The 5 Top Learning and Development Trends We Predict for 2022
On average, 37% of all employees worked from home in the UK in 2020! Although that number will have reduced since then, we are still navigating our way through uncharted territory.
But we made it! 2022 has arrived. There are a lot of lessons we can take from past year which will help us identify learning and development trends for 2022.
Why are learning and development trends for 2022 important?
This year, companies will need to continue to adapt to new ways of working, whether you have a remote, hybrid or office-based workforce. All types of working environments will present their own array of challenges, whether that is managing communications, smoothing out the transition back to the office or trying to balance out training opportunities and development for both your office based and remote employees. Therefore, the lessons we gained from 2021 will be useful to help predict trends for this year.
So, here are our learning and development trends for 2022
1.Taking into account employee preference in working situation will be important
61% of 16–24-year-olds, and 51% of 25-34 year olds surveyed stated they wanted some form of home working to continue permanently, according to a survey conducted by RADA Business. This backs up the fact that many businesses are discovering their employees are happier and even more productive when remote working. This was an important learning and development trend which first occurred in 2020, when a reported 8.4 million people in the UK were working from home and many continued to do so throughout the pandemic. However, since the work from home order has been lifted, you may be tempted to get everyone rushing back to the office.
But consider your employees first, ask them what they prefer. You will naturally get some employees who can’t wait to get back to the office. However, you may find some prefer remote working for one reason or another. Taking this into account and letting your employees have their own say in the matter will help them and you greatly in the long run.
After all, one of the biggest lessons we learnt from 2021 is that businesses can still strive whilst remote working.
2. Employee wellbeing will continue to be tantamount
With remote working affecting a large majority of businesses for a substantial part of 2021, employees were left working on their own at home. For many, this was a positive as it gave them peace and quiet to work. However, many employees often felt isolated and alone, as they weren’t getting the face-to-face contact, they had grown accustomed to in the office. According to an ONS Coronavirus survey, 4 out of 5 adults surveyed experienced some form of depression and that their wellbeing was affected during the pandemic.
This sudden increase brought employee wellbeing to the forefront for many managers. It was more important than ever to check in with your staff to make sure they were happy or satisfied as you could no longer physically see how they were.
Whether your workforce is still remote, hybrid or fully back in the office, ensuring your employee wellbeing is acknowledged and considered will be an important learning and development trend in 2022.
3. Communication will be key
This was something that companies often struggled with before the pandemic, let alone whilst remote working. According to a survey conducted by Hays, out of the 16,000 people surveyed, 43% of employees say communication is the area their leadership most needs to improve in. So, a big learning and development trend in 2022 will be ensuring businesses have a strong level of communication, from management and across all units. Wherever your workforce is situated, communication is more important than ever, and it needs to continue to be a top priority in 2022.
4. Being clear and concise with your employees about training and their role will help retain them
As you have no doubt seen in the news, in the last 12 months we have seen what has been dubbed “the great resignation” where many employees have decided to quit their current job for a new one. In fact, this is still ongoing, according to a survey conducted by RingCentral, 32% of 21-24 year olds plan to leave their place of employment, with a further 27% planning to leave in the next 6 months. These figures vary for each age group, but the pandemic has woken up a lot of employees and made them realise that if they are not appreciated or are in an unfulfilling role, there are other jobs out there. Employees also now understand and appreciate their own value due to a skills shortage, so they are less likely to remain in a role which makes them unhappy or overly stressed. In most roles, employees are not only looking for appreciation but also progression, they want to know what their job is and how they can grow.
Another important learning and development trend in 2022 will be clearly communicating to each employee what their job is, the duties involved and find out what they want to achieve. By showing you care about their development and helping them to achieve their career goals they will feel more appreciated and less likely to look elsewhere. So, make sure you take the time to talk about training opportunities and a clear learning path they can follow to help them on their way.
4. The way employees learn is changing and adapting and companies will need to adapt with them
At the beginning of lockdown, many training courses were cancelled or put on hold as alternative measures simply weren’t in place. In fact, only 15% of employees were offering courses online before the pandemic hit, according to a survey conducted by People Management.
For OnTrack, the pandemic didn’t hit us or our clients as hard, as we already offered blending learning with an online element, so we were able to adapt our strategies quickly to offer more online only learning.
With hybrid working becoming a normal model for businesses, companies need to tailor their training opportunities to ensure nobody gets left behind and everyone has access to the same resources. Ensuring they adapt their strategies for all employees will be a big learning and development trend in 2022.
So, there you have it, our predictions of what we believe will be the top learning and development trends 2022 using the lessons we have learn in the previous year.
How OnTrack can help
At OnTrack, we have an expansive history of providing tailored solutions for businesses. This means we have the knowledge, and the experience of what a hybrid and remote workforce requires to work effectively.
Our blended programmes and digital learning content include:
- Hybrid Working in my organisation
- Managing Hybrid Teams
- Stepping into Leadership
- Leading The Business
- Talent Pipeline
- And much more…
OnTrack can help you overcome many business challenges such as career progression, hybrid transitions and effectively leading your teams. We can develop the plan perfect for your organisation.
So, whether you are preparing to return to the office full time, creating a hybrid workforce model or staying fully remote we can support you through these processes.
