Learning and Development Lessons of 2022
Wisetail | 4 min read
If 2020 was the year of drastic change, and 2021 the year of recovery, then 2022 might be called the year of adjustment. For learning and development, training dynamics began to settle into a new normal. L&D isn’t just about learning the basics or meeting compliance standards anymore. It’s also about creating continuous improvement opportunities, building long-term employee relationships, and keeping your workforce connected.
L&D in transition
From the onset of the pandemic, L&D has been on an unprecedented developmental journey. L&D departments everywhere leapt into rapid response mode to supply remote employees with the training needed to succeed under radically different circumstances.
Since that first remarkable pivot, L&D continues to evolve. Moving into 2023, it remains essential to an organization’s adaptivity, change management strategy, and future performance.
On the recruiting and retention front, employees and candidates count L&D opportunities among the most important factors defining an exceptional employee experience. A culture of learning is critical in today’s job market, which makes comprehensive L&D a strategic tool for attracting essential talent and keeping them engaged and invested in company success.
With advanced technology and innovative ideas, L&D continues to create more options and opportunities for training, discover new applications for existing tools, and support employee interaction and engagement.
L&D Lessons of 2022
Business and industry set high expectations for L&D in recent years, and with the success of learning management systems (LMS) and flexible learning models, the C-suite is taking notice. More than 70% of L&D leaders say their teams are serving a more cross-functional, high-strategy purpose in their organizations, and more than 60% predict L&D will remain focused on rebuilding and reshaping their organizations going forward. And the demand for L&D solutions continues to grow.
What lessons and learning initiatives kept L&D busy in 2022?
- Leadership and management training. With programs designed to help employees build skills for new roles in new work models, leadership training was a top priority for nearly half of companies with L&D programs.
- Upskilling and reskilling. With ongoing labor shortages, upskilling and reskilling modules helped employees quickly gain the skills necessary to cover critical tasks and bridge any gaps in essential operations.
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These learning initiatives help employers create a more inclusive learning environment, a growing priority throughout business and industry. L&D teams are spearheading the movement toward stronger DEI initiatives, especially in North America.
- Digital transformation. With remote and hybrid work models, and the need for centralized online learning resources in companies with multiple locations, digital transformation continues to create new possibilities for L&D training and other employee engagement efforts.
- The employee experience. Companies are rethinking how employees experience work and shifting focus to employee well-being and work-life balance — another area in which L&D teams are taking an active role in training and support.
- Recruiting and retention. In a highly competitive job market, strong L&D programs are a priority for applicants seeking a positive employee experience with an employer invested in their success.
L&D and the employee experience
Compliance and position specific training will always be essential functions of L&D, but In 2022, learning gained even more influence as a priority for recruiting and retention. Moving forward, L&D will continue to expand its role as an influential internal resource for defining company culture. As an increasingly important factor in both recruiting and retaining top talent, L&D drives improvements in performance, productivity, and engagement — all indicators of an exceptional employee experience.
