In November 2020, LinkedIn surveyed 150 learning and development professionals - at different UK organisations - for their 2021 Workplace Learning Report.
According to this report, UK employees are being encouraged to learn new skills to promote team-bonding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the UK learning and development professional respondents, 75 per cent said that community-based learning is more important in their business today than it was before the pandemic; 84 per cent thought that it improves employee engagement and 94 per cent stated that teams that learn together are more successful.
Globally, 52 per cent of learning and development professionals were shown to be of the opinion that upskilling and reskilling were a top priority, followed by 51 per cent stating leadership and management and 33 per cent naming virtual onboarding. Over half of the UK learning and development professionals agreed that in 2021 it has now changed from ‘nice to have’ to ‘need to have’.
Employee development has become a higher priority in business since the pandemic outbreak, with 63 per cent of learning and development professionals saying that their CEO has become a keen advocate of workplace learning.
After communication gaps arose between teams - caused by remote working - the report stressed that 66 per cent of learning and development professionals agreed that learning and development is focused on rebuilding or reshaping organisations this year.
Speaking to HR magazine, Janine Chamberlin - Senior Director at LinkedIn - said:
“While many companies have slowed the pace of external recruitment due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, many are looking inwards to find talent for new roles. This presents excellent progression opportunities for employees that want to develop new skills and benefit from a new experience within their organisation.”
Ms Chamberlin went on to say that HR and the learning and development professionals are noticing the benefits of skills development in the area of employee engagement - especially as employees are still working remotely and may be feeling isolated and lonely.
She said:
“By encouraging teams to learn together, people feel more motivated and committed to investing their time in shared learning experiences and benefit from a ‘hive mind’.”
She added:
“Making skills development part of performance reviews, spotlighting stories of employees who have chartered their own path internally or done brilliant things with their skills outside of work, and celebrating those who embody a growth mindset, are also ways in which HR can promote the importance of skills development.”
