01 July 2020
Jerome Smail, freelance journalist, presents the views and experiences of several industry luminaries
The workplace is not only for the day-to-day tasks that keep the cogs of the organisation turning. There should always be a focus on the ongoing education of the workforce. An effective employee training programme not only future-proofs a company in a dynamic and ever-changing business world, but it also ensures employees develop their careers to their full potential.
So what are the most important considerations for workplace education – and what are the obstacles?
According to Dr Sue Smith, CIPP’s education director, two of the most common barriers to learning are cost and time. “I think these should be a priority when considering workplace training programmes,” she says. “Training that is affordable and valued will be undertaken well. Time is a valuable commodity, and allowing trainees to progress through material at their pace will enhance the learning.”
Considering the accessibility of the training (whether face to face, online or a mixture of the two) is also important, says Smith. When the training is scheduled, short bursts of learning and high engagement are important. The information has to be relevant to the trainee and also in context so they can relate to it. Having activities that are engaging – including quick quizzes, games or polls – should also be integral to help consolidate knowledge. “The training should be enjoyable,” insists Smith.
As Elaine Gibson, director of people and quality at Dataplan, observes, training is all about “getting to the heart of what employers and their people need”. She points out that workplace education tends to be one-size-fits-all, delivering the core information. While this is fine, the person delivering the training needs to be prepared to put the core learning into the real working context. When qualifications are at stake, it is important to keep the content current and seek feedback from past and current employers on a periodic basis. “I know from working at Dataplan for this last year, for an employer to invest in formal learning they need to see the value in terms of what it will do for the business,” says Gibson.
Beverley Priest, head of payroll and pensions at EPM Ltd, also emphasises the importance of desired learning outcomes. In other words, you need to clearly define what you want someone to be able to do. “For instance,” she says, “does there need to be a stepped approach of smaller goals in the lead up to the main objective? Small wins and seeing progression towards an objective keep people interested and give them a sense of achievement.”
Priest recommends defining the framework to determine and measure that goals have been met. Setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely) objectives at the start plays a crucial part in the success of the programme. What’s more, the programme needs to be linked to the bigger picture, whether that’s a team-specific area or company wide. That way, an understanding is gained of how what they do or don’t do impacts others. “Real-life examples and scenarios from within the company would keep it relevant,” says Priest.
Gibson agrees, suggesting you “bring the core content alive with real case studies and be able to cover the challenges payroll professionals face”. With compliance obviously a key area, a current example would be having to adapt to the Corona Job Retentions Scheme and calculating the furlough payments due to the numerous working patterns of different organisations. However, Gibson adds: “There needs to be more out there to support service providers, as well as those seeking in-house support. Current provisions lean more towards supporting in-house payroll processes.” Priest points out the importance of ensuring there are no distractions, so programmes separate from the normal work and there’s no difficulty in juggling both: “no pressures of thinking I need to be getting on with normal work”. Also, it’s essential to draw up a realistic programme timetable that allocates enough time to each subject and learning – and confirmation of learning – can take place.
A key question to ask is who will be delivering the training and how many trainers might be required. In addition to being able to engage and inspire their audience, trainers need technical expertise to ensure practical advancement. Consider the balance of trainers to trainees in case additional support is required by anyone. Also ensure content is up to date and accurate, and review this regularly if required, particularly in line with the inevitable and regular changes in payroll legislation and industry regulations.
Priest observes that something as simple as the timing of the session can have a significant effect. “No one wants a heavy theory session first thing in the morning or straight after lunch” she says. Equally, feedback from each trainee on how they are finding the training is vital to understand whether the delivery is compatible with their learning style. Be prepared with a mixture of delivery styles from the outset.
Given today’s focus on flexible and remote working practices – not to mention the COVID-19 effect – a crucial consideration is making training efficient for staff to complete. Claire Conlaund, managing director of training organisation The Skills Network, believes it’s important for employees to be able to complete their education on their own terms, so make sure training can be undertaken remotely.
“This means trying hard not to rely on huge training sessions, which take time for human resources departments to arrange, often involving staff having to be diverted from key tasks,” she says. Conlaund does concede, however, that some key training such as health and safety or coaching sessions will likely need some form of face-to-face training instruction.
The truth is, though, that development often takes a back seat as we prioritise day-to-day deliverables that simply cannot be placed to one side. In fact, 53% of employers view traditional face-to-face workplace training as disadvantageous, diverting staff away from their regular tasks. Therefore, it’s extremely important to utilise flexible distance learning or online learning where possible, insists Conlaund.
“Rather than struggling to find the time or organise training and then waiting months for the scheduled sessions, we can harness online training programmes,” she says. “Utilising distance learning allows staff to complete training on their own schedule, either at the office or home, often without having to sacrifice any quality instruction or academic rigour.”
Another key consideration when devising workforce training is ensuring staff have access to online resources or templates that they can return to, post training. Then trainees can reinforce learning back into their working practices and refresh themselves when needed, says Conlaund.
Mentoring can be a very useful feature of a training programme, observes Smith. However, she also points out that it is often difficult to establish a successful mentoring scheme. “There are many factors to consider and organise for it to be truly accepted and work well, but if a trainee can have someone to discuss issues with and learn from their experience and knowledge on the topic, this will help to consolidate the learning.”
Smith insists the act of discussion and conversing with a mentor will help to clarify ideas and actions, while also providing useful insights into how to implement ideas successfully and learn form others’ mistakes and successes. “I believe mentors do not have to be from within the same organisation but do need to have similar experiences to get the best from the relationship,” she adds.
Gibson, meanwhile, says mentoring is “extremely important”, and “an essential way to understand how the learners are progressing”. The mentor role completes a “triangulation of communication” between the learner, tutor and employer representative (mentor).
“The learner will be exposed to generic and core information, so to a certain extent the employer should take some responsibility for the learning progression,” explains Gibson. “If the employer just pays and walks away, you might as well tip your investment down the drain. The employer must take an interest in the learner’s progress because there is such a gap between the core learning – which is essential for compliance – and how the learner will apply the learning in the workplace.”
Regular contact between the tutor, learner and employer (mentor) will ensure the learning stays on track, highlight any learning gaps and ensure that the whole community is on the same page.
Priest points out that for mentors, coaching is a positive experience from which they can learn more about themselves, including learning styles as well as their own strengths and weaknesses. In turn, the experience can boost their own confidence, communication skills and performance, giving them a sense of responsibility, importance and achievement.
Although not always needed for a ‘training programme’ per se, mentoring is very important for helping employees solidify and stretch their training, according to Conlaund. “Rather than taking away key learning and then ‘guessing’ best practice following training, having a mentor helps the employee bounce their ideas off to someone else, which can help us to release the true potential of a project,” she says. “Mentors are there to use their real life experience in the subject matter to offer proven advice and insights to the employee.”
Worth noting, she adds, is that mentors are not just for one-off training programmes, but more so for for continued support and learning on the employee’s path of continuous professional development. After all, a successful career for an employee is epitomised by self-improvement and development.
There is much to learn from a mentor that goes beyond formal training. This prompts the question: how can you go about ensuring a balance of formal training and organic staff development in the workplace?
Paul Russell, managing director of international training company Luxury Academy, believes staff development should be demonstrated from the top down. He explains: “Many companies say that they provide training, but what they tend to mean is that they will send you on courses. That is only one aspect of development. Training has to be a part of the culture, with both formal training programmes and ongoing support in development. ‘Let me show you how to do that’ is far more relatable than ‘I need to train you in that’. It’s the same training but a different mindset.”
So what of the latest innovations in training solutions?
Darren Hockley, managing director of eLearning provider DeltaNet International, says advancements in articial intelligence and machine learning mean we now have the ability to personalise workplace learning more than ever before. “We can also see digital learning becoming more flexible and user-friendly in 2020 and beyond,” he says, “with companies implementing a technique called ‘adaptive training paths’ to avoid learning fatigue year on year. This is especially effective for mandatory training that must be completed annually.”
By using adaptive learning paths, says Hockley, the same (or similar) training can be presented to staff in different sequences, utilising different content and new learning styles each time. “Not only does this approach keep things nice and fresh, but it’s also a nifty way to increase learner performance and commitment levels.”
Of course, as with every other aspect of work, COVID-19 has posed a considerable challenge to training. However, any obstacles are far from insurmountable.
Aldona Limani, EMEA market development lead for learning platform Docebo, points out that even before COVID-19 impacted every walk of life this year, workplace training was going through a transformation and the pandemic has only increased the speed of change and forced companies to pivot fast. “Collaborative learning has come on leaps and bounds during the pandemic even though we’re in different physical spaces,” says Limani. “When we’re learning with a social component, there’s our own accountability to learn, combined with a more interactive experience for all parties. This is a less formal approach to learning and gives the learners control to take it at their own speed.”
Finally, Limani observes that the gamification of learning platforms also drives competition and attracts users to return time and time again. “This can drive behaviour changes throughout an organisation,” she says, “from collaboration and sharing knowledge to help grow skills, to announcements or changes that are happening during what is a turbulent time for businesses and their employees.”
Featured in the July/August 2020 issue of Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward. Correct at time of publication.