Why training should be people-centred and not just for business

Investing in a broad range of training opportunities that are both directly related to people’s roles and also their hobbies boosts employee wellbeing and morale

When organisations run training and skill-building initiatives, they don’t always approach it in the right way to achieve the best business outcomes.

They often take a top-down perspective – for example, determining which skills the business needs and then training the most appropriate employees, rather than what the employee wants to learn.

It’s time for leaders to recognise that skill-building is a two-way process and must be people-centric.

People-centred skill building is focused on training employees in a way that has their best interests at heart, rather than what the business sees as important.

Employees want to progress and gain new skills, but don’t want the organisation to dictate what and how they should learn.

And while 85 % of employees have above-average interest in learning work skills, 82% have a high interest in pursuing non-work skills, such as those related to their hobbies.

It’s a morale boost

When employers invest in a broad-range of training opportunities that are both directly related to people’s roles and more hobby-based, this boosts employee wellbeing and morale, and delivers several business benefits.

For example, organisations that design opportunities with employees in mind decrease burnout by 77%, enjoy 265% more instances of great work and are 748% more likely to have a thriving workplace culture.

So, how should you go about creating a people-centred skill building strategy that demonstrates that you care about peoples’ growth and development and not just the bottom line?

To start with, everyone must be given the opportunity to be trained in new areas and to learn new skills, not just those in certain roles or individuals who’ve been identified as ‘manager material’.

Opening-up skill building to all will increase the odds that employees will feel a strong sense of community and thrive at work. Regrettably, only 64% of employees say skill-building opportunities are open everyone at their business.

Give them a choice

Employees must also be given a choice of what they’d like to learn and asked for their input before deciding the kinds of classes and programmes to offer.

By encouraging employees to suggest the skills they’d like to learn and how they want to acquire them, they’ll be far more engaged in the learning process compared with employees who are offered a limited number of courses to choose from.

Time must also be set aside during working hours for employees to focus on their classes and training rather than expecting them to fit it in on top of their daily workload (potentially leading to burnout).

This will not only increase participation, but sends the message that the company is committed to employee-focused skill building.

Plus, integrating recognition into the skill-building process will show employees that their efforts at learning new skills are being appreciated and valued.

Make it a conversation

So, make it standard practice to give recognition both during the course and at the end of it, rather than leaving it until the employee has passed the course. That way employees are four times more likely to be satisfied with their workplace learning experience.

Learning and development opportunities must always be offered as part of a conversation – what would the employee like to learn, which new skills are they keen to acquire and how would they like the learning to be delivered?

The organisation’s courses and programmes must be developed around people’s needs and wants, and not simply what the organisation considers important.

By showing ongoing commitment to, and appreciation of employees’ learning, organisations will enjoy a healthy return on their people-centred investment from improved staff attraction and retention through to increased productivity.

Insights taken from O.C. Tanner’s Global Culture Report