The future of work is hybrid. While organizations experienced the many benefits of remote work due to the pandemic, they also learned about the challenges it brings for employee engagement. As more companies today implement a hybrid workforce model, Learning and Development pros are now having to rapidly adapt.

A hybrid workforce is dynamic and ever-changing, but L&D is ultimately about investing in people. Employee engagement and L&D go hand in hand. Engaged employees are crucial for your business, and a robust L&D strategy can be a key driver for sustained growth. Today, top talent want to learn and grow in their career and providing L&D opportunities shows that your organization cares about their growth as well.

A winning L&D strategy will create an engagement ripple that can inspire change throughout an entire organization. But it has to be done right. Here are our three steps to innovating your employee engagement for the future of work.

1. Create a culture that's committed to learning

The sustainability of an organization is only as strong as its internal culture. The best thing any L&D pro can do is create a culture of continual learning. The key to a learning culture is to sync development programs with tangible business values. Make learning a priority, and help your employees upskill in ways that will move the needle for their career and your business.

To create a culture that’s committed to learning, be a champion of ideas. Encourage employees to constantly look for new ways to do old tasks and to share ideas. Often, a seemingly bad idea can spark a better one that eventually creates a fundamental shift in how a company operates. Fostering ideas will also empower your employees and lay the foundation for continual upskilling.

The best L&D initiatives develop an infrastructure for learning by opening pathways to make learning easy and engaging. Watch a demo (here) of our innovative text-based learning app that makes employee engagement a breeze.

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2. Personalize the experience

Employee engagement in a hybrid work model comes down to personalization. The beauty of hybrid work is that companies can flex the way they engage with employees. Finding ways to engage with employees is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We suggest reaching out and connecting with each employee and learning their preferences.

Ask your employees about where they feel they can improve their skills and what they're interested in learning. If you have a large team, use surveys and questionnaires. Once you have a good sense of what each individual wants, you can build a tailored strategy that is ultra-responsive to their specific needs.

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3. Invest in managers and leaders

People don't leave their job; they leave managers. Developing a leadership team that understands how to engage with its employees can spark innovation for a company. If a manager is inconsistent with feedback, trust can break down and seriously affect culture. 

Management training comes down to interpersonal psychology. The best leaders are the ones who can put themselves in their employees shoes and empathize with how they might feel. They provide feedback that is non-threatening and ultimately empowers an employee to do their life's best work. Training managers to lead is crucial for business success. It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that if you don’t have managers who understand the psychology of others, you will continue having high turnover and a low ceiling.

Beyond hybrid work

We live in a rapidly evolving world, and it's not slowing down anytime soon. Your goal as an L&D pro is to meet your learners where they are and create programs that make learning easy and engaging. The best companies moving forward will be the ones that understand how to unlock employee engagement in their organization. 

(Try one of our courses) now and let us help build an engaged culture of innovators.