As you start assessing and revamping your training and development programs for 2019, here are four programs you’ll want to make sure you improve.
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1. Harassment and Diversity Training
According to one study, one-fifth of American adults have been sexually harassed at work, 75% of workplace harassment victims experience retaliation when they speak up, and roughly 87% to 94% of employees who experience harassment don’t file a formal complaint. So, harassment in the workplace is a very serious problem.
However, studies and information indicate that mandatory and well-designed harassment training can increase awareness of incidents of harassment across an organization and can lead to a more productive and inclusive workplace.
Additionally, in the wake of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, as well as Starbuck’s well-known diversity training day, more and more organizations are beginning to invest in harassment prevention and diversity training.
In fact, nearly one-third of 1,034 executives from a recent survey said that they’ve changed their behaviors to a moderate, great, or very great extent to avoid behavior that could be perceived as harassment.
2. Leadership Training
Millennials now make up the largest generation inside the workforce across industries, according to Pew Research, and 91% of them aspire to reach leadership positions, while 55% of them wish that their employers offered better opportunities for leadership development. So, Millennials will be more likely to quit working for your organization and be less engaged while they’re working for your organization if they’re not offered leadership development opportunities.
Overall, leadership development programs increase all employee engagement and productivity levels while decreasing employee attrition levels, too.
3. Soft Skills Training
MIT research has concluded that soft skills training can reap substantial returns on organizations’ investments while also benefiting employees.
Investing in employees’ emotional intelligence, collaboration skills, communications skills, teambuilding skills, and negotiating skills is very critical in this current, ever-expanding, globalized, and knowledge-centric workforce. And most organizations are investing heavily in soft skills training in 2019.
In fact, in a 2016 Deloitte survey, more than 90% of survey respondents indicated that soft skills were a “critical priority” for them. So, if you want to outpace your competition, you’ll need to offer more robust soft skills training opportunities in 2019.
4. Mobile Learning and Training
Mobile learning will be a $70 billion industry this year. And there is no way you’ll be able to outpace your competition without advanced and relevant mobile learning platforms, strategies, and content.
You’ll want to make sure your mobile learning is mobile-first, is app-based, and has a lot of video-based content and that you consider monetizing your learners’ mobile learning experiences.
Read “Mobile Learning Trends for 2019” for more information.
If you’re interested in outpacing your competition and retaining more engaged employees this year, be sure to invest in and improve the training programs listed above.