These are quite complicated times. The labor market is tighter than ever. Baby boomers are retiring and young people are hopping from job to job like jumping frogs. In the meantime, the work has to go on as usual and the customer's requirements become one. legislations higher and higher. Not surprisingly, many HR managers and entrepreneurs ask themselves: “How do I keep my organisation afloat when half of my employees are gone?”
Of course, you can recruit even harder and hire additional recruiters. But the chances of finding that golden needle in the haystack are really not much higher. Perhaps the answer is a little closer to home: let your employees learn smarter. E-learning offers very nice opportunities in this regard. Let that be exactly our specialty! In this blog, we share our top 5 practical tips with you.
Often, the most important business knowledge lies in the heads of people who have been around for years. The planner who knows customers better than your CRM system. The mechanic, who knows exactly which part will always be loose. The HR advisor who understands how to motivate that special employee. When those key figures retire, there is a risk of a brain drain. But you don't have to.
Ask your experienced employees to share their golden tips with their colleagues, which can be done quite easily by yourself to create e-learning modules. Incorporate the information into an online training module, video, short text document or even a quiz — it doesn't have to be perfect, as long as the knowledge persists and can be passed on to the next generation. Your seniors are probably more than happy to comply with that request, and they feel it as a confirmation of their added value within the organisation. But don't wait too long to ask your question. In the last few working weeks, not only do things have to be arranged, saying goodbye to a job is also a kind of grieving process, which does a lot to a person emotionally. Just before the start of a new phase of life, your head is not so focused on carefully listing important information.
New employees want to quickly feel at home in their new work environment, and you can hardly wait for them either. up and running are able to run and run production. Therefore, make sure you have a good, effective onboarding. That will make everyone better!
Of course, it's nice to shake hands live with new colleagues, but if you also digitise onboarding, you can significantly accelerate and standardise the onboarding process. If you replace endless transfers and empty “figure it out” moments in the agenda with interesting e-learnings with a clear digital learning path, newcomers will quickly become part of your organisation in an effective and, above all, attractive way.
Of course, it's nice to welcome new people into your organisation, who often bring different experiences and insights than you were used to. But don't forget to invest in the people you already have at home, too. For example, with up- and reskilling, formerly known as refresher and retraining. By training employees on time, you not only keep them sustainably employable, but also extra motivated.
Discuss during a POP or performance review what someone would like or need to learn to enjoy staying at work within the organisation. Are they practical skills, extra theory, or is there a need for a better work-life balance? Include this inventory when setting up your online knowledge platform. If you provide a wide range of products, where customised pace, level and learning form can be varied, you will make it as easy and fun as possible for your employees to brush up on their knowledge or maintain their well-being.
On the workplace people often learn in practice, by following up with an old hand in the business. However, it is not always easy there to find enough rest and to free up time for the questions and sometimes uncertainties of a newcomer. Trucks are waiting, colleagues are listening in or another customer comes in.
So bet on two 'horses': pair the employee with a buddy and offers e-learning. Then, even at peak times, there is always digital knowledge to fall back on. In addition, you can then use a 'flipped classroom': the employee prepares the necessary knowledge in advance at home or in a quiet workplace, to see it later in practice. This not only saves time at work, you also have a chance that the new knowledge and skills will stick better because someone has already familiarised themselves with them once.
Not only does every person work differently, the phase of life in which someone is also decisive for the pace and way in which knowledge can be absorbed. If you take this into account in a smart way, you are much more likely to keep your employees employable in a sustainable way and bind them to your organisation.
For example, the younger generation doesn't like thick handbooks or long training days. Just following a short, interactive module during a train trip or between appointments works much better. A new father or mother with waked-out nights is usually not at their best in the morning and must also take into account the opening hours of childcare. And for many older employees, the learning pace is slightly slower than in their younger years, or they are swallowed up by informal care tasks. Even then, e-learning can offer exactly the flexibility that someone needs. After all, this allows you to learn at the time and place that suits you best.
Of course, e-learning is not a magic wand that provides the organisation with the necessary knowledge and skills at once. But it is a smart way to retain knowledge, to train people faster and to keep employees motivated and healthy at work. Especially in times of aging and staff shortages, that is worth its weight in gold.
Are you curious about how Pluvo can help you keep the knowledge in your organisation and make optimal use of talent? Experience the power of Pluvo for yourself! Click here for a demo or call +31 (20) 560 5001.
As an educational expert specialising in online learning, I have been writing blogs for Pluvo for 5 years. My focus is on powerful learning solutions for organisations. Universal Design for Learning and inclusive learning are my passion; I believe that education should be accessible and fun for everyone.
I've been combining my 35 years of HR experience with copywriting for over 15 years. And even then, I learn new things over and over again. That's what makes writing blogs for Pluvo so incredibly interesting!
