Calculate your true cost of employee turnover

The first 100 days are critical to your success in a role. They set the tone for your tenure, demonstrating your ability to roll out initiatives (new or tested), and create impact. As a learning and development (L&D) leader, by the end of your first 100 days, it should be clear to everyone – and especially to the key stakeholders – that you are able to navigate a complex environment and drive positive impact. That your clear vision aligns with business goals. 

This guide will lay out the steps to set yourself up for success in your role by focusing on your first 100 days, and you can download our handy checklist here.

Days 1 – 30: Assess and learn 

Analyze the current state of L&D 

It is critical to get a detailed picture of your organization’s current L&D landscape before you try implementing change. Start by reviewing current programs, tools, and processes. Conduct assessments and meet with your team and stakeholders to understand what’s working and what’s not. 

Ask general questions such as:

  • “What are the biggest learning and talent challenges?”
  • “What L&D initiatives have been most successful in the past?”
  • “How can the learning function contribute to achieving business goals?”
  • “How have the success of L&D initiatives been measured?”

There are two major pitfalls L&D leaders face when addressing L&D challenges: (1) focusing too much on team structure, and (2) focusing too much on learning initiatives, rather than a broad view of L&D. Avoid these by taking a more holistic view of the bigger picture, ensure all development programmes (coaching, mentoring, management development) are being considered, and always keep in mind business objectives.

Review learning metrics

Success metrics related to L&D programs fall into three camps:

  • Primary metrics (need to have) include vital statistics, like completion rates, impact on performance, and return on investment.
  • Secondary metrics (indicators or nice to have) include anecdotal data and sentiment around engagement.
  • Vanity metrics, such as number of times a learning platform is opened, or registered session attendees rather than actual attendees, damage credibility and must be avoided.

Build in data from employee feedback, engagement surveys, and input to understand the wider impact of current learning initiatives. As an L&D leader, it’s critical you tie outcomes of programs with business objectives.

Liaise with key stakeholders

L&D is often under-prioritized and under-resourced. To be truly successful in bringing change, you need strategic allies from the beginning. Identify key stakeholders who are already bought into L&D, understand who the influencers are and who the detractors are. You may need to work harder on the detractors to convince and get onboard. Look beyond just the executives, sourcing senior leaders, department heads, and influential employees.

How do I know who my key stakeholders are?

Key stakeholders vary from organization to organization, but will undoubtedly include your CEO, CHRO, CFO and colleagues. Other key players are likely to fit the following criteria:

  • They have frequent interaction with the L&D function
  • They are responsible for other key areas of people strategy (e.g. recruitment, onboarding, succession planning)
  • They have known issues with L&D
  • They are keen to support and become an ally

Remember to focus on strategy with senior leaders. When speaking with senior leaders, focus on their broader strategic objectives. As much as relationship building is important, this is the time to center yourself and L&D as strategically imperative. Discuss how L&D can help achieve these goals and demonstrate your proactive approach while aligning L&D initiatives with the broader business strategy.

You’ll likely uncover many and varied pains and concerns, where L&D has been underinvested in or poorly delivered historically. Understanding expectations, pain points, and visions for the future will give you valuable insights into how L&D can align with organizational goals. Create a stakeholder map that outlines their influence and interest levels, and plan your communication strategy accordingly.

Power INFULENCE

Connect with your team

A strong team with high levels of trust will be a critical part of your success. Start by getting to know your existing team members and create a plan to best optimize your existing skill-sets, and fill any gaps. Schedule one-on-one meetings to foster an open dialogue and encourage them to share their thoughts on the current L&D strategy, and where they see opportunities for improvement. Importantly, document these insights and use them as part of your strategy so everybody feels included in your vision. 

Leverage technology

Evaluate the current technology stack used for training and development. Are there tools that could streamline processes or enhance learning experiences? Implementing new processes and ensuring the full capabilities of your existing technology (such as AI) can serve as quick wins that also showcase your forward-thinking approach.

Days 30 – 60: The Vision

Create and share your vision for L&D

It’s time to take your research and start creating a clear vision for L&D. This vision must align with the organization’s overall mission and strategic goals. Make it aspirational yet attainable, providing a sense of direction for your team.

Poor communication is often the downfall of people strategies: if senior leaders don’t understand the impact your strategy can have on their own success, they’re unlikely to buy into it. Once you’ve defined your vision, create a presentation or a white paper outlining your vision, goals, and proposed initiatives. Share this with your team and stakeholders, encouraging open feedback and fostering a sense of ownership among those involved in L&D. 

Set measurable objectives

Establish clear, measurable objectives that align with your vision and identify how learning programs can contribute to talent development goals like employee retention, career progression, bridging the skills gap and leadership pipeline development. Set up clear metrics to measure success. Start with metrics that are straightforward to track, such as:

  • improving employee engagement scores
  • increasing training completion rates
  • employee satisfaction with learning programs
  • skill improvement rates
  • employee turnover rates

As you develop your strategies, you can begin to measure behavioral change, such as leadership effectiveness and departmental productivity. There is more subjectivity in these metrics; they require anecdotal inputs, including data from employee surveys, but they are useful for providing insights into trends. 

Use these metrics to track progress and adjust strategies as needed. 

Days 60 – 90: Enacting change

Find quick wins

Early success stories demonstrate your capabilities as an L&D leader and gain buy-in from stakeholders. Look for opportunities for quick wins such as:

  • Minor, impactful adjustments to existing programs
  • Revamping onboarding processes
  • Launching a small but impactful new initiative

Share the outcomes of these in internal communications or town halls to build momentum and get people excited about upcoming changes. 

Make data-driven decisions

L&D teams frequently underutilize data, so you may need to invest resources in setting up analytics. Take the time to understand how to collect and interpret data effectively, creating L&D strategies backed by solid evidence.

Moving to a data-led approach can be challenging for teams who haven’t worked in this way before, but there are a few simple steps you can take to get started.

  1. Audit existing data: Understand what data you currently collect (e.g., employee surveys, performance metrics, turnover rates).

Always ensure you’re only collecting the information that you need and use, and identify what gaps there are in the data currently available to you. 

  1. Formalize data collection and processing strategies:
  • Set metrics that align with business objectives (e.g. time-to-hire, employee engagement scores).
  • Standardize processes to ensure consistent collection and storage of data.
  • Use HR software or tools for efficient data collection and storage (e.g., ATS, HRIS)
  • Provide training for your team on data analysis techniques and tools
  • Regularly review data to identify trends and insights
  1. Use the data

Create a framework for how to interpret data and make decisions based on it.

It’s important to run pilots of new initiatives, and monitor how they impact data and trends. Regularly communicate data findings and their implications for HR practices to the team, and wider stakeholders.

Treat employee feedback as data and you’ll truly understand the success of your L&D initiatives. Use surveys, focus groups, and informal discussions to gain insights on experiences and expectations. This feedback is invaluable as you refine your programs and demonstrate responsiveness to employee needs.

Champion a growth mindset

Your actions set the tone for the rest of the organization. Championing a growth mindset means looking at the bigger picture for L&D, not just focusing on learning initiatives. Ensure you and your team are taking advantage of all development opportunities and setting the standard for the wider organization. 

  • Does your new organization have a peer mentoring program? 
  • Is there an opportunity for a formal coaching program?
  • Are there clear career pathways and development opportunities?

Introducing coaching to targeted populations within the organization (e.g. new managers, leadership teams, female leaders) demonstrates your commitment to tailored and meaningful development programs. Creating a culture of growth boosts morale and improves retention.

Communicate, communicate, communicate

Communication is key to your success. This is the only way you can get buy-in and engagement in your ideas. Ensure you have the following in place:

  1. Open lines of communication with your team and stakeholders. 
  2. Feedback loops for ongoing dialogue about L&D programs. 
  3. Regular updates on the progress of L&D initiatives to the wider organization. 
  4. A platform to celebrate successes and address challenges. 

Conduct a 90-Day review

As you approach the end of your first 100 days as an L&D leader, conduct a thorough review of your accomplishments and challenges. 

Evaluate the impact of your initiatives: ensure you’re using data to support where you’ve been successful, and create a clear plan to overcome them.forward to improve and challenges.

Ask for feedback: Seek feedback from key stakeholders to get a rounded view of your impact, understanding any issues that have arisen from changes you’ve made, and any success stories from around the business.

Adjust your strategies: Use the insights from your review to pivot and adapt your plans. This flexibility sets you apart as a leader and demonstrates your commitment to continuous improvement.

Compile your findings: Create a report of your view and make it visible to relevant parties. The goal is to maintain momentum for your new changes and promote buy in.  

Create a long-term strategy

As your initial days come to a close, you should be forming a long-term strategic roadmap for L&D. This should include goals, timelines, and key initiatives that will help drive the learning agenda forward. Ensure this roadmap is flexible, allowing for adjustments based on feedback and shifting organizational needs.

Your long-term strategy for L&D must align with the overall business strategy. Regularly engage with strategic decision makers to understand any potential shifts in organizational priorities. Dig into the “why” behind them (There is always a “why”) And see how these are expected to translate into business outcomes. 

Your first 100 days as an L&D leader establish your credibility and lay the groundwork for success. Success lies in understanding the current landscape, building relationships, crafting a compelling vision, and focusing on data-driven decisions. 

Remember, being an L&D leader is not just about delivering training, it’s about creating  a culture of development that aligns with and drives business success. It is an amazing and impactful adventure! Embrace the journey, stay engaged, and most importantly, enjoy the process. Your leadership is key to creating a powerful impact in your organization. 

Download our first 100 days checklist to maximise your success as an L&D leader here.

Company culture is the set of shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that characterize a company. It’s what makes a company unique and what influences how its employees interact with each other, with customers, and beyond. Many businesses invest a lot of time and effort into creating the company culture they feel is most beneficial. Whether or not you’ve done the work consciously, you already have a culture. 

A strong company culture is essential for attracting and retaining top talent, boosting employee engagement, and driving business success. In fact, a study by Glassdoor found that companies with a strong culture are more likely to have higher employee satisfaction, productivity, and profitability.

But how do you measure company culture? It can be a tricky thing to quantify, but there are a number of methods you can use to get a better understanding of your company’s culture and how it is perceived by employees.

Here are five ways to measure company culture:

Employee surveys

Employee surveys are one of the most common ways to measure company culture, and are used to collect feedback on a variety of topics, such as employee engagement, job satisfaction, and company values.

You can use a variety of tools and resources, such as SurveyMonkey or Typeform to build your survey. Be sure to include questions that are specific and relevant to your company culture and that will give you actionable insights, such as asking for feedback on your latest initiatives.

Here are some examples of employee survey questions:

  • How satisfied are you with your job?
  • How engaged are you in your work?
  • Do you feel valued by your manager and your company?
  • Do you have the resources and support you need to be successful?
  • Do you feel comfortable sharing your ideas and feedback?

It’s important to keep surveys anonymous if you want real insights into the pulse of your organization, as you’ll get more honest responses. 

Exit interviews 

Exit interviews are another great way to get feedback on your company culture. When employees leave your company, ask them to participate in an exit interview to share their thoughts and experiences. This is the best time to get honest feedback, as there is no fear from exiting employees of consequences to their comments. 

Exit interviews help you identify areas where your company culture is strong and areas where it needs improvement. They also help you understand why employees are leaving and what you can do to improve employee retention.

Here are some examples of exit interview questions:

  • What did you like most about working at our company?
  • What did you like least about working at our company?
  • Can you suggest changes to our company culture?
  • Why are you leaving our company?
  • What advice would you give to new employees?
  • What advice would you give to management / leadership?

Focus groups 

Employee focus groups take a cross-section of employees and ask for in-depth feedback on your company culture.

To conduct a focus group, select a group of employees from different departments and levels of seniority. Ask them to participate in a discussion about your company culture and to share their thoughts and experiences.

Here are some examples of focus group questions:

  • Describe what company culture means to you
  • What are the positive aspects of our company culture?
  • List any negative aspects of our company culture?
  • How can we improve our company culture?

Unlike surveys and exit interviews, a focus group encourages more open dialogue, and results in interesting discussion, often generating new and exciting ideas for businesses to explore. 

Performance reviews

Performance reviews should be conducted regularly, and can be used to measure company culture as well as individual performance; ask employees how they feel about the company culture and what they would like to see changed.

This feedback can help you identify areas where your company culture is supporting employee performance and areas where it needs to be improved.

Here are some examples of performance review questions:

  • How well do you feel our company culture supports your success?
  • What are some ways we can improve our company culture to support employee performance?
  • Give some specific examples of how our company culture has helped you to be successful, or challenges it has presented to your success?

People analytics

People analytics is the use of data to understand and improve the workforce. These can be used to collect and analyze data on a variety of topics, such as employee turnover, engagement, and performance.

This data can be used to identify trends and patterns in your company culture. For example, if you see a high turnover rate among employees in a particular department, this could be a sign that there is a problem with the company culture in that department.

People analytics tools can also be used to measure the impact of changes to your company culture. For example, if you implement a new employee engagement program, people analytics tools can track the impact of that program on employee engagement levels.

According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, the top three factors that employees value in a company culture are:

  1. Work-life balance (88%)
  2. Respectful treatment of employees (88%)
  3. Opportunities for professional development (86%)

The survey also found that employees are more likely to be engaged and satisfied with their jobs if they feel that their company culture is aligned with their personal values.

Measuring company culture is essential for creating a workplace where employees feel valued, engaged, and motivated to succeed. By using the methods described above, you can get started quickly and start seeing meaningful improvements in employee engagement right away. 

Learn more about how coaching supports a strong and high-performing culture.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are essential for building successful remote teams. Not only are employees more likely to be engaged when they feel valued and respected, diverse teams are also more innovative and productive. Coaching focused on supporting equity seeking populations, and building allies, helps leaders create a more inclusive workplace. This is especially important in today’s workplaces, and DEIB coaching for remote teams is the best way to support your people to thrive.

What is DEIB coaching?

DEIB coaching is a one-on-one or group coaching program that helps leaders and employees to develop their DEIB skills and knowledge. DEIB coaches can help leaders to:

  • Understand and address unconscious bias
  • Create a more inclusive workplace culture
  • Support employees from diverse backgrounds
  • Manage conflict and microaggressions
  • Promote equity and fairness

Why is DEIB coaching for remote teams important?

Remote teams can be particularly vulnerable to DEIB challenges. Without the opportunity to interact in person, it can be difficult to build relationships and trust, and it can be easier for unconscious bias to creep in.

DEIB coaching can help remote teams to overcome these challenges by creating a safe space for employees to share their experiences and to learn from each other. DEIB coaches can also help leaders to develop strategies for promoting inclusion and equity in a remote work environment.

The benefits of DEIB coaching for remote teams

DEIB coaching can have a number of benefits for remote teams, including:

  • Increased employee engagement and satisfaction
  • Reduced turnover
  • Improved communication and collaboration
  • Enhanced creativity and innovation
  • Stronger team performance

How does DEIB really impact the workplace?

According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company, companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians.

Another study by Glassdoor found that companies with a strong culture of inclusion are more likely to have higher employee satisfaction, productivity, and profitability.

Here’s where to get started implementing DEIB coaching for your remote team:

  1. Make sure to select coaches who have experience working with remote teams and are knowledgeable about DEIB issues. All Sama coaches undergo a Sama DEIB training before commencing work with us.
  2. Set clear goals. What do you hope to achieve with DEIB coaching? Do you want to improve employee engagement, reduce turnover, or create a more inclusive workplace culture? Once you know your goals, you can work with your coach to develop a plan to achieve them.
  3. Make coaching accessible to all employees. DEIB coaching should be available to all employees, regardless of their job title or level of seniority. You can offer one-on-one coaching, group coaching, or a combination of both.
  4. Measure your results. It is important to track your progress and to measure the impact of DEIB coaching on your team. These can be objective measures such as turnover, or an increase in sales, or subjective measures such as employee surveys, or focus groups.

DEIB coaching is a valuable investment for any company with a remote team. By providing DEIB coaching to your employees, you can create a more inclusive workplace and support your team to thrive.

How can you enhance engagement and retain talent when these are two of the biggest challenges facing businesses today? In a competitive market, it is more important than ever to create a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and challenged.

Digital coaching is the most valuable tool for enhancing employee engagement and retention. By providing employees with access to personalized coaching, businesses help them to develop their skills, achieve their career goals, and find more meaning in their work. And satisfied and supported employees stay with you long-term, with 94% staying in companies that invest in their futures.

How can digital coaching enhance engagement and retain talent?

  • Improved performance and productivity. Coaching helps employees identify and address their challenges, develop new skills, and set and achieve goals. This leads to improved performance and productivity, as well as a greater sense of accomplishment.
  • Increased job satisfaction. When employees feel like they are developing and progressing in their careers, they are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs. Coaching helps employees identify their career goals and develop a plan to achieve them.
  • Stronger relationships with managers. Coaching empowers employees to have more open and honest conversations with their managers. This leads to stronger relationships and a more supportive work environment.
  • Reduced stress and burnout. Coaching helps employees manage their stress and workload more effectively, lowering risk of burnout, and creating a more positive employee experience.

How to implement digital coaching in your organization

If you are considering implementing a digital coaching program in your organization, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Choose a coaching platform that is easy to use and accessible to all employees, like Sama.
  • Provide employees with a variety of coaching options. This should include video coaching sessions, instant messaging, and access to coaching resources.
  • Make coaching part of your overall employee development strategy.
  • Provide training to managers on how to support and encourage their employees to participate in coaching.
  • Monitor and evaluate your coaching program to ensure that it is meeting your goals.
  • Ensure senior leaders are bought in and the company understands why you’re introducing coaching, and how it will benefit them. 

Top tips for building coaching culture:

  • Make coaching mandatory for all new hires, at all levels of the business. This sets the tone for a culture of learning and development.
  • Offer coaching to all employees, from individual contributors to senior executives.
  • Recognize and reward employees who participate in coaching. This will encourage participation and promote the value of coaching throughout the organization.

Coaching programs are a great way to help your employees develop skills, improve performance, and reach their full potential. All new initiatives are tough, but trying to roll out coaching programs can be extra challenging, with multiple stakeholders and conflicting priorities to account for.

Here are some tips on how to roll out coaching programs effectively:

1. Define your goals

What do you want to achieve with your coaching program? Do you want to improve employee performance, productivity, or engagement? Are you looking to develop specific skills or leadership capabilities? Once you know your goals, you can design a program that is tailored to your specific needs. 

2. Identify your target audience

Who will be participating in your coaching program? Consider the needs of different employee groups, such as new hires, newly promoted managers, and high-potential employees. You may also want to consider offering coaching to specific departments, diverse populations, or teams.

3. Select the right coaching partner

Selecting coaches has historically been a painstaking, manual task undertaken by HR teams; could your ‘black book’ of coaches scale to cover everyone who needs coaching? Not only would HR teams need to source enough coaches to meet their needs, they must vet them for experience levels, suitability for each coachee, and ensure a chemistry fit. Working with Sama, HR teams have access to a vast pool of international, highly accredited coaches. Coachees are matched with the most appropriate coach for their experience level and requirements, and there’s even a guaranteed chemistry match: 95% of people get a chemistry match from session one, but for those who don’t, there are unlimited swaps until they meet the right coach.

4. Communicate the program to employees.

Internal communication is really important when launching any initiative. Make sure to explain the benefits of the program, the eligibility criteria, and how to sign up. You may also want to hold information sessions or create a FAQ document to answer employee questions. Sharing senior stakeholders’ buy-in is critical to the program’s success, as people will look to leaders for their involvement and support.

5. Monitor and evaluate the program

Metrics and feedback are key to assessing the success of your program. This will help you to identify areas for improvement and ensure that the program is meeting your goals. Using a platform, like Sama, gives you access to analytics and reports to easily demonstrate the success and ROI of your new initiative.

By following these tips, you can roll out coaching programs that will help your employees develop their skills, improve their performance, and reach their full potential.

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced a move towards remote work, with many still favoring a remote-first approach, more recently, the concept of ‘work from anywhere’ (WFA) has emerged as a transformative force in the world of business. It’s still far from the norm, but an increasing number of businesses are empowering their employees to take complete ownership of their locations. 

Often misconstrued as an opportunity for endless ‘workcations’, WFA actually empowers complete flexibility and delivers immense work-life balance. If, for example, you have family all over the world, your partner travels a lot for work and you want to join them, or your kids live across the country, WFA enables you to spend time with loved ones at no detriment to delivering in your role.

If you’re considering WFA for your business, you’ll be wondering about the potential pitfalls that need to be carefully considered. Let’s explore the pros and cons of ‘work from anywhere’ models for your business.

The benefits:

  • Enhanced Flexibility: 59% of employees in the US want to continue remote work long term. The primary allure is flexibility; employees can work from diverse locations, eliminating the need for commuting and adhering to rigid office hours.
  • Improved Productivity: Contrary to fearmongering from those insisting we should all return to the office, remote work often results in increased productivity. In fact, remote employees tend to work longer hours and are 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts. Reduced distractions and the absence of office-related interruptions play a significant role.
  • Cost Savings: For both businesses and employees, remote work equates to substantial cost savings. Businesses have an opportunity to reduce spend on office space as a minimum. For individuals, you lose costs for commuting, work attire, and daily meals. The average employee can save approximately $4,000 annually by working remotely.
  • Access to Global Talent: The ‘work from anywhere’ model expands your talent pool beyond geographical constraints. Businesses gain access to a diverse range of skilled professionals, promoting innovative solutions and ideas.
  • Environmental Benefits: Remote work contributes to a reduction in carbon emissions, and decreased commuting results in less traffic congestion and lower energy consumption. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, energy consumption declined significantly during the pandemic due to remote work arrangements.

The challenges:

  • Social Isolation: One of the most significant drawbacks is the potential for employee isolation: 22% of remote workers struggle with loneliness. The absence of face-to-face interactions has potential impacts on team cohesion and morale, so virtual events and team building sessions are crucial.
  • Communication Challenges: Despite advanced technology, communication gaps can persist in remote settings. The absence of in-person interactions may lead to misinterpretations of written messages. Ensuring clear and effective communication becomes paramount. Try setting processes to manage how teams interact: when is it an email, a slack, or a meeting? Can you replace in-person strategizing with tools like Miro and Notion? Ask for feedback on where the gaps are and work to fill them to eliminate communication issues.
  • Work-Life Balance: The flip-side of the work-life balance remote working affords many comes in a lack of boundaries. For those working from home – or wherever they may be – creating defined working times is more challenging, with figures suggesting remote workers contribute three hours more per day than their office counterparts. Encouraging your team to establish firm boundaries – including when and where you work – are crucial to preventing burnout.
  • Security Risks: Remote work can expose businesses to cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Cyber attacks surged during the pandemic, with phishing attempts increasing by 600%. Robust security measures (a combination of policies and software) are imperative to safeguard remote work environments.
  • Inequality and Disconnection: Not all employees can seamlessly embrace remote work. Lower-income workers often lack the necessary resources and flexibility to create a suitable home office environment, with recent graduates often living in house shares or with parents. This can exacerbate income inequality within an organization.

The right fit?

While the pros and cons of ‘work from anywhere’ may appear balanced, most of the negatives can be offset with planning and support. ‘Work from anywhere’ is a trend that is here to stay, and its potential benefits cannot be ignored. Not least, the access to the best talent globally, without geographical restriction. 

A great way to mitigate several of the associated challenges is through providing professional coaching to your people (via online platforms, naturally!) Coaching provides invaluable guidance on boundary setting, fostering a sense of belonging among remote teams, and addressing the unique challenges posed by remote work. It also enhances communication skills, critical in a dispersed workforce. 

Implementing a ‘work from anywhere’ model requires careful consideration, and it’s certainly not suitable for every business. However, if you can facilitate WFA, you should: with the right support, strategic planning, and a focus on employee well-being, businesses can harness the potential of remote work and adapt to the changing landscape of the modern workplace.

Learn more about maintaining engagement in remote and hybrid settings.

Over three years on from initial lockdowns, the global corporate landscape continues to evolve in response to learnings from the COVID-19 era. Whatever your views on the remote vs return-to-office debate, the data indicates a wider preference for hybrid work models, blending remote and office work. 

The rise of hybrid work is found to aid in enhancing employee efficiency. This supports the idea that office environments still play a vital role in harmonizing workflow, without the need to enforce in-office roles 5 days a week. For employees, work-life balance is a major factor, with companies who champion flexible work favored by 89%

Where some companies had existing hybrid models in place before March 2020, they were rare. An advancement of technologies over the last three years, coupled with a shift in attitudes, have played a crucial part in this transition. Organizations are now able to quickly adapt and thrive amidst changing workplace norms. 

The role of Artificial Intelligence in HR

Prominent among these notable technological advancements is an increasing global reliance on artificial intelligence (AI). We’re seeing signs of a stronger commitment to AI, such as with the UK government’s ‘Frontier AI’ taskforce. Focused on innovative AI applications, they aim to discover new uses for AI, and address safety risks associated with AI. The implications transcend industry boundaries, expected to make an indelible mark on HR and the management of people. 

The benefits of AI for HR are multiple, and still largely unexplored. The power of AI is already being harnessed to help automate aspects of talent acquisition, including screening job applications and identifying non-inclusive language in job adverts. Not only does this expedite the hiring process, it also lays the groundwork for more equitable hiring practices and more inclusive cultures. 

An area expected to leverage AI imminently is Learning & Development (L&D). According to the Learning Performance Benchmark report, only 50% of L&D teams have achieved ‘level one stage’ of Organizational Learning Maturity. In a world where half of the workforce must re-skill or upskill by 2025 in order to keep up with shifting demands, this is clearly problematic. Initiatives that focus on state-of-the-art learning technologies and cost-effective training initiatives are necessary for accelerating organizational learning maturity, and emerging technologies will play a pivotal role in this. 

How flexible working supports diversity and inclusion

The rise of technology continues to support a move towards flexibility, and as always we should assess everything through the lens of balance. 

The global shift to hybrid and remote work is paving the way for our future: 

  • Research suggests that three days a week in-office is optimal for career growth and idea generation
  • Recent reports indicate remote and partially-remote roles are a great way to reduce carbon emissions and slow climate change
  • Diverse employees – particularly neurodiverse colleagues – find working from home hugely beneficial

Yet, only a quarter of businesses currently offer fully flexible hybrid working. This discrepancy presents a pivotal area for development and change, and highlights the need to embrace emerging technologies. 

On the subject of diversity and inclusion, many neurodiverse employees feel AI tools could further their career progression, underscoring the importance of technology in shaping breakthrough L&D practices. It’s clear that companies must strive for inclusivity, not only in hiring processes, but in their professional development initiatives too. 

In the face of technological advancement, HR and ERP software integration promise to streamline operations, boost employee engagement, optimize business processes, and enhance decision-making capabilities. By promoting adaptability, particularly in the technological domain, businesses can foster long-term innovation and growth. 

The benefits of AI for HR: looking to the future

The broad consensus is clear: as we navigate workplace transformation in the post-pandemic world, embracing hybrid work models, championing diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging, and continually reimagining and bolstering L&D initiatives are the driving forces pushing us toward a brighter, more inclusive, and collaborative future of work.

Looking towards the future, the drive towards automating distinct operations hints at an increasingly predominant role for technologies like AI. This necessitates the cultivation of a culture valuing continuous learning, skill-building, and flexibility. Businesses are striving to adapt their workspaces and working styles in accordance with the pandemic-induced changes. Their focus must remain on fostering an environment that nurtures growth, empowerment, and adaptability in the face of unprecedented challenges.

Global software business | 5000+ employees

Goals: Senior Leadership Development | Retention | DEIB

The challenge

A fast-paced software business, our client was scaling rapidly and facing huge cultural challenges as headcount grew. There were a lot of new managers in the business – both promotions and lateral hires – and a lack of alignment was creating issues.

“Looking at engagement surveys, it was clear there were holes in our management capabilities, and it was seriously damaging productivity, and impacting our diversity efforts. Our retention was also concerning, with turnover in some departments as high as 30%. We were aware there was a need for culture change.” – Talent Development Director.

Working with Sama

“We chose Sama due to the flexibility and scalability they offered. We initially rolled this out to our most senior managers, and once we saw the impact we began adding cohorts of management from critical departments too.”

Beginning with a cohort of 15 senior leaders, Sama now coach 100+ leaders within the business. This has allowed our client to roll out targeted development campaigns, addressing specific issues as they arise.

“The ability to communicate with coaches and for them to have insights on our specific business context was vital. When I’ve managed coaches in the past, communicating on an individual basis everything they need to know can become a full-time job. We were trying to build something bigger than just our managers, we needed this to have a wider impact than the coachee pool, and Sama allowed me to really communicate this to our coaches.”

Leveraging Sama’s confidential insights allows the company to share important company and individual information with coaches before sessions begin, providing context, framing unique challenges, and ensuring the fastest time to success.  

The L&D ecosystem

Coaching was not the first initiative our client implemented to invoke culture change. There was already a robust management training program in place, covering basic management skills and competencies such as strategy and values-led behaviours. 

“We had a great management training program in place, and the team were developing some great structures. But we were still missing managerial courage – that confidence to really lead teams and shape our culture. The emotional intelligence piece needed work, which is where coaching was the only solution.”

The results

Retention

Employee turnover decreased by 50% in 12 months, representing £33M savings and 220x ROI. (use this calculator to estimate your annual cost of turnover). 

DEIB

“Coaching has been huge for our equity seeking populations too. Feedback highlights how female and neurodiverse managers feel more supported now Sama is in place. Personally, as a female leader in a male dominated environment, I couldn’t have survived without coaching.”

Engagement

eNPS increased +17 points in the first year. Most notably, this began in the teams where managers were working with Sama coaches and has spread throughout the business as the initiative has grown. 

When you’re designing your L&D strategy, it’s easy to get caught up in all the amazing tools and offerings on the market. But you’re likely working with a limited budget, and while you’d love to transform your business overnight, you’ll probably need to work on a handful of initiatives at a time before moving onto the next project. So, how do you choose the right learning and development initiatives?

It’s vital that you understand what is a want and what is a need before requesting budget or presenting your strategy to senior leadership. But where do you start? There really is no one-size-fits-all approach to take; every organization is different, and will have different priorities. Here’s some tips to help you define what the right fit for your business is right now.

1. Do a complete audit

Before you begin planning for the future, you need to understand what is already in place (and whether or not it’s working), what has worked or failed in the past, and where there are existing gaps. 

You’ll need to speak to department heads, business unit owners, and the C-Suite to get a clear view of this before any work can begin. Compile all the information and look for any patterns or cross-over in terms of existing initiatives and learning gaps. 

2. Prioritize and score potential initiatives based on effort, impact, and budget

Impact must take into account the overarching business goals, not just those of the people team. Aligning a learning outcome with a big ticket item for the C-Suite gives you far more success when it comes to gaining buy-in. Using a method like RICE scoring will help keep things objective and ensuring your outcomes are accurate and you choose the right learning and development intiatives to begin with.

3. The highest impact scores must be prioritized. 

Whether they’re your favorite ideas or not, i’s important you trust the system and prioritize your high impact projects. These will be unique to your business, but some common high impact initiatives include:

Moving classroom training to eLearning within an LMS where possible and relevant.

This allows for less disruption to the flow of work as people are able to access content when they need it, rather than taking a whole team out of output mode for a day.

Formal coaching and informal mentoring

A coaching culture encourages and supports learning, growth, and development. Businesses with coaching cultures want their people to become the best version of themselves through ongoing feedback, healthy challenge, and support. Giving people access to performance coaches, alongside trusted internal mentors, sets everybody up for success.

Plugging skills gaps

‘Upskilling and reskilling’ are terms you’ll have heard a lot in the last 5 years. Skill gaps have ballooned worldwide with 87% of companies set to face this challenge in the near future. Around 1 billion people will need to be re-skilled by 2030 to keep pace with changes brought on by technology, calling for a “reskilling revolution”.

Find out all about the latest L&D trends and start building a world-class strategy today.