Learning and Development: Why You Can’t Afford to Get It Wrong
The primary objective of learning and development (L&D), a critical component of your talent management strategy, is to match group and individual goals with the overall organisational vision.
Successful businesses are built on attracting, nurturing, and keeping high-performing employees. There is no disputing the benefits of high-quality training programs, including increased output, less turnover, and job satisfaction. Understanding the repercussions of not having the training in your organisation’s plan is also crucial.
Employee skill development and successful performance in current responsibilities are made possible by implementing appropriate and tailored training and development programmes. A strong workforce is more critical than ever because of the shift to a knowledge-based, digital economy. Employees must learn new skills to stay marketable as job positions constantly change.
You must realise that learning and development go well beyond just offering training to employees; it also entails creating an environment where learning is constant and values coaching, feedback, ownership, and leadership. However, it is not unexpected that establishing a strong culture of continuous learning takes time and calls for significant adjustments to mindsets and procedures.
Why You Need a Tailored Learning and Development Programme
Failure to adopt a tailored and well-articulated learning and development programme in your organisation will lead to;
1. Low performance and retention rate
Low performance is one of the most evident effects of having a subpar or nonexistent training and development regimen o the most apparent effect of having a subpar or nonexistent training and development regimen is low performance. Poorly trained employees will generate less work that is of lesser quality, this kind of work frequently results in errors, poor quality, and time lost repeating tasks. Additionally, it has a lot of adverse effects on stakeholders, including clients, vendors, and suppliers.
Employees who are adequately trained and equipped with the abilities required for their position will produce high-quality work and benefit their organisation. Working efficiently results in increased confidence, increased job satisfaction, and better employee retention. From this, customer satisfaction and better relationships with key suppliers are frequently directly correlated with higher quality work. Low retention rates might result from performance failures brought on by a lack of training and development. Employees highly value the necessity of possessing the abilities necessary to perform at work, and having the required abilities essential to function at work is highly valued by employees. Attrition happens when people lack the resources needed to learn and succeed, and their performance worsens. When mistakes are made and the business doesn’t perform as intended, workplace morale falls, which results in even lower retention rates.
2. Employee development gap
There is no assurance that a new recruit will be a good fit for your organisation, and the hiring process can be expensive. Many companies provide learning and development options to increase their chances of promoting individuals from within. Suppose you don’t make investments in employee development. In that case, if you don’t invest in employee development, your current employees might never acquire the expertise required to handle supervisory, executive, or highly technical duties, which invariably translates to stagnating your existing workforce. Suppose you fail to invest in employee development. In that case, your current employees might never acquire the expertise required to handle supervisory, executive, or highly technical duties, which invariably translates to stagnating your existing workforce as you spend more money trying to recruit outside talent.
3. Loss of faith in organisational Structures
mployees are set up for failure when they are promoted into managerial roles without receiving the appropriate assistance or training. Employees view all managers as targets, especially if they lack management abilities. Although the manager will likely be the main casualty, poor culture and a lack of respect for management as a whole may also result. When staff members observe a leader not receiving the help they require, it can rapidly cause them to question if they will receive that support when they do.
How to Create Impactful Learning and Development Programme
How then do you create an impactful learning and development programme in your organisation?
1. Evaluate your long-term goals
You must compare your current workforce and business with the future you anticipate before you can put a plan into action. Consider how your teams and employees are currently operating. Then, think about what might need to change in order to advance and what difficulties might appear along the route. Then, make an effort to include in your plan the long-term strategy and growth objectives of your organisation. Also, identify which of your leadership’s abilities need to be enhanced or acquired in order to attain these goals? What are the main benchmarks you expect to achieve?
2. Create tailored learning and development plans for each employee
ave managers have a conversation with their direct reports about what they like and find difficult about their jobs, as well as how they intend to advance in their positions. Although managers are in charge of directing and encouraging reporting on employees’ development trajectories, employees should be held accountable for following their development plans. Encourage leaders and their supervisors to regularly meet to go over the learning and development plans while also generating new opportunities. Importantly, personalising the learning and development plan to the individual is essential because if they are not amenable to the training style or subject matter, they are unlikely to remember the material, and the learning opportunity will be lost.
3. Assess your performance and request feedback
Your employees’ reactions will be the best gauge of success. Regular employee engagement surveys are a good method to gauge how interested and satisfied your employee is with the learning and development programme you are providing. Make sure supervisors regularly monitor the development of their direct reports. Answers to the following question should help shape the feedback process, is extra training necessary to become an expert in a certain skill? Did they find a better method to deal with their responsibilities? Which learning services did they prefer, and which did they detest?
Giving leadership learning and development top priority has been proven to have numerous positive effects on your organisation. An engaged workforce has been shown to be more productive, profitable, and appealing than organisations with disengaged employees; thus, investing in your leaders helps cultivate that environment.
Olasunkanmi Adenuga
Director, Workforce Learning