Learning and development (L&D) popularity among employees is rising as schools reopen after the summer holidays and people are feeling recharged, new research has revealed.
According to BrightHR, usage of its learning platform has increased by 46% in the past month, with 89,000 courses being assigned to professionals.
The HR software provider’s CEO, Alan Price, believes this shows a “keen focus on learning across all sectors and job roles… and perhaps suggesting that employees are returning from their holidays over the summer with a renewed zest for knowledge”.
He said: “Those stats indicate that learning in the workplace isn’t just related to the skills of a trade or discipline but also those ‘softer skills’ that are applicable across industries and to any profession – and very much needed in today’s world of work.
“In fact, diversity, equality, and inclusion awareness is our most accessed course, followed by mental health awareness. In at third place is cyber security best practices, and we’ve seen high engagement with courses on GDPR, and time management rank highly in popularity too.”
According to Price, soft skills are no longer just a ‘nice-to-have’ in the modern workplace.
He added: “Particularly in the post-pandemic world, people are seeking more purpose than ever from their roles in the form of fulfilment and satisfaction from their work. A recent survey found that half of UK employees value work relationships over a pay rise. And so soft skills are essential in achieving positive relationships with colleagues, collaboration, and a positive work culture. Plus, employers that empower their staff to continually enhance their skills and knowledge, comes up trumps in the war for talent.”
Highlighting that L&D is an area that is constantly evolving as employees’ priorities shift and their goal posts change, so will their requirements when it comes to growth, explained Price.
He concluded: “That’s why e-learning is a great way to provide employees with the ability to develop and hone their skills in a number of avenues while staying up to date with their wants and needs.
“Workplace learning and development cannot be seen solely as a box ticking exercise. To retain your employees and prevent business stagnation and high staff turnover, e-learning must be a continued focus for employers. And while soft skills have historically been overlooked, it’s clearly time they formed a key part of your businesses e-learning strategy. Learning is the modern age key skillset, and, in my experience, the best employees are those with an aptitude for learning. So, give your people the tools and means to do so, and you’ll set your business up for growth. Not only that, but you’ll also reap the benefits of an engaged, satisfied workforce.”
