Tech-Enabled Microlearning: Reduce Staff Turnover And Its Costs
Among the many obstacles to business growth, staff turnover can be one of the hardest to address. Its possible causes are numerous, which offers no straightforward solutions. That’s why organizations still struggle with talent attrition and the costs it entails. But the damage isn’t inevitable. By using an enterprise Learning Management System that supports microlearning, organizations can combat the sapping effects of turnover and establish a culture of successful hires that stay and deliver results.
How Dangerous Is Turnover?
It is well known that hiring and firing both cost money, but businesses might underestimate just how great a portion of their staff wants to leave, thus only adding to these costs.
Recent research from Gallup shows that close to 70% of US employees are not engaged, with 51% actively looking for a new job. Should these tentative employees leave before generating enough profit to cover for their hiring expenses? Their companies might suffer financial losses.
It’s also worth noting that even after a position is filled, there’s no immediate guarantee the newcomer will perform as expected and start bringing value to the organization early on.
All is not lost, however. Businesses can turn the tide by implementing a microlearning digital solution that helps combat high turnover rates and increase retention.
How Can Microlearning Be Of Any Use?
The premise is simple, yet effective. Provide training in short, but useful chunks and repeat over time to ensure knowledge retention. When applied to corporate training, this feature can be instrumental in tackling the reasons why employees leave and, encourage them to stay instead.
More than simply a novelty, the concept is backed by scientific data indicating that microlearning makes the training process 17% more efficient. Watching a short video and taking quick quizzes are far more practical than sitting through a long, tedious lesson that covers more than one topic at a time.
Here is how microlearning can save the day for HR managers and business owners in general.
1. Onboarding
Successful integration of new employees into their companies is one of the top HR priorities. It’s the perfect moment to develop a solid foundation for the work to come and prevent retraining staff later. It’s also a great opportunity to teach the organization's values and mission.
However, the numbers mentioned above aren’t uplifting at all. If half of the workforce is contemplating a change of employment, businesses are likely to suffer a lost investment with no sustainable results. But what if these hires’ initial training was faster and more engaging?
Bite-sized lessons that convey what a newcomer needs to know in shorter sessions show what is expected of their role. Short, real-world scenarios showcasing the future routine is a realistic way of getting newcomers acquainted with what lies ahead.
In the end, quick informative lessons also make for a great first experience and challenge trainees on a regular basis. This is essential for many in their decision to stay on the job, as the lack of opportunities to showcase their skills and capabilities is cited among the top reasons to quit.
2. Closing Gaps
One of the major benefits of microlearning is how effective it is in addressing specific skill gaps quickly. If certain employees lack niche expertise or need to train in a new process, a concise video can provide them with the exact knowledge they need, at the time they need it. This benefit can be enhanced if the adopted microlearning solution is mobile-optimized so that the trainees can easily pass the video lessons via their smartphones.
3. Easier Reskilling
With technologies evolving and markets changing faster than ever before, employees need to up their game to stay relevant and capable of operating in new environments.
Short learning nuggets that can be accessed from a mobile device at any moment of the day are perfect tools for the task. Besides these advantages, this mobile-centric approach makes it handy to consult materials later for greater knowledge retention and contribute to employee engagement.
If properly reskilled and upskilled, employees can also prove they stay fit for the job at all times, and this way feel safer without fearing potential redundancy.
4. Personal Growth
With many looking for new jobs, it’s wise to consider what could motivate such possible leavers to stay. Surprisingly enough, a Deloitte study has found that the main drive for millennials to remain in the organization they work for is the opportunity to learn and grow as professionals.
Now, if young employees are eager to learn and would stay for the chance to do so, why do so many leave? Well, the same study also shows more than 40% of these professionals feel they aren’t learning fast enough. Feeling stagnant can be detrimental to any professional’s career. It’s time to reassess the training itself.
- Is it focused enough?
- Is it relevant in every way?
- Does it help or distract from core responsibilities instead?
Learning fast is precisely what microlearning can offer. It is easier to do short bursts of targeted learning and follow up on the new knowledge on a smartphone rather than sitting in an hour-long lecture after a day at the office.
When designing a microlearning solution, course managers can also sieve redundant content out of their programs. This way, it becomes easier to ensure no one is receiving content they don’t need.
Afterword
Companies will continue to suffer higher-than-ideal turnover rates as long as they don’t pay proper attention to the continuous, consistent and convenient training of their staff. After all, training is not only about giving professionals the skills they need, how they learn is just as important as what.
Achieving employee retention is a complex task but not an impossible one. If lessons are short, engaging, and productive, both newcomers and existing employees will have more reasons to stay with their employers.
