How to Engage the Modern Employee
For quite some time, classroom training has been the preferred teaching method for most learning institutions. Children enter this environment on their first day of school, experience it right up until finishing university and continue to receive lessons or further enlightenment during full-time employment.
Acquiring new knowledge in the classroom still remains incredibly effective, as it takes place away from the workplace in a dedicated environment, provides two-way communication with another human being and encourages group interaction.
However, today’s fast-paced working world means that classroom training isn’t always the perfect solution, especially for the modern employee. As opposed to simply writing down notes in a classroom, the modern employee cohort are tech-savvy individuals who would much rather interact with and share the information they receive. Not only do they want to obtain new skills and benefit from additional training, they expect it too.
Work doesn’t just occupy their time and put money in the bank, it is a setting where progression and development are perhaps the most important considerations. On top of this, a whole new level of engagement is required due to this generation’s love of technology and social media. For these reasons, classroom training doesn’t always suffice and an alternative or appendage is required.
Technology
We are now living in an increasingly connected digital world where nearly every element of society is completely reliant on technology. Therefore, it is somewhat unbelievable that several types of teaching and training continue to use traditional techniques. Even though they have clearly worked in the past and will probably still be used in years to come, the modern employee fully understands the power and potential technology can afford. From physical devices to virtual databases, technology makes training convenient, constructive and compelling.
With progressive training technology, you can help your employees gain new knowledge on the daily commute, on their lunch break or outside of normal working hours, which is actually the preferred learning time for a surprising number of people. How is this possible? Through multi device support for smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers.
No software needs to be installed either as most of these solutions are hosted in the cloud, which means employees can start learning on their phone, pick it up again on a tablet and finish off on their desktop PC. These virtual environments enable you to update learning content remotely to every single employee as and when you see fit too.
Gamification
Getting children excited about subjects like maths isn’t easy, which is why more and more developers are creating learning-based games on smartphones and tablets that are both educational and entertaining. While gamification motivates youngsters to learn and participate more, it can also be an incredibly powerful training tool in the corporate and enterprise world too. Why? Because the majority of modern employees will have experienced and enjoyed all the benefits that gaming provides.
This ambitious cohort want to solve problems, achieve goals, compete with others and ultimately receive rewards. Easier said than done in the classroom, but if you add some technology into the equation things become a lot simpler, especially with corporate gamification. Gamification promotes the use of achievements, which concern appropriate business topics, and are there to engage, motivate and encourage.
By letting employees know what is required to achieve high-ranking rewards and setting limits on certain awards, your members of staff will become more focused on the end goal and strive to develop appropriate skills. Leader boards and ranking tables might seem superficial or unimportant, but competition through gamification is scientifically proven to enhance engagement and promote greater learning. At the same time, keeping tabs on your employees’ achievements enables you to monitor competency and retention levels too.
Micro Learning and Accelerated Learning
Not long ago, The Telegraph published a story that claimed the growth of television, the Internet and mobile phones means we receive five times as much information today as we did in 1986. This profusion of data has probably increased in recent years and in many respects, presents more problems and questions than solutions and answers. How on earth are employees expected to absorb, understand and retain what is being taught to them if an abundance of additional facts and figures are constantly being produced and distributed? This is where accelerated learning and spaced repetition comes in…
Accelerated learning is all about being actively involved with acquiring knowledge and gaining skills. We are talking about creation not consumption, doing not receiving and collaboration not isolation. Not only does it increases an individual’s ability to digest new information, accelerated learning is also more cost-effective and quicker. To make this teaching and learning technique even more successful, algorithms such as spaced repetition, which capitalises on the fact that the brain easily remembers new things if they are spaced out over a long period of time, can be used to great effect.
So how can you engage the millennial generation more productively than classroom training? By identifying with the society we live in today and appealing to their wants, needs and expectations. Accelerated learning enhances knowledge acquisition, gamification increases engagement while technology makes training for millennials available at anytime, anywhere.
