Here’s What Training in the Flow of Work Means in Practice

Modern employees have six core needs that must be met, according to a survey from Gallup: competitive benefits, work-life balance, work that aligns with their skill set, stability, alignment with company beliefs, and inclusivity in the workplace. These are the things that more than 13,000 U.S. employees consider before accepting a new job at a new company. Undoubtedly, this data also reveals what employees want in their current roles (and how many organizations are falling short). 

The theme that carries through all six of those needs is alignment. Employees will seek out companies that align with their values (consumers are doing this too). Employees want their companies to align corporate values with employee expectations. In other words: Employees expect their companies to understand their needs and the needs of modern workers in the broader picture of employment. They expect companies to be attuned to their needs and adaptable when employees voice concerns. This frame of mind applies to every element of the employee experience, from HR policies to office amenities (or work-from-home freedom) and, of course, the tech that employees use every day.

Training exists in this conversation both as a critical component of an effective workplace and a key determinant of employee development (and thus, satisfaction—because modern employees want opportunities for growth and they tie this to the purpose they find in their work). Training must be aligned with employees’ needs, preferences, and interests in order to be effective.

Historically, however, learning and development initiatives and processes have been incongruent with the reality of employees’ everyday functions. Now that modern training technologies (like a digital LMS) have advanced beyond the cumbersome, impersonal learning experiences—fraught with disjointed training pop-ups, frustrating workflows, and seemingly never-ending courses—there is a new standard for aligning corporate learning goals with modern employees’ needs. It is training in the flow of work.

Simplified, training in the flow of work refers to learning that does not interfere with an employee’s everyday workflow. It is learning that is aligned with their work, relevant to their role, and related to the tasks they must achieve. Training in the flow of work enables learning within the systems an employee uses on a daily basis. Here are the three objectives that drive training in the flow of work.

Optimizing the learner experience

Training in the flow of work is an initiative designed to serve the learner. As such, optimizing the learner experience is the core goal. First and foremost, training leaders and managers must look to technology to determine if it aligns with modern learners’ needs. If it is not optimized for modern training needs, it will not be effective, and training will continue to be a disjointed, cumbersome process. 

The most obvious indicators of misalignment are a lack of personalization and specificity in the training process. Many organizations serve learners with the company’s entire training catalog, giving learners the opportunity to pick and choose from a (seemingly) neverending list of courses. This strategy is guaranteed to minimize engagement, increase frustration, and reduce training adoption. Most employees are already hesitant to spend their valuable working hours on training. Why, then, would they spend time creating their own learning pathways?

This is why modern training must be personalized and tailored to every learner’s needs. This need not add to an organization’s administrative burden. Next-generation LMS technology leverages the power of AI and machine learning to create personalized learning pathways that are tailored to every user’s needs. 

Beyond personalization, optimizing also includes creating training that measurably adds value to the learner’s experience. This means that learning must be interactive and go beyond the simple video course content that learners must click through to achieve objectives. Learners need interactivity in the form of quizzes, polls, audio content, and even mid-training, synchronous meetings to ensure knowledge is retained. These functions are critical to an optimized learner experience.

Understanding employee workflows

Naturally, training in the flow of work requires an understanding of employee workflows. Many companies are out of touch with employees’ needs. PwC found that employees and leaders have vastly different understandings of needed workplace technology: While 90% of leaders agreed that the company took into consideration people’s needs when introducing new technology, only 53% of employees agreed. Before companies can train employees in the flow of work, they must identify learning needs.

Companies should take stock of existing processes and technology before implementing a new learning platform. In the search for a digital LMS, extensible apps or integrations should be top-of-mind. This will enable companies that depend on training revenue to deploy more effective training. For example, sales teams can work with more effective sales strategies and tie training pathways to specific sales initiatives or pathways. Similarly, an employee’s workflow can, should, and will tie directly to the learning pathways that apply throughout the course of their training. 

If an employee primarily focuses on highly technical training and earning new certifications or credentials, his or her company must support this by providing tools that can track, manage, and update credentials (and remind the learner when credentials may lapse). For new hires, training in the flow of work will mean connecting clear, defined learning pathways to the onboarding journey, with check-ins or knowledge checks along the way so that the learner (and the manager) can ensure they are on the right track.

Providing flexible learning

For companies with remote or hybrid teams, as many are nowadays, flexibility will be the chief of employee technology needs. They must be able to complete work in the various contexts they experience throughout the week—from the office, at home, or on a mobile device. The same applies to training. Learning opportunities should be accessible everywhere and variable based on the learner’s needs. Should a learner need a hands-on course or a one-on-one interaction with a manager or peer, this should be equally as available as asynchronous, video-based learning content.

Flexibility and personalization are the crux of training in the flow of work. This is because “work” no longer has universally agreed-upon or standardized processes. Each company is different, of course, but from a broader perspective, the meaning of work has shifted altogether. Some companies have stuck with a formal, 9-to-5 structure and have prioritized synchronicity in the organization, even if workers are hybrid or remote. Other companies have embraced flexibility and variability, permitting workers to complete tasks when they want—even taking long breaks in the middle of the day or working late into the night. Furthermore, the global adoption of hybrid and remote work has given companies the chance to expand their talent pools. This means a greater variety of talent, yes, but also a greater variety of work standards, working hours, and communication availability. 

Training in the flow of work is the new standard. Learning and development can and should serve the learner first and foremost, so companies must prioritize flexibility and personalization. In order to optimize the learner experience, align with employee workflows, and enable flexibility, companies need next-generation training solutions that are purpose-built for this new era of learning and development. A next-generation LMS is, of course, the obvious solution here. Set apart from other training systems of old (and of the present), a digital LMS is the only platform that can provide the flexibility and personalization modern users need. Features like AI-driven recommendations, robust data reporting, eCommerce solutions, interactive courses, and ties between training and sales will enable all users to train in the flow of work. In doing so, workplaces will become more effective and more engaged.