There\u2019s a lot of uncertainty in navigating a rapidly changing future. Still, worldwide, businesses are recognizing the need to adjust and adapt organizational structures while addressing a shift in skills. As a result, continuous learning has become a necessity. Employers are now faced with an exciting challenge: our working world sits at a juncture where Industrial Age practices meet Information Age patterns. Employers are tasked with navigating a new age of work, with the current revolution bringing as much change<\/a> in a decade as previously spread over a century.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n How, then, do we navigate a culture of learning that\u2019s relevant to every employee?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Younger professionals (Millennials and Generation Zs)<\/a> \u2013 some of whom have never known a world without the Internet \u2013 are starting to influence the workforce<\/a>. Communication is expected to be instantaneous, and the conventional 9\u20135 in-office work schedule is being called into question. With hours, locations, cultures, and systems being re-evaluated, traditional management practices are faced with radical changes in attitudes towards work. To attract, retain, and engage talent, organizations will need to embrace these values:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Company culture has also become a differentiating factor among organizations, and acts as an effective drawcard in recruiting and retaining top talent. As a context for performance and employee engagement, a company\u2019s culture will be increasingly monitored, managed, and curated<\/strong> by design, as opposed to being adopted by default.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n With digital transformation at the forefront, businesses need to guarantee that their workforce is equipped to meet tomorrow\u2019s needs. Enabling a space of lifelong learning will also ensure that, despite an employee\u2019s age, experience, or capabilities, acquiring new skills via learning initiatives is supported and encouraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuous learning is now an integral part of working<\/a>, and it\u2019s not exclusively about remaining relevant in the job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employers, learning and development (L&D) managers, and HR professionals need to address the economic inequality being created by the technical advances of the Fourth Industrial Revolution \u2013 especially for lower-skilled workers.3<\/sup> A workplace culture that prioritizes the skills development of existing labor forces is a holistic solution to this challenge.<\/p>\n GetSmarter asked HR, L&D, and talent managers why they think it\u2019s important to develop employees. Among the top reasons were:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The survey results shed light on the critical need for L&D opportunities. As we navigate the future of work, training needs to be at the forefront and become a key component for addressing some of the challenges companies face in ensuring that their employees\u2019 skill sets are up-to-date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employee development is also directly linked to business outcomes. ‘The Future of Work Is Here’ report shows that companies with agile learners react quickly to the evolving demands of business<\/strong>, and are better prepared to leverage new ideas for a strategic edge. <\/p>\n\n\n A culture of learning is a powerful solution to change, and it\u2019s likely to set an organization up as a market leader. But the benefits don\u2019t stop at business outcomes. Lifelong learning is critical to overcoming HR-specific challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When L&D managers were asked what their number-one challenge was, the majority said: employees who are unaware of their skills or performance gaps, followed by developing leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n Engaging employees through skills-development is a solution to some of the workplace challenges HR professionals experience, and thus worth prioritizing. Along with the strategic business benefit of professional growth, successful training programs also contribute to attracting and retaining top talent. Research shows that more than <\/span>92 percent of employees feel more engaged after being given learning and development opportunities<\/b>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Luckily for HR professionals and employees, learning has become easy and accessible. With access to books, online courses, development programs, podcasts, and other available resources, making a habit out of lifelong learning is viable. The sheer extent of development and training programs (from micro online learning courses to more formal skills-based certificates) reveals how interconnected continuous learning and the future of work are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The research findings reveal that 33 percent of respondents identify the value and role of continued learning and skills-based certificates in securing their current positions. This is supported by recruiters, with talent professionals identifying continued learning as one of the top elements they look for in a prospective candidate\u2019s CV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a business leader or professional involved in getting your team up to speed with the latest skills and knowledge, you have access to online learning solutions. GetSmarter offers a range of courses within training, development, and change management to ensure you\u2019re equipped to manage the demands of upskilling and future workforce needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Online learning has also proven effective in teaching technical as well as interpersonal skills. As the working world gets increasingly technology-driven, human-based skills rise in value<\/strong> \u2013 so much so that it\u2019s become a differentiating factor within the labor market. Offering these learning opportunities helps address the skills gap your business may be experiencing, whilst also developing your talent\u2019s capabilities and, in turn, contributing to your business\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though the urgency of upskilling staff may seem daunting, the responsibility doesn\u2019t fall solely on the shoulders of HR and L&D professionals. Over half of the GetSmarter report respondents believe it\u2019s a joint responsibility between the individual and the organization. Businesses that want to remain competitive have an obligation to not only provide training opportunities, but also to foster a learning culture that encourages employees to upskill themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recognizing the gap in your workforce\u2019s competencies is the first step to tackling them. However, there are varying perceptions regarding where skills gaps exist within organizations. Both HR team members and people managers believe leadership skills need the most attention. At the same time, individual contributors consider the most significant gap to be interpersonal skills, which include communication and negotiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People managers and individual contributors believe that digital capabilities feature highly, as opposed to those in HR who rank them as the least pressing concern. What is clear is that the need for soft skills<\/a>, such as leadership and interpersonal skills, is likely to grow<\/strong>. Those in hiring positions shouldn\u2019t necessarily focus on candidates with technical skills, but rather those with the capabilities that machines can\u2019t mimic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recruiters who want to build a learning culture should look for evidence of continued learning on future candidates\u2019 CVs. This indication of professional development reveals that the worker can adapt to the demands of change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interpersonal skills are now among some of the most sought after by employers. These include social skills, communication, collaboration, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, decision-making, and critical and analytical thinking capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surprisingly, job titles hold far less weight today than they did in the past. Instead, a candidate’s expertise and willingness to grow their skills will be what lands them the job. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Of HR, L&D, and talent managers, 68 percent believe that skills-based certificates are a valuable signal of capability<\/strong>. Seventy-two percent believe that, with the increasing need to upskill and the current rate of technological change, skills-based certificates will become an even more valuable stamp of capability in the next two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evidence of continued learning shows employers:<\/p>\n As we venture into a future of work driven by technology, characterized by change, and influenced by Millennials and Generation Zs, our capacity and facility to learn need to be stronger than ever. The traditional workplace model no longer suits the needs of an evolving labor force and advancing economy. This shift has brought about a desire for meaningful work and an organizational culture that supports growth, with professional development a prerequisite for keeping up with the rate of change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HR, L&D, and talent practitioners are tasked with reshaping a corporate space that meets the needs of employees and businesses. To ensure a team is fit for the demands of a changing world, continuous learning needs to become as integral to business practice as shareholder meetings. Employers can no longer rely on simply hiring top talent \u2013 they need to create it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explore ‘The Future of Work Is Here’<\/a>\u00a0report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay competent, confident, and informedIt\u2019s time to adapt management practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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