BACKIs eLearning really the answer to the Great Resignation?
It’s been around a year since the term ‘Great Resignation’ started to gain traction – and one year on, it’s showing little signs of slowing down.
A combination of changing work habits following the pandemic and a high number of job vacancies have left many workers looking for pastures new.
If Google search data is anything to go by, there are still nearly 100k searches a month for the term, with Forbes even predicting we could be due for a second wave soon.
Many have touted eLearning as the cure to this phenomenon. But it isn’t really that simple. Sure, eLearning can play a major role in employee experience, but can eLearning alone stop the great resignation?
What’s causing the great resignation?
People leave their jobs for lots of different reasons.
Better pay, more opportunities and job satisfaction have always been common reasons, but the pandemic has broadened that list. Work-life balance, hybrid working and commuting time have been brought to the forefront, and with vacancies at all-time high in the UK, job-seekers may be right to think the grass is greener on the other side.
Lack of development opportunities and recognition are other factors commonly cited for leaving a role. And while some employers may find it tricky to tick all of these boxes, there is a common theme here.
Culture.
People are looking to be respected and empowered to work in the way that suits them best. When it comes to retention, businesses that have adapted to these post-pandemic expectations will undoubtedly fare better than those that haven’t.
So, what role can eLearning play?
eLearning may not be able to solve all the challenges businesses are facing, but it can play a key role.
However, simply investing in the right tools isn’t enough. A strong learning and development programme needs to be part of an overall positive culture.
You won’t enjoy the benefits of a marketing-leading authoring tool or learning management system if you aren’t investing in experiences that keep your learners engaged and make them feel valued.
The right eLearning tools give you the potential to create great experiences, but first, you need to implement them.
A learning culture shows that you care
Creating a thorough and engaging learning program in your organisation shows that you are investing in your people.
Learning new skills may give them opportunities for personal and career progression and give a sense of achievement.
Featuring all of this content in a dedicated learning management system, like Docebo or Rise.com, shows a further commitment to the experience of your learners. Learning and development becomes less of a tick box exercise and more of activity to be experienced and shared as a team.
Similarly, investing in your trainers and content designers, by giving them their own training, shows a dedication to improving learning experiences for everyone.
This then has the potential to benefit both employee happiness and some of the challenges flagged by the great resignation.
Staff feel more valued due to a focus on training and development, and you may even be able to upskill existing team members to fill vacancies, promoting a culture of progression.
What easy changes can businesses make?
Of course, building a strong culture takes time. As does creating great learning experiences. Here’s some of the quick things you can do now to start that journey:
- Examine your learning content – Take a look through your existing content and ask yourself the tough questions. How can you make your learning more engaging? How do learners feel when they take your courses?
- Evaluate your tools – Is your current tech up to scratch for the world of hybrid working and flexibility? Maybe you want to move from PowerPoint to a dedicated authoring tool, or maybe you want to give learners more support whilst they learn new software tools.
As we’ve seen with some of our partners, choosing the right learning tools can give you the foundations you need to set yourself up for success. - Ask your team what they want – You might be surprised what they say. Salary isn’t everything… and it might be that people just want more opportunities to learn and grow. Regular surveys and polls can give you an indicator of where digital learning can make a difference in your organisation.
- Where do people want to work? – If you’re not sure what good looks like, there are a number of platforms and resources that may be able to help. As well as great places to work, like this, there are also platforms like Glassdoor that let’s employees have their say on what it’s like to work somewhere.
eLearning and the great resignation
While eLearning is unlikely to turn the tide of the great resignation on its own, it still has a key part to play.
Building a strong learning and development program takes time. You need the tools to achieve your goals, as well as engaging learning content to go with it. In our experience, the time taken to implement these changes really does go along way.
So yes, do invest in new eLearning tools.
But make sure it’s paired with engaging learning experiences, highlighting achievement and the flexibility that people are looking for.
And even if it’s not enough to completely end the spectre of the great resignation, it’s certainly a good place to start.
