Creative thinking can be as important as critical thinking in business because creativity sparks innovation. The problem is that if your workforce doesn’t feel motivated, or they lack the skill, then they can’t focus on problem-solving with successful outcomes.
Here at mselect, we believe that a high standard in learning and development (L&D) gives you a more creative and focused workforce, who are more inclined to succeed.
In this blog post, we will be looking at how L&D can attract and retain talent, how the process brings more creativity to the table, and how we can help you outsource your entire HR and L&D process.
Need to outsource your L&D today? Contact us!
Why learning and development is important for your business
Learning and development is important to businesses because it recognises and acts on:
knowledge gaps within a workforce or an individual employee
the productive nature of employees on the job
staff loyalty, increasing retention over time
cutting costs by avoiding employing at higher skilled entry levels that could otherwise be developed in-house
Exactly how learning and development benefits organisations is down to how far the human resources (HR) process is given scope to work. Most companies consider the basic requirements of job function as the only training they need to give their employees, but great companies with higher retention rates and better employer value propositions (EVPs) take this further. They consider individual growth whether that’s more detailed on-the-job learning, progression training for promotion or individual core skill training (such as presentation confidence, or even languages).
How learning and development (L&D) can attract and retain talent
Here are some hard facts:
Younger generations view learning as a key to their career success (source: Statistica survey, 2021. Share of employees worldwide who see learning as key to success in their career in 2021, by generation)
Yet managers are failing to make learning a priority (source: Statistics survey, 2022. Biggest challenges according to learning and development (L&D) professionals worldwide 2020)
Making increases in employee engagement one of the top challenges mentioned by L&D and HR professionals (same survey)
This is why L&D is a strategic function in an organisation when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, and not just part of an onboarding process.
A strong L&D policy is key to shaping the right culture in your business. It promotes uptake among management and defines how they work with HR to establish an employee experience that attracts the right people for the right jobs.
More than that, it affects how your company is talked about by employees, which combined with your marketing can showcase how much value you place on employees in your organisation. In turn, creating a desire (and continued desire) to work for your company.
How a modern L&D engages employees to be more creative and focused
Regardless of whether you employ a remote, hybrid or traditional working method, employee learning has become more accessible in recent years. The problem for L&D professionals is how to connect digital programs with in-person learning to be more effective in engaging students.
Here’s the value we see in making that connection:
1. Interaction introduces focus and creativity from the start
We have all been on courses where tutors talked to their audience for the entirety of the session. The results of which are very much like teaching children in the same way - employees quickly lose focus, don’t gain any passion for the subject, and can sometimes become disruptive to the rest of the class.
Add elements of interaction and participation to your in-person teaching and you very quickly change the game. Students take leaps in learning more quickly because they enjoy the experience of it.
2. Break-out sessions reinforce creativity
At mselect, we encourage engagement through breakout sessions. Our approach is to create a safe environment for everyone to have a voice. Inclusivity and openness to creativity bring much more value to our role-playing and problem-solving tasks.
Being open to accepting creativity during learning also positively reinforces the value of an individual from the outset. Something which speaks volumes when it comes to company culture. Encouraging this type of interaction emboldens an employee when they return to their job, giving them the confidence they need to present fresh ideas. It also gives them the confidence to make reasoned decisions even in tough situations.
3. Autonomous learning sparks more motivation
Digital HR platforms and tools are becoming increasingly popular and provide employees with the opportunity to learn during their downtime.
This isn’t a device to keep employees working beyond their hours but, instead, recognizes that people often feel more inspired and motivated when they are in a comfortable environment.
There are many learning and development courses that can be taken outside of work and this method of training is proving successful. Courses with interactive gamification elements can train, test, and measure the continued performance of staff members. For HR teams, this level of autonomy makes training easier and more efficient to implement and roll out across organisations.
4. Microlearning enhances performance quicker
Modern L&D and HR approaches also advocate microlearning, which gives employees small bursts of information that are easily digestible. Make your training actionable and you will see an enhanced performance at a much quicker rate.
Design your microlearning library for access beyond specific job roles and suddenly you open up the doors to in-house progression. The result of this is that you’ll see employees thinking outside the box in ways you hadn’t expected.
5. Social learning encourages best practices
Traditionally when employees entered an L&D program they were taught in small cohorts, meaning their success and social stimulation were based on what happened inside the training room. Depending on the day, the environment, the tutor and fellow trainees, employees might often say that “training today was boring”.
Digital HR platforms allow for organisation-wide social interaction, which encourages more questions and sharing of best practices. This level of creativity in-app often inspires employees to carry their ideas through to their work and their attitude to it.
Encourage creativity by way of breakout sessions and subject discussions during in-person training and suddenly the social stimulation that people crave helps them enjoy learning new topics and strategic approaches in a real situation.
Outsourcing your HR and L&D strategy and process to mselect
Learning and development training is undoubtedly good for business, but do you have a strategy that focuses on talent management and employee retention?
We believe outsourcing your HR and L&D strategy to us is your best option. We manage the entire HR function for some of the largest international corporations operating in our locations. Our comprehensive approach encompasses:
recruitment
outsourced manpower
HR management and reporting (including cloud software integration)
We are also leaders in training for Oil & Gas, Leadership & Management, Sales & Marketing, HR Management, Finance & Accounting, PMP™, Mini-MBA, Computer Skills, Language Skills, and much more. Accreditations are globally recognised.
Our aim is simple - providing you with a more creative and focused workforce.