How L&D can ease businesses into the new world of work

The evolution of the workforce in recent years has placed added pressure on businesses. In today’s economic climate, the need to perform is crucial.

According to the Learning at Work 2023 report by CIPD, learning and development can help businesses to tackle the issues that the workforce throws at them.

CIPD noted that skills are in short supply, and attracting and retaining top talent is the top consideration for organisations this year.

“The focus for organisations is back once again on growth, cost reduction and productivity. With the shelf life of skill expected to continually decline, retaining the right people with the right skills is a top priority for all,” said CIPD.

In response to this, organisations have increased headcounts and budgets of their learning and development departments. However, this has come at a price, with 53 per cent reporting an increase in the team’s workload.

“Addressing the skills gap is the top priority, but learning practitioners report a lack of priority from business leaders, a lack of capacity, and a lack of insight about what is needed and what is working. In 2023, learning practitioners are less likely to agree that their learning strategy supports business priorities than in 2021,” CIPD explained.

The learning and development processes have also changed, with technology playing a major role. The pandemic shifted working traditions, and the reliance on technology through this period continues today.

In fact, 48 per cent of learning and development professionals have reported an increase in the use of technology in their role. This tech has reportedly made it easier to provide a tailored learning experience and improves the delivery.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of these advancements that is seeing increased attention. Eleven per cent of learning and development professionals are using, or plan to use, AI in their processes.

There are a few ways that CIPD said would help the learning and development departments thrive and boost skills across an organisation.

Sixty-three per cent of learning and development employees said they work closely with other parts of the business to deliver the best results. CIPD believes this is important to the success of these teams.

One major role that can benefit is line managers. However, there is a disconnect. Fifty-one per cent of respondents believe line managers encourage participation in learning and development. Despite this, just 39 per cent said that employees are given the time away from their roles to participate.

Furthermore, 37 per cent said that managers are involved in defining learning and development needs, and the same number agree that managers influence decisions about their learning and development.

Another 46 per cent said managers are open to discussing performance needs with learning professionals, but only 27 per cent felt that individuals have clear goals for engaging with learning and development opportunities.

This disconnect can harm the effectiveness of learning and development opportunities. CIPD said that line managers play a crucial role in these opportunities, which is why it may be beneficial to provide managers with the training and support needed.

If line managers are not prepared to support the skills development of their teams, it could highlight a lack of support for them, or unawareness of the benefits these programs have.