WAYS THE
ERA OF FLEXIBILITY HAS IMPACTED L&D
Insights from Interactive Workshops’ L&D Insider Research Project
WE GOT CURIOUS.
Interactive Workshops launched the L&D Insider research project to better understand the changing needs of the L&D industry. Our first project assessed the impact of a season of disruption (2020–2021). Our latest research assesses the impact of an era of flexibility (2022–2023).
This booklet serves as a quick reference guide to our Whitepaper Assessing the Impact of an Era of Flexibility on the L&D Industry. We outline 10 key impacts, share the key statistics and offer coaching questions for self-reflection or discussion with a peer, colleague or team.
10 NO PERPLEX FLEX
Flexibility and hybridity was reported as significantly less challenging than previous L&D Insider research after the season of disruption.
Key stat: Less than one fifth (17.6%) of respondents included Hybrid Working in their top three challenges. Little over a fifth (20.6%) said Flexible working hours were one of their three biggest challenges.
Coaching Questions:
1. Look back. What journey has your organisation been on with flexible/ hybrid working?
2. Assess. How challenging has this journey been? What are some of the successes?
3. Compare & Contrast. Are there opportunities to learn from others in and out of your industry, how have they made flexible/hybrid working possible?
4. Goal. What does the right-size flexible/hybrid organisational ecosystem look like for your organisation?
5. Contribute. How is your L&D offering contributing to an easier, more effective and more enjoyable way of working to reach your goal?
9 ACQUISITIVE ACQUISITION
The top talent acquisition challenges:
• Flexible working expectations
• Highly competitive market
• Inadequate talent pool
• Meeting salary expectations
Key stat: Each of the four challenges on the left had 53.3% of respondents indicate it as one of their top three challenges.
Coaching Questions:
1. Align. Do the top four challenges align with the talent acquisition challenges in your organisation?
2. Digest. What factors contribute to these challenges?
3. Rank. Which challenge is the toughest?
4. Address. How could the top challenge be addressed with L&D support?
5. Hypothesise. What would it take for your organisation to handle this challenge with ease?
8 PLATE UP
Employees are hungry for L&D but not every plate makes it to the organisational table.
L&D appetite increased for more than half of respondents yet less than half (47%) delivered 75% or more of their L&D initiatives.
Coaching Questions:
1. Menu. How could you cater for the learning appetite of your organisation? How hungry are they?
2. Kitchen. What are the best ideas you and/or your team are cooking up?
3. Serve. What will it take to get 100% of your L&D ideas to employees over the coming quarter?
4. Wash up. When and with what frequency will you reflect on how you delivered or didn’t deliver L&D initiatives?
5. 5-star review. How are you measuring your L&D success? What does your organisation need to get better value from L&D initiatives?
7 MIND THE GAP
There’s a gap between L&D need identified and L&D need met.
Key stat: More than half (53%) of respondents said it takes three months or longer for an L&D need to be met. Nearly a fifth (20%) of these respondents said it takes seven months or longer.
Coaching Questions:
1. Estimate. How long does it take your organisation to turn an L&D need identified into an L&D need met?
2. Assess. What are the factors that contribute to this time?
3. Target. Ideally, what should this length of time be for your organisation?
4. Barrier. What’s the main barrier to closing the gap?
5. Solve. What’s one thing you and your team could do to meet needs faster?
6 VIRTUALLY ESSENTIAL
The demand for virtually accessible opportunities to learn has increased, making these experiences a key part of the L&D offering.
Key stat: 58% indicated that there’s a greater expectation within their organisation for virtually accessible learning than before.
Coaching Questions:
1. Pause. How strong is the appetite for virtually accessible learning in your organisation?
2. Stop. What are the challenges in virtual learning for your organisation? Which parts of your virtual learning offering is working?
3. Rewind. What virtual learning has become available for your organisation over the past year?
4. Fast-forward. What virtual learning can you see being necessary in 6-12 months time?
5. Play. What would be the one topic, challenge or focus area that could be supported by virtual learning for your organisation?
5 THE CULTURE GAP
Organisations face a dilemma: How can we create a culture that supports multiple generations but also incorporates flexible hours and hybrid working, whilst maintaining the power of microtransactions and mentorship?
What employees want by
generation:
Baby Boomers Gen X Millennials
• A loyal employer
• Hierarchical culture
• The chance to mentor others
• Respect
• A trustworthy employer
• Problem-solving opportunities
• Competent colleagues
• Autonomy
Coaching Questions:
1. Competing. What are the competing wants of different groups within your organisation?
2. Curating. What aspects of your organisation’s culture straddle the dilemma outlined above?
3. Creating. How could your organisation create opportunities for mentorship?
• A empathetic employer
• Meaningful work
• Training for new skills
• Flexibility
Gen Z
• A culturally competent employer
• Competitive Wages
• Mentorship
• Stability
4. Cultivating. What is L&D’s role in the culture of your organisation?
5. Catalysing. Where could L&D have the biggest impact with the smallest effort or time investment?
Source: Mazlo | Infographic design by Antonio Grasso for educational and motivational purposes
4 RISK AND REWARD
Reward and promotion ranked top of the employee challenge. Nearly half reported it as one of their top three challenges. It was also the No. 1 thing respondents would personally value to keep them at their organisations, with over half (53.3%) indicating that it was of value.
A key watchout for leaders is that Reward & Promotion is a vastly underestimated challenge. It ranked top challenge (49%) based on Employee Engagement survey data but ranked lowest (11%) based on participant opinion (where survey data was unavailable).
Key stat: Reward and Promotion went from 3rd place to 1st place in a list of 13 most common L&D challenges. (compared to previous L&D Insider report after the season of disruption.)
Coaching Questions:
1. Top. How does Reward & Promotion rank amongst your L&D challenges?
2. Value. What do people in your organisation value?
3. Reward. How do your employees want to be rewarded for their work?
4. Proposition. What is the current reward proposition? What could it be?
5. Pathway. How do employees get a promotion? Do they know that?
3 TRICKY READING
The skill of handling a difficult conversation can transform an individual or manager. The necessity of this skill has increased in the era of flexibility, yet few organisations have L&D provision in place to support employees handle these conversations brilliantly. Unavoidably necessary, infrequently provided.
Key stat: Over 80% (81%) said handling difficult conversations is a more necessary skill over the past year, despite only 27% reporting Difficult Conversations learning provisions in place.
Coaching Questions:
1. Necessity. How necessary is the skill of handling difficult conversations for your organisation?
2. Understand. How could you or your L&D team gain a better understanding of how these conversations are handled?
3. Benefits. What business functions would improve from employees better handling these conversations?
4. Search. What are employees currently doing to prepare for these conversations?
5. Evolve. How could your organisation’s L&D for difficult conversations evolve over the next quarter / six months / 12 months?
2 FEEDING THOSE LEADING
As the most widely reported focus area, employees are putting the quality of Leadership and Management in the spotlight.
Key stat: Leadership and Management was a top focus for a third of organisations surveyed. 60% also said a Leadership & Management L&D offering would improve the success of acquiring talent in their organisation.
Coaching Questions:
1. Check. What importance does Leadership and Management have at your organisation?
2. Strengthen. How is your organisation developing stronger leaders?
3. Narrow down. What’s one L&D initiative that could support your leaders this coming quarter?
4. Dream. What does the leadership look like with that initiative in place?
5. Pilot. What are your options for piloting this idea?
1 WANDER VISION
The biggest reported challenge was Clarity on Strategy and Vision, beating Wellbeing and Mental Health to top spot.
Key stat: The highest riser in reported level of challenge, Clarity on Strategy & Vision ranked 2nd (41%) based on employee engagement data and 1st (50%) based on participant opinion.
Interestingly, the reported level of challenge for Clarity of Strategy and Vision had dropped significantly as a challenge during the season of disruption (40% reported it as a top three challenge pre-disruption compared to 14.3% post-disruption). Now, in the era of flexibility, clarity on strategy and vision is an even more significant challenge than pre-disruption.
Coaching Questions:
1. Test. How clear is your organisations strategy and vision?
2. Pretend. Pretend you’re a colleague four months in. How would you describe the organisation’s strategy?
3. Consider. What work has been done, or is scheduled for clarifying strategy and vision at your organisation?
4. Goal. What would a goal look like for the setting, communicating or actioning your organisation’s strategy?
5. Experiment. What’s one thing your organisation could test out to clarify strategy and vision?
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