The historical ways of training your supervisors won't work in today's fast-paced, constantly changing world. Companies are struggling with several workplace realities that have changed how they train and develop their talent. Today we will explore those workplace challenges and then offer a solution to provide practical training to your supervisors.
21st Century Workplace Realities
Widening Skills Gap
What exactly is a skills gap? A skills gap is when your employees' skill set doesn't align with the skills that they need to do their jobs effectively. Regarding supervisors, studies show that only 42% of companies provide formal training to their managers. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics states that managers receive 12-24 minutes of training annually on average. Companies are now faced with having to learn how to bridge the gap between talents and needed skills for specified jobs.
Outdated Training Strategies
What do you remember when you think back to training classes you attended in the past? Was the training held in a classroom or offsite, perhaps? Was a third party brought in to facilitate the training sessions? Did the training occur during the workday, where you were perhaps served breakfast and lunch during the session? In the past, classroom training was the way most organizations chose to develop their employees. That simply won't work any longer. Studies show that only 10-30% of classroom instruction finds its way into practice on the job. We know that employees learn best when training is both interactive and relates to learning objectives integrated into the employees' jobs. Companies are now tasked to find innovative and interactive ways to train their employees.
Understaffed Companies
"Help Wanted" signs are everywhere. It's not just in a single industry; it's all around us. However, the demand for help within the labor-intensive industry is at its highest level. As of April 2022, Zip Recruiter shows 11.5 million jobs, of which 86,000 are in the shipbuilding industry alone. Companies are using overtime to fill the void, which can lead to worker burnout as well. Companies can no longer pull supervisors off the job for extended periods to get the needed training. While cost used to be the #1 barrier to training, today, time constraints and availability claim the #1 spot. Organizations must search for short, impactful training that can be delivered to their supervisors in real-time.
High Turnover
It stands to reason that with so many companies currently hiring, they will do about anything to recruit candidates. Raising their salary slightly higher than a competitor and offering slightly better benefits are just a few examples of creating high turnover in the workplace. This is especially true in labor-intensive industries. For example, transportation, warehousing, and utilities have a turnover rate of 46%. Manufacturing is up to 37%. These are incredibly high and create competitiveness in the market. According to surveys, 73% of companies are struggling to recruit employees, while over 61% are having difficulty retaining their employees. What does this mean for you? Organizations will need to revise or, in some cases, create learning and development plans for their employees. Those revised plans are essential if supervisors want to see their careers and the careers of their peers’ progress.
Generational Differences
If generational differences haven't already impacted your organization, get ready. By 2030, one-third of the workshop will be Generation Z. A Gen Z employee has never known a world without Google. They have always been able to search for answers and instantly find things out in real time. They are also the most educated generation in history and thrive on constant learning and development opportunities. Keeping in mind that they are the most educated generation also means realizing they have various employment options. So, keeping your Gen Z employees up to date with training and development will be a top priority.
Micro-Learning as an Effective Training Platform
Understanding the challenges that organizations face leads to the question, "What is the solution for companies looking to train and develop their people?" Micro-Learning fits the bill. Micro-learning is simply breaking up or "thin-slicing" larger pieces of learning content into bite-size chunks. The goal of micro-learning is to keep the training session short so the trainee can learn what is needed and complete the module within 5-7 minutes. Each micro-learning session focuses on a single topic, thus ensuring that the learner is focused on one thing at a time. By design, micro-learning is interactive, engaging, and efficient.
Benefits of Micro-Learning:
- Flexibility
- Customizable
- Knowledge Retention
- Cost
- Aligns with Gen Z
Here is something to keep in mind as you move forward: 60% of supervisors fail within two years of being placed into their roles. Based on the current workplace reality around recruiting and retention, companies must update their training and development plans to ensure supervisor success. Micro-learning is an excellent option for companies struggling with today's workplace realities. Learn more in AEU LEAD's Online Learning Academy.
