How to implement learning in the flow of work – A complete guide

Table of Contents

Learning-on-the job ushers in a new era of workplace learning and skill development. Fostering a learning culture in the workplace, where learning is continuous, ingrained, and constantly available, has a number of surprising advantages. The promise of learning as you advance in your career increases your sense of dedication and engagement.

Making learning more relevant, ingrained, and successful in an individual’s day-to-day employment is what learning in the flow of work is all about. Microlearning, often known as bite-sized learning, can take place while you are working or taking a break from work.

What is Learning in the Flow of Work?

While on the job, learning in the flow of work combines rapid and easy access to a brief piece of learning information or answers to inquiries. It all comes down to combining traditional modes of learning (online learning) with the notion of learning while working. Lifelong learning is now regarded as a business need. Learning in the flow of work acknowledges that learning must fit and align with working days and lifestyles in order to take place.

Why is Learning in the Flow of Work Important?

Learning will be fundamental to growth and adaptation. Monthly and annual workshops, as well as training sessions, are both superfluous and useless in the contemporary setting. Everyone seems to be complaining about their lack of time. This leads us to the reason why the vast majority of individuals nowadays want to study while working.

For businesses, this may mean creating a single integration platform that takes into account the needs of their employees and stores everything in one place, making it available at all times. This eliminates roadblocks such as hectic schedules, distant offices, and the like, ensuring that every team member receives the appropriate help at the appropriate moment.

Learning in the workplace encourages employees to be more proactive, allowing them to take responsibility of their performance, stay motivated, and accomplish personal and professional objectives. Employee engagement is a natural result of learning in the workplace, as is lower turnover and increased productivity.

Learning in the Flow of Work: What Does It Look Like?

As the rate of change continues to increase, learning organizations are pushed to keep up with the business’s upskilling and reskilling requirements. To address these difficulties, learning must become more efficient and accessible at the time of need, and it must take place where it is most required — in the flow of work.

Context Matters 

Employees develop new knowledge and skills during the course of their workday, whether it’s through shadowing a colleague to better understand a process, using a job aid to master a new tool, or engaging in a casual exchange of ideas at a meeting. 

Context is important when building learning experiences for today’s learners. Relevance is required for learning to be retained. Learning in the flow of work gives learners with the context they need to apply, develop, and retain new abilities. 

Increased Productivity 

 

The purpose of training and development is to assist people in gaining new skills and information in order to improve their performance in their present – and future – positions. However, learning must be maintained in order for performance to improve. 

Employees who learn in the flow of work may instantly apply new information and abilities to their jobs, helping them to solve issues faster and increase productivity. 

Measurable Impact 

 

Learning leaders must analyze and monitor the effectiveness of their learning efforts to ensure that they are bringing value to the enterprise. Training that is linked to business results must be seen as having a measurable benefit by business executives. While assessing the impact of informal learning is more difficult than assessing the impact of a course, there are techniques for L&D professionals to assess learning in the flow of work. 

Fostering Meaningful Connections 

 

Allowing employees to lead their own learning journey can help organizations empower their staff to succeed. Organizations may boost productivity across the board by providing employees with access to the tools and information they require. Learning while on the job may help people form meaningful connections with coworkers and engage more deeply in their work, allowing them to reach their full potential. 

Conclusion

The notion of learning in the flow of work has struck a chord with chief learning officers around the world as most firms place a greater emphasis on employee engagement and well-being. Experimentation, feedback, and the flexibility to adjust are essential in today’s fast changing marketplace.

People must learn quicker to keep up with the pace, which is accomplished by concentrating more on the current business context, convenient access to information, performance support aids, and relevant and curated training that can be applied straight to work. All company leaders are utilizing learning in the flow of work today, as every firm stands to gain from it.