Two Major Advantages Of A Learning-Centered Culture

An organisation has a strong workplace learning culture when all of its employees are encouraged to learn about the company’s principles, rules, and practices as well as how to better their own skill sets. Few owners and managers understand why providing employees with opportunities for development in a wide range of seemingly unrelated skill sets can benefit their organisation, even if many recognise the apparent worth of better-trained people. Developing a learning- and skill-focused workplace culture greatly enhances both your organisation’s capacity to recruit and retain competent personnel as well as  productivity. 

Employees that work in learning cultures that have been appropriately formed can continuously expand their skill set and knowledge base. Both the employee and the organisation stand to benefit when this training is focused on improving employee performance and contribute to personal and professional growth. 

Studies from all over the world have repeatedly proven that employees who have received better training are significantly more productive and that the business may even see a bigger return on these initiatives than the employees. In a frequently referenced IBM report, although 84% of employees in the best-performing businesses received regular training, only 16% of those in the worst-performing businesses received such training. It should not be surprising that better-trained personnel can have a favourable impact on important elements of your company, but many people are unaware that these advantages go far beyond daily productivity and can have a big impact on engagement, retention rates and capacity to draw top talent.

The two major advantages of a learning-centered culture according to Ordorica:

A Better Retention Rate 

Today’s competitive market makes it more vital and difficult than ever to draw in and keep the best individuals in your sector. You will have a potent weapon to fight back against these trends if you have a successful and interesting learning culture.  

94% of the employees surveyed said they would stay at a firm if it made an investment in their education, according to LinkedIn’s 2019 Workforce Learning Report. This is significant when you consider that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January 2022 report, the average tenure of employees aged 25 to 34 at their positions was only 2.8 years. 

According to a 2021 Gallup survey, 61% of workers rated employer-provided upskilling as important to their evaluation of their current position. For workers ages 18 to 24, upskilling opportunities ranked third in importance only to health insurance and disability benefits when considering new job opportunities. In a previous two-year study, it showed that a hotel company’s turnover rate decreased from nearly 90% to around 60% after implementing demanding training programmes with an emphasis on frontline leaders. This industry has extremely high turnover rates.  

Note that the higher savings that result from decreased turnover rates. Finding, interviewing, and training new employees on a regular basis is very challenging and may put a significant financial strain on a business. 

Lastly, having a learning culture mitigates the effects of employees who may leave the company, provided, frequently reinforced several shared skill sets.

A Better Collaboration Atmosphere 

Employees rated “opportunity to develop and grow” as the #1 driver of a positive work culture, according to 2020 data from Glint. When workers feel that their employer has invested in them, they are more motivated to make long-term investments in the company, succeed at work, and work well with others. Making people active thinkers on the job is key to creating this environment and is a significant component of a culture that places keen emphasis on learning. Employees who are actively involved in solving problems and conquering obstacles are more willing to go above and beyond for the benefit of the team.  

Finding and hiring individuals who share your purpose and vision and developing orientation materials, training curricula, and performance management strategies that explicitly state and reinforce your company’s values are the simplest ways to build a culture around any objective. You must also make sure that you are rewarding and recognizing adherence to these cultural norms. This entails rewarding and encouraging staff members to learn more and expand their skill sets, even if such abilities and topics may not immediately relate to your industry or business objectives.  

In the development mix, all must balance between technically necessary abilities, soft interpersonal skills, and talents that employees simply like learning. Always keep in mind that effective workplace programs are more than just a way to increase employee productivity; Ordorica strongly believes that they are also a powerful way to demonstrate your commitment to your workforce and to maintain employee morale and retention rates. 

Need help with developing a culture centered for learning? Let’s discuss. 

Adapted from: Forbes| Why And How To Center A Workplace Culture Around Learning And Development| Salvadore Ordorica