Remember when dialogue about your performance with your
manager was reserved for your “once a year” review? Remember when merely producing
employee training for your people was enough? Remember when working from home
was the exception, not the rule?
The world is changing. There’s new technology, new
organizational approaches to feedback, new learning methods, new communication
channels, and new situations requiring many to adapt to
working
remotely instantly. How are these current trends in our industry and
changing work environments impacting employees’ expectations of their organizations,
especially about
training
and development programs?
We went straight to the employees to find out. One10,
together with our partner Market Cube, gathered data from over 3,000 US
employees across various industries and roles, with a particular focus on those
in sales roles. Employees surveyed represented a wide range of industries in
the United States to determine the impact of employee and sales team
expectations on their relationship with their organization.
We leveraged our recently relaunched
proprietary analytics tool, rsX℠, to quantify and examine the relationship
strength (trust, alignment, and commitment) between employers and employees. This
research sought to answer the most critical questions on the minds of HR executives
and sales team leaders everywhere. We, along with our clients, were particularly
interested in the desire for
employee
recognition as well as employee training.
We learned that employees, more than ever, have high
expectations of their organization and their leadership. They want
relationships built around trust with their supervisors. They need to feel
aligned with their organization’s purpose. Luckily for you (
and
us) all of these goals can be achieved with a proper employee training
program.
Here’s what your employees want from you:
Inspirational Leadership
According to the results of our survey, employees
overwhelmingly believe that their managers are passionate about their jobs and
agree that their managers’ enthusiasm makes them want to do their job better.
However, the third question in this area caused us some concern. When asked,
only fifty-percent felt their managers were interested in employee performance.
Why it’s important: Managers must continue to lead
their teams effectively by modeling the way. This includes providing managers
with training that goes beyond the “what” for new programs and into performance
management principles, particularly for less-experienced managers. Managers set
the tone for the team or departmental priorities, building their confidence in
this area increases the likelihood they’ll adopt this mindset and talk to their
teams about performance.
And when designing incentive programs, it’s crucial to
include manager eligibility requirements to reinforce managers’ roles in
performance and ensure leaders are incentivized when they support their teams
meeting training goals.
Mentoring
Employees in our survey agreed that their manager takes time
to listen to concerns. Additionally, employees agreed that they feel supported
by their management team when it comes to the development of skills and access
to proper training.
Why it’s important: There’s a tendency with some
organizations to prioritize the development of training to support the roll-out
of new programs, processes, and products. The data suggest that including basic
soft skills training, such as interpersonal skills for management, should not
be undervalued. When managers listen to employee concerns about readiness on
the job, or additional professional development, it goes a long way toward
increasing the strength of the employee’s relationship with the organization. Formal
training curricula combined with coaching and mentoring programs for new
managers can bolster these skills in your management team. And to further stimulate the development of
new skills, it’s often beneficial to include a “champion” role for new programs
and culture change initiatives.
Competent Management
According to our survey, employees strongly agree that their
managers are capable of doing their jobs and have the skills necessary to lead
effectively.
Why it’s important: While the degree to which
employees felt leaders inspired and mentored was a factor in their relationship
with the organization, in this area, it is particularly impactful. When
respondents agreed their managers were competent, the relationship strength
more than doubled. Managers’ competencies in this area can be built in several
ways. Ensuring they are sharing leadership efforts with teams and bringing team
members into the process creates a stronger connection with the organization. A
role-based curriculum that differentiates content for managers and individual
contributors is also beneficial.
Professional Growth
And survey results show that most employees agree that their
company provides access to training to help them develop new skills. Employee
training and development is extremely important—the survey results only reaffirm
our knowledge.
Why it’s important: Revisiting and refining the
“basics,” then communicating this to your team consistently, is essential. This
includes ensuring employees are aware of what’s available, making training
available in relevant media given new work environments, and that employees
understand employee training programs and their requirements.
If you’ve read this blog and thought, “I knew that,” that’s precisely
the point. As workplace trends continue to evolve and our workplaces shift to
adapt to new situations, it’s essential to keep the basics when it comes to
employee training in mind. Meet employee expectations. Managers overwhelmingly
hold the key to ensuring employees feel trust, alignment, and commitment to the
organization. That’s a tall order for managers that likely already have a full
plate. Training to equip them to lead this charge is as important—and perhaps
even more so now—than ever.
Learn more about One10’s
Marketing Services including employee training and sales channel training. You can also watch our webinar on this topic:
Survey Says: Let’s Get Back to [Training] Basics.
