How HR Managers Can Shape Organisational Success by Creating a Positive Employee Learning Experience

The HR department plays a vital role in managing your people’s learning experiences, and in this article we’ll explore the role they can play in creating the best possible learning opportunities for your people.

Research from the Society for Human Resource Management found that only 29% of employees are ‘very satisfied’ with their available career advancement opportunities and HR can play an integral role in increasing this percentage.

How HR managers can create a positive learning experience

There are many roles HR managers can play in improving and creating the best possible learning experiences for your teams. Let’s look at the specific role HR managers can play in creating the most positive learning experiences for your people:

Building personal connections with your people

HR managers and professionals have a unique insight into your people and possess the skills and experience to recognise the individual needs of each person and offer programmes which suit their needs exactly. A well-designed learning and development process facilitated by your HR management will help employees recognise where their skills gaps lie and their learning experience can be personalised and fully suited to their needs.

Tailored and suitable orienteering for your newest employees

Orientation and onboarding are a vital step in your people’s journey. It’s also a key moment of learning and an opportunity for you to get new employees on board with your company culture and way of working. One of the most vital roles HR plays in training is induction and onboarding and the better this initial learning experience is, the better your newest recruits feel about their start at the company. It sets the tone for a positive employee journey and gives you a chance to begin planning each person’s individualised learning programme moving forward.

Motivating your people to push forward in their careers

HR managers are perfectly positioned to help employees find the route forward in their careers and be motivated towards promotion and career progression. A good HR manager will help your people find the right way forward in their continued professional development and training, ensuring they choose the best pathway for their career goals.

Managing the delivery of high-quality content

HR is responsible for training delivery and the quality of this training also falls under your remit. Providing training in the right topics for your people is one thing, but ensuring the quality of this training is also vital. Programmes need to be useful, suitable for the learner and of high quality ensuring the learning goals are met. When used properly, a learning management system can be fully customised to your people’s needs and you can ensure the right content is available and delivered in the most suitable way.

How successful learning experiences boost performance and success

Your people want to develop their skillsets, with countless studies showing employees look for companies who can offer them the chance to learn and develop whilst at work. For example, a Gallup poll from late 2021 found 71% employees said learning new skills increases their job satisfaction and 61% said they would stay at a company willing to upgrade and develop their skills. Employees with better experience and skills sets are able to contribute more to the workplace and there are also many other ways investing in quality learning experience benefit your organisation and your people:

1. Stay ahead of the curve

Your training programmes can help your people remain ahead of the curve and on top of the trends and technological developments in your industry. Delivering regular, small training updates can help ensure your people are always on top of any important changes such as ethics and quality standards of safety. Giving them the knowledge and confidence to use new skills and technology and apply them in the workplace may help you stand out against competitors in your industry.

2. Prepare them for new responsibilities

Whether you’re implementing cross-training for better skills development across departments or preparing an employee for more responsibility, high quality training strengthens your company’s ability to provide its services or products. Training and development programmes can promote leadership and management skills, positioning your people for new responsibilities and preparing them for their next career step.

3. Build on performance review findings

Performance reviews can reveal talents and also areas for improvement. Well-designed training programmes will help your people build on their strengths and address any weaknesses found during their performance reviews. It’s an opportunity to ensure training is both suitable and in line with what your people want to learn too, rather than bombarding them with irrelevant and possibly even useless training programmes without considering their needs or preferences.

4. Hone soft skills

Soft skills are essential for adapting to change, resilience in the workplace, and managing expectations. Training that focuses on soft skills such as resilience and agility in a professional environment can empower your people to feel more confident in using these skills themselves. With unprecedented changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, soft skills have become an integral part of your businesses’ ability to adapt and support your people’s soft skills development, ensuring they’re future ready, and your organisation too. 

Invest in your people for company-wide success

Your people want to learn and relish the opportunity to expand and develop their skill sets. HR managers must take a leading role in ensuring their people are given the tools they need to succeed. They must also push to ensure relevant and interesting training opportunities are available, keeping your people motivated and pushing them to achieve all they can.