The study shows that within the time frame L&D specialists were significantly more active than ever before and, given developments around the coronavirus pandemic, they mobilised very quickly to support distance development of employees. They turned programmes into virtual form and helped managers support their teams remotely.
64% of L&D specialists said that retraining the existing workforce to fill skills gaps is now a priority more than ever before.
Key topics: change management and crisis management
Whether creating a new programme or improving existing ones, the urgency of addressing the need for future-oriented skills development is growing. No matter where an organisation is in education or where you are heading, promoting a strong learning culture can help employees adapt to a rapidly changing workplace.
Managers are responding to this and starting to put more pressure on creating an agile corporate culture that will help overcome the challenging period now and in the future. 70% of managers say their CEOs are now more involved in human development, and 68% of L&D professionals add that managers actively share more of their own learning resources with their teams and have spent twice as much time learning during a pandemic compared to the period before its outbreak.
Despite the unfavorable economy, education still has a high priority in the company's budget.
60% of L&D professionals say they expect an increase in the share of online education compared to the previous year, and most feel much more pressure and urgency to start training programmes after the pandemic has subsided. One of the reasons is the growing need for internal mobility in companies.
Retraining existing employees for various, more critical job roles creates a huge competitive advantage. An excellent example is Verizon: as the company faced foreclosure, managers were able to provide employees with a choice of career paths they could take from home, such as telesales or customer service. At the same time, they were offered online training to fill the skills gaps they needed for new roles.
The survey also showed that 69% of L&D professionals surveyed perceive the promotion of mental health and well-being of employees as a new part of their own role, as they focus more on increasing employee resilience than before.
The reason for this is obvious. Global statistics show an increase in burnout cases. Even up to 10 times more users in April compared to February watched courses on LinkedIn on the topic of stress management and attention.
The importance of communities and social learning is growing
More and more employers are also working to make learning more social in nature and to combat successfully employee burnout during quarantine and isolation. Comparing the data "before COVID-19" from December to February with the data for March to May this year, there was a massive increase of up to 600% of people who learned together in group lessons and courses.
People also ask more questions of their tutors and community members and exchange tactical advice, such as how to use a specific formula in Excel or how to manage time more effectively. All this creates a more defined and holistic learning loop, in which participants can effectively learn together, collaborate and connect.
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