Learning Curve

A report from Lingio finds training to have a huge influence on retention – but it needs to be an engaging activity. Simon Kent investigates.

The role of training to enhance employee retention and engagement has been explored in a report from AI-based training solution provider Lingio. The report draws from a number of resources to investigate the state of frontline worker training and identifies challenges and opportunities among fast-paced industries such as social care and hospitality. The research resources which formed the basis of the report include webinar polls, a survey of 50 UK and US based HR and L&D professionals and conversations with learning resource users, professionals and experts.

Retention challenges

As Yashar Moradbakhti CEO of Lingio notes, finding talent is not the only challenge facing employers within these industries: “The hospitality and retail industries face staff turnover rates of 37.6% and 33.6% in the UK today,” he says. “Employers need to invest in the staff they have to stop this leaking talent bucket. Approximately 94% of staff say they would stay longer in their role if employers invested in upskilling, so it can clearly help solve turnover rates and boost engagement levels.”

The report identifies particular pain points for organisations seeking to offer their employees training. The main challenge is scheduling time for employees to complete training – cited by 75% of respondents. This is followed by time and resources spent on creating courses (40%), individual training needs and customisation (36%) and proving ROI on training to finance teams (34%).

Such challenges must be faced, however, since the need for training is non-negotiable. When asked for their training priorities, 52% said compliance, 68% leadership and 43% onboarding employees with customer service and soft skills. None of these areas can be considered anything less than mission critical for organisations.

One issue flagged by Moradbakhti is that many organisations deliver training but do so in an ineffective way. “Most traditional LMS systems are designed for deskbound workers and typically not created for busy frontline workers who require small, bite-sized, mobile-based learning formats,” he notes. “Traditionally, it has taken L&D departments a lot of time and resources to create a course for their employees. As such, one course is usually created to simultaneously cater to many different needs. This often makes the training unengaging and irrelevant for each role or person.” 

In this respect, AI based L&D resources can provide a solution. Used successfully, this kind of technology speeds up course creation and helps tailer content for each employee. 

Delivering a more diverse and individually focused roster of training means more engagement for employees and more impact for the organisation. It also offers a way of delivering what can be dry content in a more engaging way.

Engaging Content

“Typically, topics like compliance training aren’t exactly known for being popular amongst employees,” says Moradbakhti. “But, compliance training is necessary, especially for employees’ personal health and to avoid workplace injuries. However, this type of training is often more tedious than it has to be, leading to employees simply clicking their way through without learning anything.”

To counter this, Moradbakhti and his company are committed to making training fun – not least through using methods such as mobile-based learning games. 

“We can create compliance training in a format that employees enjoy,” confirms Moradbakhti.