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June 27, 2016

How to Foster a Culture of Learning

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A company culture that embraces continuous workplace training is one that will improve performance and employee retention.

Continuous learning will help improve employee performance.

Continuous learning will help improve employee performance.

Many professionals think of training as a one-time event during your career with a company, but this is really not the case. Workplace training doesn’t stop with new hire orientation. It should continue throughout an employee’s career to make sure that he or she is always learning new skills and technologies. A company culture that embraces continuous learning is one that will improve performance and employee retention.
Constantly challenging your team to continue to evolve helps prevent complacency and job dissatisfaction. So how do organizations establish such a culture? Here is a guide to help you develop workplace training programs that will continue to engage employees throughout their careers.

Encourage Feedback and Fresh Ideas

Ongoing processes should continuously be re-evaluated, updated and improved. Trying different methods to mix things up will help keep these courses fresh, and keep your employees engaged.
Stress to your team that their feedback is appreciated. Have the training sessions helped? Where are they lacking? What would you like to see in your next training session? Taking a fresh approach and trying new ideas will help to develop more innovative training methods. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, and invite your team to do the same.

Break out of the Silos

One problem that can develop as a company grows is when each department develops its own insular attitude, effectively cutting itself off from other groups. These are often known as “silos” and when departments form their own silos it can hinder cross-functional teamwork and communication.
In terms of career development, silos can be difficult because they limit the knowledge an employee can acquire. As everyone at your company has the same ultimate goal, it’s in everyone’s best interests to learn more about what one another does. This will help with cross-functional projects as well as engaging workers who may want to move to another department eventually.

Empower Your Team 

If your team members have ideas about training, let them take part in the planning and implementation. Hold regular educational events like a “lunch and learn”. Let your employees sign up to teach their colleagues on topics they’re interested in. This is a fun way to encourage ongoing education while empowering your employees to take ownership of it. Allowing your team members to take a leadership role in workplace training will help to strengthen the culture of education.

Learn Strengths, Weaknesses and Learning Styles

Your team is made up of individuals with different skill sets and backgrounds. Understanding where they’re strong and where they may be lacking can help you develop comprehensive programs that suit each learner’s needs while keeping them motivated. The more you get to know your team members, the more you’ll learn about their interests. Find out what they’re passionate about. Their passions can help unlock new potential skills.
As everyone learns differently, using different workplace training methods helps ensure everyone is on the same page. Some prefer group learning, others prefer solo study. Adapting to different learning styles can help make your training more effective, while respecting your office’s diversity.

Make it Convenient

Workplace training programs used to be disruptive, requiring employees, managers and training experts to find times and locations that work for everyone. When the training involved employees from multiple sites, this could be even more complex as some workers had to travel. This can also be a challenge for teams with work-from-home policies or individuals who work vastly different schedules.
Today, e-learning courses make workplace training much more convenient for employees. Now they can learn on their own time, regardless of their work location. Online training materials allow these employees to access material from their own devices, and train on their own schedules. They can complete coursework whenever they’re available, and managers can simply set deadlines for course completions. E-learning makes continuous workplace training simpler and more convenient, helping to ensure that team members are embracing a culture of education to bolster their careers and performance.
An online training platform can help you develop an environment of constant education at your organization, which will improve employee retention and boost productivity. MasteryTCN can help with your company’s culture of learning. Contact MasteryTCN today to learn more about how we can help your workplace training.
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