It’s not enough for organizations today to make education benefits, like tuition assistance, available to their employees. They need to actively cultivate a culture of learning to make the workplace an environment where employees want to develop their skills, advance their careers and take advantage of those opportunities. Benefits like continuing education can help companies fill skills gaps, adapt to new challenges and create value. If these benefits are being left on the table, then organizations aren’t getting their money’s worth and seeing an appreciable return on investment.
Here are some tips for creating and fostering a culture of learning at your organization that values and promotes education.
Highlight the Benefits
“What’s in it for me?” That’s the question that employees may ask before deciding whether to pursue education opportunities. This may not be a simple question to answer, as education represents a significant investment in time and effort. Just like companies, individuals want to know the ROI. And that return might not be measured only in dollars.
While employees are interested in the features of education — especially online, which provides flexibility for working professionals — organizations must not forget to spotlight the benefits of continuing education. Here are some of the things employees might be thinking about:
- Promotion
- Development
- Compensation
- Industry certification or continuing education credits
- Updated skill sets
- Soft skills
- Self-esteem
- Pride
- Satisfying professional or personal curiosity
Publicize Your Opportunities
Fostering a culture of learning starts with effective messaging and internal communications. For larger organizations, this might require close coordination between the communications and talent functions.
There are many tools for organizations to use, including:
- Intranets: Provide a repository of useful information for employees seeking information.
- Newsletters: Employees can learn about opportunities as they peruse company news and announcements in newsletters that are distributed online or on paper.
- Presentations: Company-wide and function-wide meetings provide a forum for discussing the advantages of education.
- Printed materials: Signs, posters and brochures provide a visual reminder for employees. The design and text should be eye-catching and memorable.
- Onboarding materials: As the education mindset begins on Day One, benefits and opportunities should be introduced to new employees.
Engage Managers
Managers are in a unique position to help their employees identify skills gaps, pinpoint opportunities for improvement and suggest courses of action. Reach out to managers to remind them of their role in fostering a culture of learning by informing them of options available to employees. Discussions about education can be part of one-on-one meetings and performance reviews.
Engaging managers is easier if your organization can link employee development to its overall business goals.
Harvard Business Review recommends the following actions for creating a learning mindset:
- Reward continuous learning
- Give meaningful and constructive feedback
- Lead by example (more on this coming up)
- Hire curious people
Set an Example at the Top
Employees emulate behaviors that are displayed by leaders, whether it be a senior manager or the CEO. When leaders embrace an education mindset, employees may feel encouraged and empowered to explore and discover their own education options. Leaders that take advantage of education opportunities inspire others to do the same.
Author Victor Lipman, a contributor to Forbes, writes that leadership by example is effective and inspires followers: “It sets the right tone for those in the lower levels of an organization who are watching closely (as most everyone is) how their leaders behave.”
In addition, organizations may consider making education part of their written corporate culture and values statements.
Share Success Stories
There’s no denying the power of word-of-mouth recommendations from a trusted colleague, friend or family member. Half of all Americans would choose word-of-mouth if they had to pick only one source of information, according to Convince & Convert, a digital marketing analysis and advisory firm.
Organizations can take a word-of-mouth approach to creating an education mindset by spotlighting current and past students’ experiences. Employee testimonials can be used to highlight the benefits of education. First-person accounts can also help potential students understand how others have balanced their education with their personal and professional lives.
Once testimonials are prepared, they can be shared through the publication channels described above.
Invite Schools In
Larger organizations might consider hosting education fairs, either in person or online, to allow schools themselves to describe their benefits and requirements. School representatives are very familiar with their programs, and they should be able to answer specific questions from employees about topics such as transfer credits, curricula, learning materials and prerequisites.