Today, employees are evaluating not only how they work, but also why they work

One of the biggest concerns that organizations are facing right now is how to build a workforce that is agile enough to adapt to the dynamic world of business. True, compensation and benefits have always been key motivating factors for attracting and retaining talent, but today that’s not enough. Employees across the globe are seeking learning and development opportunities, rapid career growth, and an organization that embraces inclusion and diversity. Today, employees are evaluating not only how they work, but also why they work. The Great Reshuffle is redefining work culture and employees are now prioritizing flexibility and fulfilment. They are now ready for the change and open to learning new skills to make it count in the long run. Pandemic-led digital transformation and ever-enlarging skills shortage is leaving organizations to play catch-up as they put in efforts to hire and develop the right skills—especially those related to technology.

Closing the skills gap

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report shows that more than half of all employees across the globe will require to upskill or reskill by 2025 to keep up with the opportunities generated due to automation and the adoption of new technologies1. Today, the primary goal of organizations is to identify, assess and close the skills gaps and manage the challenges in myriad ways. Skilling, upskilling, employee retention, employee well-being, diversity, and inclusion are all urgent priorities for any organization. A survey commissioned by Amazon Web Services last year highlights that more than 97% employees want to expand or continue the amount of time they spend learning2. This further stresses the need to have effective learning and development initiatives to enable employees to refresh their skills and further their careers while meeting industry demands. Workplace culture is changing with employees considering opportunities to learn and grow as the number one factor defining an exceptional workplace. LinkedIn’s 2022 Workplace Learning Report cites Glint data, which indicate that opportunities to learn and grow now define an exceptional work environment.3

While the pandemic has accelerated the digitization journey globally, India’s current workforce accounts for only 12% of digitally skilled employees. It is estimated that the number of employees requiring digital skills in the country will need to rise nine-fold by 20254. Bridging this digital skills gap will require specialized efforts and training programs targeted toward the most in-demand skills such as cloud architecture design, software operations support, website, game or software development, large-scale data modelling, and cybersecurity related-skills. While organizations are embracing automation and rapid digital transformation, there is rising demand for people with domain expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, data analytics, etc., which are shaping the future of enterprises. Most organizations today are responding to the opportunity by reskilling and upskilling employees to leverage their existing skills and training them on new digital processes and tools with the help of specially designed platforms that deliver customized trainings.

Microlearning for the hybrid workforce

As employees continue to look for opportunities to upgrade themselves, learning and development teams need to work on building training modules that can be broken down into bite-sized, palatable segments that employees can benefit from while on the go. Microlearning is breaking down huge learning modules into smaller segments to boost knowledge retention. At Honeywell, we have

revitalized our learning and development platform with the Honeywell Accelerator. Its repository of customized content offers something for everyone to fuel their career development. Employees have the option of completing modules at their own pace, enabling them to take their knowledge of essential principles, processes, and business topics to the next level. Honeywell has also started an initiative wherein calendarized days are set aside every month for employees to invest time in their own professional growth and development.

Across the industry – per the aforementioned LinkedIn report – the primary focus areas of learning and development programs this year will be on leadership and management training, upskilling and reskilling employees, digital upskilling/ digital transformation and diversity, equity and inclusion5.

Learning-an ongoing process

Over the past years, we have seen a plethora of AI-enabled ed-tech products capturing the market. While captivating e-learning courses and learning management systems (LMS) are here to stay, there is still ample scope for organizations to pilot more diverse learning and development activities for their employees. Examples include personalized learning content, peer-based knowledge sharing on collaborative platforms, and integration of thoughtfully curated third-party modules with customized in-house learning modules. While designing training programs for the future workforce there are certain critical attributes that should be taken into consideration like creating programs that spark curiosity, promote collaboration, and foster a culture of innovation. Learning is an ongoing process; keeping track of the impact of learning and development initiatives will help identify what’s working for employees and what requires more effort to get desired outcomes.

The new-age workplace of today revolves around employee-centric goals which help them thrive, innovate and lead by offering ample opportunities to advance and grow within an organization. Organizations that invest in their workforce eventually get rewarded with a talent pool that is super productive, engaged, highly skilled and, more importantly, will most likely stay with the organisation.

(The views expressed have been penned own by Dr. Urmi Chatterjee, VP-HR, APAC, Honeywell solely for BW People publication)