Category: Learning & Development

Employees are valuing career development more than ever—it’s a sign that the company is willing to invest in their future. How are businesses approaching training today? What are their pain points, and what topics are being addressed in training?

How Do You Establish Effective Metrics for Your Training Program?

“Training is an area that can be difficult to quantify,” Prince says. “However, it may be helpful to look at metrics that target the type of training and what it was intended to accomplish. For instance: Cost of sales training as a percent of total sales; Increase in hours of sales training compared with increases […]

Surveys Say: Time Constraints and Technical Knowledge Drive Training Solutions

Training in ‘bite-sized pieces’ CEOs are more concerned about offering succinct training than they are about content, delivery format, and cost, according to a recent Skillsoft (www.skillsoft.com) survey conducted by U.K. research company OpinionMatters. “This research shows that business leaders increasingly appreciate the value of learning,” said Kevin Young, managing director, Skillsoft EMEA. “However, while […]

Picture This! Visualization Techniques for Trainers

Even as a seasoned trainer and speaker, Eric Papp still uses visualization before training sessions and presentations. The night before a management seminar, for example, he gets permission to go into the conference room where he will present the next day. He pulls up a chair, closes his eyes, and visualizes how he will greet […]

Study Shows Impact of Generational Differences in the Workforce

“This is the most comprehensive quantitative study performed on generations in the workforce,” says Warren Wright, vice president of LifeCourse Associates. Wright adds, “We now know what engages different generations.” The study included Millennials (age 30 and under), Generation X (ages 31 to 51), and Boomers (ages 52 to 69) who are employed full-time. The […]

Why Employee Engagement Matters

Employee engagement is very important in ensuring transfer and retention of knowledge. That’s because employee engagement: Drives customer loyalty, which creates business profitability; Aligns the goals and concerns of the employee base with those of the organization; Makes use of discretionary time; and Transforms “just a job” into an important part of the individual’s personal […]

Training Myths and Facts

Training is subject to many myths. Here are just two: 1. Myth: Any person with subject knowledge can do training. Fact: A person may have good subject knowledge but may not be able to conduct training. Being a subject expert does not mean someone is a good trainer. Unlimited employee HR training—one low cost—no setup, […]

When Are Employers Obligated to Pay for Training Time?

One potentially confusing area for employers is determining under which circumstances employee training time must be paid. Is all employee training time considered hours worked? Hi. I’m Susan Prince, a Legal Editor at HR.BLR.com. We recently received an Ask the Expert question from a subscriber asking “Do we have to pay an employee for an […]

Is “Talent Management” a Top Priority for You in 2013

Only half of major organizations regard talent management as a top priority, according to a recent Right Management survey. For 13% of organizations, talent management is a secondary priority, and for the balance, not a priority at all, according to the survey. The survey asked respondents, “How much of a priority is talent management to […]

How Employers Can Participate in National Mentor Month

January 2013 is National Mentoring Month, which is the perfect time for employers that may be interested in establishing an external mentoring program to learn about how they can get started and enjoy the benefits of providing employee-mentors while helping their local community. In this video, BLR interviews an expert on internal and external business […]

Evaluating E-Learning Programs

First, consider these facts about this exciting new training method: The use of e-learning in the workplace has grown considerably in the past few years. A large number of companies in the United States and worldwide are currently using or experimenting with some form of e-learning to train their workers. Still relatively new to the […]