning and development rather than blame and punishment. Regular feedback sessions can help employees see their mistakes as opportunities for improvement. - Anonymous bug reporting:
Create an anonymous platform where employees can report bugs without fear of retribution. This can help create a safe channel for employees to share their experiences and contribute to a learning-oriented culture. - Resilience and failure management training:
Offer training programs that help employees develop resilience and learn effective ways to deal with failure. This can include workshops where employees learn techniques to reflect on and learn from their mistakes.
Learning as an investment in the future
Developing a learning strategy
Using systems in the journey towards employee development
HR systems like Elvium can play a crucial role in facilitating learning and development in your organization. Elvium can help identify the skills and competencies that employees need to develop and match these with relevant learning opportunities. Using data from recruitment and employee development processes, Elvium can help create a personalized learning journey for each employee that supports both their individual goals and the company's strategic objectives.
