5 Tips For Integrating Learning Into The Workflow

In today’s fast-paced and constantly changing workplace, it’s more important than ever to find ways to incorporate learning and development into employees’ daily routines. With the rise of digital distractions and an increasingly competitive job market, companies need to find new ways to engage and retain their employees while also promoting productivity. One of the most critical factors in employee engagement is career development potential, and research shows that a lack of opportunities for advancement is one of the top reasons employees leave a company.

The problem with traditional learning programs

However, traditional learning and development programs can be rigid and difficult to fit into a busy work schedule. Long training modules, intensive testing, and outdated educational methods can make it hard for employees to stay engaged and motivated. Additionally, the pressure of daily tasks and deadlines can make it easy for learning and development to take a backseat. In fact, studies show that employees typically devote only five minutes a day to learning.

To address these challenges, many companies are turning to an integrated approach where learning and development are seamlessly woven into employees’ daily workflows. By making information and training readily available, and incorporating learning into job duties, employees are able to learn new skills and improve their existing ones in a more natural and sustainable way. This approach not only helps to increase engagement and retention but also enhances the overall productivity of the company.

5 Practical Tips For Integrating Learning Into The Workflow

Get access to the right tools

To ensure that employees have access to the resources and information they need to excel in their roles, it’s important to make sure that the right tools are readily available. By making information easily accessible, employees are more likely to take advantage of it, and as a result, they will be more engaged, productive, and motivated.

One way to prioritize this type of information sharing is by creating a centralized and easily accessible company resource site. This site should serve as a “single source of truth” for all the information employees may need for their jobs, and it should be available to all employees across different departments. This will not only broaden employees’ understanding of how the company operates but also ensure that everyone has access to the same information.

Another important tool for information sharing is open communication channels. These channels, such as company Slack channels, allow employees to quickly and easily share information and ask questions. Consider creating a dedicated channel specifically for learning and development, where employees can share resources and discuss their progress.

Regular company updates from senior management can also be a valuable tool for keeping employees informed about the big picture and industry developments. These updates can be posted on the company resource site, shared as email announcements, or posted to a dedicated Slack channel, ensuring that employees are always aware of important changes and developments.

Give employees tasks that will enable them to grow

People learn by doing, and this needs to be constantly renewed and repeated. If your employees are doing the same things the same way every day, they won’t learn anything new. Effective managers create opportunities to challenge their employees by assigning tasks and problems that will benefit them most. This is especially valuable for the development of skills as employees strive to be better at what they do. For example, if the finance department encounters a discrepancy, assigning a newer employee the task of finding the error can provide valuable experience. They may not be able to detect the error as efficiently as a more established person, but this experience not only supports the employee’s skills but also empowers the entire team. Of course, management will need to use common sense when deciding who to appoint in a difficult situation. If it’s a mission-critical issue, it may be best to hand it over to a more experienced team member, or at least have someone oversee the process.

Experiment with different learning styles

Traditional workplace learning materials are usually either written content or PowerPoint-like slides. Both of these are valuable formats in their own way, but we need to make learning more integrated. If your employees have trouble making time to learn, they’re less likely to engage in these time-intensive approaches. If time is a serious issue in your company, your employees may view learning materials as a burden, which is the opposite of what we want.

Instead, try a format like ‘audio’ that can be easily added to their day. Many employees like to listen to music or podcasts while they work. While these can be distracting in deep work, the truth is that not all of our tasks require that much thought. Podcasts, like the Culture First podcast, can be a great way to engage employees during routine, repetitive tasks. You can create short podcast-style audio content that your employees can listen to as they perform more mundane tasks. Infographics are another format that is quick to read and digest. They’re perfect for quick tutorials or sharing how-to information.

Build a learning culture

We’ve saved the most important point for last. Culture may be the most critical factor for integrating learning into daily workflows. As a result, we want to learn to settle into the habits of your employees and the normal way of working for the whole company. Of course, we won’t get to this point in one day, but we have a few ideas that can help you take steps in the right direction:

Encourage people to ask questions about anything: Let employees ask if there’s anything they don’t know or don’t understand! New product features, tactics used during successful meetings, how to provide constructive feedback on presentations, etc. Remind people that there are no wrong questions to provide a high degree of psychological security.

Suggest keeping a “to-learn” list: While a constant to-do list is usually the priority, a to-do list of things the employee would like to clarify or learn more about can help keep the requested information in mind. This is especially helpful during busy times when learning can lag behind.

Encourage knowledge sharing: If team members have useful knowledge, encourage them to share it with their teammates. It’s in everyone’s interest to share information, whether it’s a description of a procedure, a better way to perform a task, or just general information. Keep channels of communication open both within and between departments to maximize knowledge sharing, and constantly encourage people to build an ever-growing source of knowledge.

See learning as a benefit, not a burden

Learning and developing new skills is critical to career development and ultimately employee engagement, but employees don’t always have time to participate in traditional learning and development programs. The solution lies in incorporating learning into your team members’ daily workflow. By providing the right tools, being thoughtful about tasks and opportunities, and fostering a culture of continuous learning, you can reach a place where everyone absorbs knowledge and develops skills on a daily basis. As a bonus, you can reduce cost and increase employee retention.

With Pratik Human Resources, a manager recruitment agency in Turkey, you will reach the right candidate for your company in a short time. If you are looking for a candidate, contact us now!