Complaining about a manager peering over your shoulder, and not trusting you to self-generate solutions is quickly becoming part of the past. A benefit of the pandemic is that it will grant many workers the autonomy for which they longed. One example of this is the increased need for implementation of on-demand learning. Unless it utilizes a high level of interaction in its design, instructor led learning can lack effectiveness. Often it provides a passive learning experience which produces the lowest retention rate of any learning method. The pandemic hastened retirement for a large percentage of older members of our workforce. They left and took their knowledge with them. Prior to Covid companies were looking to offset the Baby Boomer retirement by implementing phased retirement. This involved those whose retirement was imminent, reducing their hours and using the reduced hours to train their younger colleagues. The question employers are left with – How to best train employees who are without mentors, who often are functioning in a remote capacity, and need to find answers on their own?
On-demand training fills the void. Employees can learn at a time and pace that works for them, and can implement their learnings immediately, thus retaining 90% of the new information. On-demand training offers great opportunity for employers to promote self-efficacy in employees, provide the learning they need to accomplish their work. It empowers them to realize their capacity to learn and utilize new knowledge without external demand from managers. Ownership equals engagement.