There is a clear trend in the world that knowledge that is difficult to acquire over a long period of time is being pushed to the background in comparison to knowledge that can be acquired through intensive methods but needs to be updated again and again. This is mostly due to technological developments, job and market transformations. So the most important thing that companies can do is to create a coherent strategic and educational plan?
We have already discussed in a previous article why it is extremely important to establish and maintain professional training in your company. Moreover, our in-depth professional interview with József Nyisztor, the executive director of the Training 360 education center, is also an interesting and useful read on the subject.
In this article, we will explore what you should pay attention to when creating your company's education strategy.
Don't ignore generational differences
The article and interview referenced above both discuss the fundamental differences between Generation Y and Generation Z, and the older generations, Generation X and Baby Boomers. Among other things, it was stated that it is a wrong decision to encourage older colleagues to participate in professional training while leaving enthusiastic young employees on the bench until their motivation runs out.
However, the formula is a bit more complicated than that. It is not a solution to reverse the trend by making a Solomonic decision and from now on only sending young people to training.
If we act this way, older colleagues may feel that we no longer count on them in the long term, which will lead to a decrease in their motivation and make them have to work in a constant state of stress, almost fearing for their jobs, or at least their professional recognition.
To prevent this from happening, transparent communication is definitely needed, towards employees. And as stated in the previous article and interview, the training plan forms the basis for this. If we develop a training plan in addition to our strategic or business plan, which includes where the company will open up within a certain period of time, where we see development potential, and how the professional training of colleagues can be implemented, we will be able to communicate all of this much more easily.
But communication alone is not enough.
If we want to make sure that the older colleague does not start to view the younger one as a rival, and the younger one views the older colleague with due professional respect, we should start a mentoring program in our company.
This method is also a great choice because there are quite a few tasks for the older colleague that, although they are forced to do due to their job, they feel like a burden and therefore often procrastinate, take their time to complete them, and in essence, only hinder themselves. However, such tasks can serve as a perfect springboard for younger employees.
This way, we can take a burden off the shoulders of the old bikers and increase the loyalty of the new employees, strengthening the feeling that they are full members of the team. And if we implement this within the framework of a professional mentoring program, we encourage communication between representatives of different generations, thereby reducing resistance and possible misunderstandings between them.
Of course, mentoring programs should also include the transfer of knowledge that can be interpreted as more than just "bounce back." This is the most effective way to integrate a new or perhaps early-career employee into the company's bloodstream.
How can you avoid making training sessions feel like a burden to your colleagues?
It's clear that there are many different types of people, and some of them feel like a burden when they have to learn something new under any circumstances. However, this doesn't have to be – and shouldn't be – a permanent feature of the company.
It is also noticeable that there is a huge demand for experienced professionals, and this may also contribute to certain colleagues becoming comfortable with their situation. It is more difficult to persuade them to complete further training, and even if they do go, it is far from certain that the result will be satisfactory, due to low professional motivation.
What needs to be examined in this regard is whether we allow enough time for employees for such training. Most company managers make the mistake of assuming that their colleagues can learn for the company even in their free time. However, this is not the case.
It is simply not realistic to expect employees to complete the assigned course with the same workload. It is therefore a common misconception to confuse the phenomena of "not wanting to go to training" with "not being able to go to training".
As a manager, you should definitely check whether you have provided enough time for your colleagues sent for professional training. The fast pace and training at the expense of free time reduce efficiency - either in work or in learning.
In this regard, József Nyisztor, Managing Director of Traning 360, stated the following: “This was the greatest learning methodology experience of the 2000s. When various e-learning materials appeared, many people thought that from now on you could study on the bus or at home, and the employee could do their work during working hours just as before. And when the question arose as to why it had to be done, there was no substantive answer, so people didn’t do it.”
Can gamification programs help professional training?
Although gamification can be useful in many cases, we should not make the mistake of trying to solve everything with this method.
It must be understood that this is not a universally applicable method. In certain areas – for example, in introducing complex issues through analogies – it is very powerful, but it cannot be used in all areas of education. So it will not replace everything, I would rather say that it has to be combined with other training tools. – says József Nyisztor in relation to the topic.
February 2019