Using Your LMS to Boost Employee Engagement
Wisetail | 5 min read
Modern Technology + Savvy Solutions = Engaged Employees
It’s no secret – the world is changing faster than ever, but the prospect of newness doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Advancements in learning technology help eliminate problems that companies used to struggle with, and are transforming workforce processes in leaps and bounds. By integrating new technologies, especially a learning management system, into your playbook, you’ll discover how technology can revolutionize the way you teach, communicate, and engage your employees.
Bagel Brands is a prime example of a company that jumped into the modern era, and landed in a positive situation. With over 7,500 employees in 988 bakeries across the country, they certainly faced a challenge when it came to providing the same, standardized training to everyone using an outdated, 100+ page manual. By turning to modern technology and implementing an LMS, they were able to provide each employee with valuable and consistent learning experiences, while also promoting greater engagement.
Overhauling Learning to Reduce Turnover
Nick Kyle, Training Manager for Bagel Brands, was instrumental in the switch from physical learning manuals, to engaging online learning content. These new training resources, centralized and managed via Coffee and Bagel YOU, the company’s LMS, allow employees to engage with the platform directly, receive up to date information firsthand, and monitor their own learning progress.
Since implementing Coffee and Bagel YOU and providing more flexible learning opportunities, Bagel Brands relieved the pressure on management to provide immersive training for new team members, while creating consistent learning experiences for employees. They now enjoy a 93% content completion rate, and they have experienced a substantial decrease in turnover rates. Prior to 2021, their turnover rates hovered around 173% or higher, but now Bagel Brands boast an unheard-of industry low of 77% turnover only one year after implementing their LMS.
New Workforce, New Strategies
Bagel Brands took the time to understand their new workforce demographics. They identified that they were predominantly millennials and Gen Z-ers, most of whom are rather tech-savvy. Many of these individuals are in the beginning stages of their professional journeys, which presents a unique opportunity for the Bagel Brands team to build brand loyalty from the start by providing accessible opportunities for upskilling, reskilling, and advancement. This boosts their retention by focusing on the quality of new hire experiences, and allowing employees to visualize their potential career growth with the brand from day one.
With its people-centered view of training, and recognizing that millennials and Gen Z-ers are anticipated to make up the majority of the global workforce by 2025, Bagel Brands is constantly recalibrating to encourage retention. They have found that modern training experiences must provide:
- Significance. Today’s employees want to feel that what they’re doing matters, and that they have an opportunity to make a difference. Show them how they have an impact on the greater scheme of things, allow them to see the ‘why behind the what’ and provide opportunities for involvement or participation in the broader community. Demonstrate how they can make the world a better place through their position, one step at a time.
- Stability. In a world that is experiencing one drastic change after another, illustrate that a position with your company can provide them with greater personal and professional stability. Employees are your greatest asset, and companies that choose to retain workers during periods of economic downturn, tend to bounce back faster when the world normalizes.
- Guidance. New employees, especially those that are fresh and new to the job market, are not going to have all of the knowledge and skills you would like right off the bat. By recognizing their potential, and providing a supportive learning environment, they will be more eager and invested in the learning process.
- A Path to Development. By taking an interest in your employees’ professional and personal goals, you can provide opportunities to develop them in ways that will keep them excited, engaged, and growing. Laying out a step by step plan can help them reach their goals, and you will have a group of employees that are eager to participate and work hard.
Social and Human Engagement
The new generation is focused on the human experience, so it’s time to dive into what makes humans click, as well as social engagement and interaction. Adopting an LMS with social features and interactivity capability will allow your company to easily create a human-centric L&D strategy, which contributes to a positive company culture, an exceptional employee experience, and increased retention right from the start. Delivering personalized, human-centric learning resources, and opportunities to connect will build on every employee’s experience with your company.
An LMS will enhance employee engagement and ability to communicate with other members of the organization, and will offer a feeling of camaraderie, as well as a platform to express thoughts and ideas.
To increase engagement rates and help these employees feel like a part of the bigger picture, take a page out of their playbook.
Read more about how you can improve employee engagement in our case study.
