The way we work is changing at a rapid pace, but some needs remain constant. At KPMG Australia we believe the need to learn and grow is one of these constants.
In this article series, KPMG Learning leaders have been exploring transformative learning and bringing to light key insights for delivering learning that powers business results.
Through earlier perspectives, we’ve explored ‘How to effectively deliver a Learning Transformation’ and the role of contextualised content in ‘Making learning stick’. Now we’ll discuss key technology considerations that are shaping the learning experience.
Let’s start by understanding the end goal – an enhanced learner experience.
Why does the learner experience need to be enhanced?
The macro lens of the Great Resignation and the Great Reshuffle reveal the complex recalibration of the employee experience and the evolution of the 'worth it' equation, which translates to what people want from work and what they’re willing to give in return. Digital exhaustion is a driver in this equation and digital learning fatigue is a real threat to the effectiveness of learning according to 53% of L&D Leaders.1
KPMG has partnered with Microsoft to assess what it means to have fit-for-purpose technology within the flow of hybrid work and how it can enhance the learner experience.
The Microsoft 2022 Work Trend Index Annual Report ‘Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work’2 highlights three key hybrid workplace trends that translate to new opportunities for professional learning in the future of work.
| Hybrid workplace trends2 | Opportunity for learning |
Globally hybrid work has grown to 38%, with a further 53% of people likely to consider transitioning to hybrid in the year ahead. Microsoft Teams data shows a 28% increase in after-hours work and 252% increase in weekly meeting time since 2020. Hybrid work is defining a new employee experience. |
The broadened workday span and increased work intensity can contribute to higher levels of digital fatigue. Embedding learning into the flow of work and crafting learning through context so that it’s targeted, relevant and digestible can help address digital fatigue challenges. |
47% of global respondents say they are more likely to put family and personal life over work than they were before the pandemic. The top reasons employees quit included:
Employee priorities have significantly shifted over the last two years to fundamentally change people’s “worth it” equation. |
Employees’ new priorities signal a holistic alignment to value. Value of time. Value of flexibility. Value of purpose. In short, there is a time-impact ratio as employees deeply consider how they grow, create value, and find synergy between the different aspects of their lives. If we consider the “so what?” of learning in this context, there is a need to make learning purposeful. |
Employees who onboarded in the past two years are needing extra support. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of leaders are concerned new employees aren’t getting the support they need since moving to hybrid or remote work. 43% of leaders say relationship-building is the greatest challenge in hybrid and remote work. Rebuilding social capital looks different in a hybrid world.
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Learning offers opportunities to connect employees into the fabric of the organisation and can help to rebuild social capital by designing learning moments that matter to:
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As Microsoft observes: “The challenge ahead for every organisation is to meet employees’ great new expectations head-on while balancing business outcomes in an unpredictable economy.”2
If we match these new expectations with new thinking, there is a real opportunity to deliver impactful learning for empowered employees in the hybrid workplace. Which takes us from the ‘why’ we need an enhanced learner experience to the ‘how’.
How fit-for-purpose technology can empower learners
The key to matching new expectations with new thinking is to integrate learning into the everyday flow of work by removing traditional obstacles to a true learning culture.
At KPMG, we believe technology should be purposeful and act as the gateway between learning, the workforce, and work. New technologies such as Microsoft Viva Learning can embed learning in the flow of work through seamless integrations in the Microsoft Teams platform experience.
With the ease of cloud technology and experience-centric content design, organisations can deliver learning that is:
- Easier – Easier access to relevant and timely knowledge including bite-sized content that is presented as you work either at a desk or on the go.
- Contextualised – curated learning powered by the best of AI and automation such as learning suggestions related to everyday tasks. Contextualised learning that are designed as a series of experiences have been reported to be 50% more effective at driving real behavioural change.3
- Personalised – each learning experience is optimised to deliver the skills you need at the time you need them. Think rapid gap assessments and the ability to integrate project-related learning suggestions within Teams.
- Social – Technology supports the delivery of immersive learning, ensuring that peers can easily share, recommend and learn together within a seamless user experience.
Supporting the creation of exceptional learning experiences
If the future of work can be characterised as an unfolding revolution in how and where we work, then how and where we learn must be in sync with our work behaviours and workflows. This sparks a new understanding that learning is not just something we carve out time to do. It is a continuous opportunity in our workdays – integrated, social, valuable, personal.
Together, KPMG and Microsoft are envisioning a world in which exceptional learning experiences are a natural part of company culture and each person’s daily habit, both empowering people and driving business success.
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References
- Fosway Group – Digital Learning: Realities 2021 Corporate Learning in a post-pandemic world (2020)
- Microsoft – Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work: Annual Work Trend Index Report (March, 2022)
- NeuroLeadership Institute – Virtual Learning is Better. Period (April 2022)