![]() “Employers should assess the current skillset and knowledge of the organisation and provide educational opportunities that are tailored to employees' needs and aligned with the organisation's goals,” he explains, adding that the organisational prioritisation of learning is also crucial.Īnd for businesses that think they can “tick the wellbeing box” with their learning investment, Michelle Parry-Slater, L&D director at Kairos Modern Learning, says they won’t get the results they think they will. However, to get wellbeing benefits from development investment, Kenmore says businesses have got to know where to target L&D and how to roll out programmes effectively. “In turn, this leads to improved job satisfaction and engagement… which can help boost employee wellbeing as it allows them to develop new skills and take on new challenges, which can improve their career prospects and increase their sense of purpose and fulfilment,” he says. In addition, Phil Kenmore, corporate development and partnership director at the Open University, explains that L&D can help reduce burnout and mental health issues in the workforce by helping individuals build skills to perform better at work. “Learning at work leads to higher levels of eudaimonia wellbeing and hedonic wellbeing, both of which are directly connected with good health and longevity with improved health literacy linked to better management of wellbeing,” says Nadin. ![]() ![]() “There is a very definite, multi-layered impact that learning has on employee wellbeing,” Nadin says, adding that learning usually benefits life outcomes such as employment opportunities and the ability to earn, which have associated wellbeing benefits. For example, 94 per cent of long-term L&D-committed businesses benefit from wellbeing-specific training compared to 46 per cent of those without long-term commitments.įor Gethin Nadin, chief innovation officer at Benefex and HR author, investment in L&D as a solution to floundering levels of workforce wellbeing makes sense – especially if learning is personalised, expert led and not necessarily because learning is wellbeing focused. ![]() More than a third (39 per cent) also saw better stress and mental health management as a result of short-term skills development, with one in four (28 per cent) seeing an immediate improvement in workforce wellbeing as a result of longer learning and development programmes.įurthermore, Open University’s research found that organisations that demonstrate a long-term commitment to learning programmes forge stronger links between L&D and wellbeing outcomes. In the education institution’s L&D’s role in employee wellbeing study of 564 organisations, 96 per cent of respondents saw a link between L&D activity and wellbeing, with more than a third (36 per cent) seeing an immediate boost to wellbeing as a result of short-term skills development. While usual wellbeing interventions might include health benefits, extra leave and autonomy over working structures, a recent study from the Open University has sparked business media headlines by emphasising the links between learning and development activity and improved wellbeing outcomes. However, with rising numbers of employee sick days and yet-to-be-fixed burnout and mental health issues – in 2022, 185.6 million working days were lost, the highest on record since 2004, while a 2021 Westfield Health study found that half (51 per cent) of UK workers felt less than a month away from burnout – for HR the issue is rarely off the agenda. Last month (April) we recognised Stress Awareness Month, and we have not long entered Mental Health Awareness Month, so workforce wellbeing is certainly top of mind for many employers right now.
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