How can companies support employee learning on a limited budget?
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Employee learning is not only a benefit for individual career growth, but also a key factor for organizational success. However, many companies face budget constraints that limit their ability to invest in formal training and development programs. How can they still support employee learning without breaking the bank? Here are some low-cost and effective strategies that can foster a culture of continuous learning and engagement.
One of the most valuable and accessible resources for employee learning is the existing knowledge and skills of your own staff. You can create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning by encouraging employees to share their insights, best practices, and feedback with each other. For example, you can organize lunch and learn sessions, mentoring programs, or cross-functional projects that allow employees to learn from different perspectives and experiences. This way, you can tap into the collective wisdom of your team and build a sense of collaboration and trust.
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Imran Riaz
Strategic HR Professional | Talent Management | HR Technology | OD & Culture| HR Business Partnering | Driving Business Success through Effective HR Strategies and Solutions | Career Coach
Budget limitation and using a limited budget in the right way are 2 different perspectives. To make learning more focused, L&D experts need to come up with proper knowledge management infrastructure initiatives which may include developing the curriculum for key functional competencies, nurturing an internal trainer's cohort through Train the Trainer (TTT) programs, conducting peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing sessions, launching culture development campaigns, encouraging internal knowledge academies, providing rewards and recognition for enabling employees, and establishing cross-functional knowledge circles. These cost-effective methods can help organizations leverage internal expertise for promoting continuous learning and development.
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Talal Alamri , MCIPD , SHRM-SCP , SPHRi , CPHR , CKPIP
HR Director | CHRO | VP HR | Head of HR | Human Resources Director | HR Executive | HR GM | OD | Total Rewards | Talent Management | People & Culture Director | Human Capital | SHRM & CIPD | People Management Expert
Cost-effective Learning programs for employees can be tailored to fit various budgets and needs. Here are some options: • Online Courses and Webinars. • In-house Training Sessions (skilled Employee in X skill will conduct training for the Team) • Peer-to-Peer Learning (Mentorship programs) • E-Learning Libraries: • Cross-Training (Rotation of Roles and Departments)
Another way to support employee learning on a limited budget is to leverage the abundance of online platforms that offer free or low-cost courses, webinars, podcasts, and other learning materials. You can curate a list of relevant and quality resources that align with your company's goals and values, and provide employees with access and time to explore them. You can also encourage employees to create their own learning plans and track their progress and achievements. Online platforms can help employees expand their horizons, acquire new skills, and stay updated on the latest trends and innovations.
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Sharon Weaver, PMP Certified
Senior Project and Program Manager
A few companies I've worked at have offered LinkedIn Learning. That benefit was a huge resource! We offered internal badges around taking certain courses or finishing learning paths we created (whether the learning path was in LL or outside; you can make a list almost anywhere. Confluence is my fav!). The follow up I have to offering any additional learning, is that you have to provide the time for employees to invest. A "culture of learning" doesn't exist if it's an afterthought, even with awards or badges. Overworked employees don't have time nor emotional capacity to "be a better employee" if the company doesn't offer the time to invest.
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Enrique Acevedo Rodriguez
Enrique Acevedo Rodriguez
Esta opción ha venido a revolucionar el aprendizaje, permitiendo que todos de alguna manera tengan acceso a seguir preparándose y poder aprovechar ese conocimiento en sus labores diarias.
Microlearning is a learning method that involves delivering short and focused chunks of information or activities that can be easily consumed and retained by learners. Microlearning can be a cost-effective and flexible way to support employee learning, as it can be integrated into the daily workflow and adapted to different needs and preferences. For example, you can use microlearning to reinforce key concepts, provide tips and reminders, offer feedback and reinforcement, or challenge employees to apply their learning. Microlearning can help employees improve their performance, engagement, and retention.
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Cornelia Hattula
Ich finde Microleaerning-Einheiten eine wunderbare Möglichkeit, Lernen in den Arbeitsalltag zu integrieren. Wichtig ist aus meiner Sicht allerdings die „Verbundenheit“ zum Arbeitsthema. Sprich, die Lerneinheiten sollten einen direkten Anwendungsbezug haben und nicht unverbunden erscheinen (dann stören sie den Arbeitsflow auch eher).
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Marcio Lima
Gerente | Supply Chain Management | Logística | Armazenagem | Ecommerce | Power BI | Lean Manufacture
"Descubra o poder do microlearning! 🚀 Essa abordagem inovadora entrega conhecimento de forma rápida e eficaz, perfeita para se integrar ao dia a dia agitado. Reforce conceitos, forneça dicas valiosas e desafie-se a aplicar o aprendizado. Uma solução flexível e econômica para impulsionar o desempenho, engajamento e retenção dos funcionários. 🌐✨ #Microlearning #DesenvolvimentoProfissional #InovaçãoEducacional"
One of the most important ways to support employee learning on a limited budget is to recognize and reward their efforts and achievements. Recognition and reward can motivate employees to pursue their learning goals, demonstrate their value, and celebrate their growth. You can use various methods to recognize and reward learning, such as giving verbal or written praise, providing certificates or badges, showcasing success stories, or offering career advancement opportunities. Recognition and reward can also create a positive feedback loop that encourages employees to seek more learning opportunities and share their learnings with others.
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Kristin Stein
Ich gestalte Lern- und Veränderungsprozesse.
Wir wissen längst, dass Belohnungen nicht nachhaltig funktionieren und auch nicht bei jeder Person. Hier stimme ich nicht zu.
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Stefanie Moser
connecting people in organizations | guide to future work | WOL-coach
Lernen anerkennen heisst, es sichtbar zu machen - das scheint mir der erste Schritt, der ist nicht trivial. Es gibt jedoch ausreichend Plattformen, die das vormachen (siehe auch LinkedIn und die Skills-Empfehlungen) - hier ist auf den Organisationskontext und den Nutzen zu achten. Was bringt es der Organisation, warum machen wir das, was bringt es den Menschen?
Finally, you can support employee learning on a limited budget by soliciting and acting on feedback from your learners. Feedback can help you understand the needs, preferences, challenges, and outcomes of your employees' learning experiences, and use this information to improve your learning strategies and offerings. You can collect feedback through various channels, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or online forums. You can also use feedback to involve employees in the design and delivery of learning solutions, and empower them to co-create their own learning paths. Feedback can help you create a learner-centric and responsive learning culture.
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Lloyd Dean
Global learning and development leader.
Spending time to explore the learner sentiment is very helpful. Too often, L&D teams focus on measuring the reaction to learning. Why not speak with learners after 3 or 6-month intervals to see if a particular learning campaign or intervention really did make a difference? You can also look at data insights and trends within the digital learning ecosystem as another way of measuring the value an employee has in the learning offer.
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Kaitlyn Mathews
Feedback & Development Lead at Affirm | FinTech | Performance Strategy | Talent Management | Talent Development
Close the loop for your learners! Think about opportunities to leverage existing data at scale to drive development in addition to seeking explicit feedback about learning. For example, if your organization conducts performance reviews, engagement surveys, or other employee touchpoints, what are some of the consistent skills, competencies, experiences, etc. your learners are seeking, and where are common skill gaps among your various audiences? Presenting data-driven, curated learning pathways for your learners to react to can enable you to deliver learning faster, help your learners navigate an often overwhelming smorgasbord of content, and derive meaning and purpose from their chosen learning journey related to their role and career.
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Gary Stringer
I write copy about L&D. "Best copywriter I know." - My Mum.
Stop thinking of budget solely in terms of finances. If you can't free up the financial space, can you give people more time for development? Can you leverage your network and connect them with someone for some informal mentoring or coaching on a project? Are you able to find those internal experts and give them the space and support to capture their knowledge and deliver it internally? There are a million ways we can support learning without having a million pound budget...
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Hendrik Belitz
Innovative solutions for digital challenges.
Mir fehlt in der Aufstellung das allerwichtigste: Schaffen Sie Zeit zum Lernen. Lernen ist ein Teil der Arbeit, und dieser Teil braucht Zeit, die nicht für Routineaufgaben oder Tagesgeschäft aufgebraucht werden sollte. Führungskräfte müssen dies in ihrer Planung berücksichtigen und je nach Persönlichkeit der Angestellten auch entsprechende Zeit fürs unterbrechungsfreie Lernen blocken.