I’ve long maintained that what’s best for the individual is best for the organization, and evidence continues to surface.
Recent information reinforces that assertion’s validity in an Indeed Work Wellbeing Report. The report is based on surveys conducted between 2019 and 2024 and shows that greater employee well-being is tied to higher company valuation, higher return on assets, and greater profits.
That’s the good news.
The not-so-good news is that, according to the report, just one in five workers says they are thriving at work. Sadly, that has been a recent trend as work well-being levels have declined over the past four years. The downward trajectory began with the pandemic and hasn’t stopped since.
We all know that the employee experience matters, yet company leaders don’t always take the steps they should to ensure their employees feel valued and engaged with what they do. Instead, employees who suffer from consistently bad experiences on the job often feel that they don’t have any options other than to leave, which adds to turnover and the associated costs. Moreover, their dissatisfaction can permeate the workplace, diminishing team morale and deterring prospective talent from considering employment.
One way businesses can elevate human experience as a core value is to reimagine how they train employees, retain talent, and drive growth. In the process, employees will become more engaged as their skills are sharpened, and the organization will show that it appreciates the talents they bring to the operation.
Emerging Technologies and AI
Traditionally, employee training has relied heavily on theoretical knowledge, but that approach is becoming obsolete with the emergence of AI.
So instead of theoretical knowledge, companies need to emphasize application-based learning that directly relates to the organization’s success. Some companies accomplish this through collaborative problem-solving exercises where employees explore new technologies and uncover use cases that improve efficiencies or help drive growth.
This approach shows results in two ways. By upskilling employees to adapt to new roles and technologies, the company and the employees are prepared for future challenges. At the same time, the business will see employee morale improve because the workforce will appreciate the company for helping them move from one juncture to another.
Gamification and Apprenticeship
Gamification is another excellent tool for engaging employees and making learning a continuous behavior rather than something that happens during a mandatory training session. Ideally, you want to captivate people’s attention and integrate learning into the fabric of the workplace, and gamification helps do that.
In addition, companies also can look to European apprenticeship models as an opportunity to upskill their workforce in innovative ways. Many companies are investing in programs to upgrade skill sets, but the trend is moving toward on-the-job training.
Learning and Company Growth
It’s important to connect learning programs to broader organizational goals. In the future, learning programs should train employees and help employers identify new growth opportunities within the organization.
There is a significant change in the channels through which people can learn. Organizations have traditionally felt the need to house all learning programs in-house. However, this is shifting as better virtual options emerge, offered by universities, specialized platforms, and companies ready to support upskilling with external expertise.
Leadership and Purpose
As these changes occur, leadership also needs to keep pace, ensuring they understand the challenges their employees face each day on the job and their learning needs. They can then provide appropriate, specific training opportunities that address those challenges and needs.
These days, employees also want to feel there is purpose behind what they do, and leaders need to be cognizant of that just as much with training as with anything else. Without a connection to a sense of purpose, it becomes difficult for people to empathize and understand why they need to do what they need to do.
