Encouraging Ongoing Learning at Work
Leveraging our proprietary framework, the Categories of Inclusion, Aleria measures inclusion at organizations by looking at the unique experiences of exclusion of employees. The data we collect tells a powerful story. This post is part of a series where we touch on each of the Categories of Inclusion, sharing the trends we see in the data and how to enact change.
In many job descriptions, companies list professional development opportunities as one of the benefits of working at their organization. But what does this actually look like within the organization and how do they support ongoing learning and growth? It can include mentoring and coaching programs, opportunities to attend industry and skills-based conferences, regular access to relevant training and more.
And employees want these benefits. A study from Indeed found that 91% of employees cited opportunities for learning and development as a top factor when evaluating new jobs. A separate report shared that 94% of employees would stay with a company longer if the company invested in their growth.
Importantly, learning and growth also includes avenues for giving and getting regular, constructive feedback. One study found that women receive feedback that is less actionable than men, typically getting responses that weren’t clearly tied to business outcomes and challenging to implement. In our work we have heard from folks that have shared how little or rarely they have an opportunity to connect with their managers and discuss feedback.
In our work measuring inclusion, we collect experiences of exclusion organized into our Categories of Inclusion to understand where companies need to focus their efforts to drive measurable progress. With regards to the category of Learning & Growth, 23% of employees who have participated in our workshops, nearly a quarter, have shared a related experience of exclusion. And 12% of all experiences of exclusion we have collected are tied to Learning & Growth.
Here are a few of the common experiences of exclusion related to Learning & Growth:
- not having equitable access to professional development events, coaching opportunities and conferences
- being denied requests to put together and lead trainings
- discouraged from engaging in “non-billable activities”
- having a mentor program in place but mentors rarely reach out and engage with mentees
- inadequate training for new programs that don’t support differing learning styles
When looking at these experiences we also want to understand who or what are causing them. Below is the breakdown of sources of exclusion related to Learning & Growth.
Unsurprisingly, over half of the experiences are attributed to Direct Managers and nearly 70% to Leadership. At a high-level this already shows the need for better communication and offerings from leaders in an organization. Below are a few tips to get started.
Avoid the mini-me phenomenon
Assess your existing sponsorship and mentorship programs to ensure that they aren’t supporting the “mini-me phenomenon”. This is when mentors tend to support those that are similar to them, whether in terms of demographic characteristics, personalities or other traits. This sometimes unconscious bias can lead to underrepresented employees losing out on key opportunities that only perpetuates issues such as low promotion rates, fewer opportunities on strategic projects, lack of diversity in leadership positions and more.
Accommodate different avenues for feedback
Not everyone feels comfortable communicating feedback when face-to-face with their manager. Some folks would prefer writing their thoughts down first and sending it without a conversation. Others may want to stay anonymous. Take into account differing personality, work styles and cultural norms when establishing avenues, frequency and tools for employee feedback to ensure they allow for a range of communication styles.
Provide open and equitable access to training
When you have the chance to offer a training and you think some people shouldn’t attend, really ask yourself why? Are you making assumptions about people’s interest in the topic? Do you feel it’s too niche for certain departments? Consider advertising these opportunities openly and see who opts in. It’s possible you’ll learn about potential cross-functional collaboration opportunities or employees that may be interested in functions outside of their direct role. When learning opportunities are offered, take regular stock of who’s taking them, who’s not and use this data to better understand why.
Encourage employee initiative for learning
In our work we sometimes hear from people that they’re often denied requests to share their own learnings with the rest of the organization. Or if they have an idea for a certain training topic, they are not allowed to take lead on putting something together but are told to focus on their core responsibilities. While we certainly understand the need to ensure key deliverables and deadlines are being met, denying employees looking to engage in learning through their own initiative for the better of the organization is not a good idea. For both the employee and the organization. Consider instead having a monthly or quarterly training session where employees are encouraged to submit ideas for topics, or even lead them if they’d like.
Support greater retention, loyalty and better business outcomes by investing in employee learning and development. Provide flexibility, agency and encouragement to demonstrate your interest in their growth in ways that are meaningful to them.
Wondering where your team members may be looking for more learning and growth opportunities? Get in touch to learn about Aleria’s Inclusion Assessments.
