FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
Digital coaching industry experts are predicting a greater need for tailored training in 2023 in response to economic challenges. Sara Bean reports
The CBI’s economic forecast shows the UK is facing a shallow but prolonged recession in 2023, with business investment standing nine per cent below its pre-COVID level by the end of 2024. Following a year of post-pandemic catch-up – fewer respondents to the 2022 CBI Education and Skills Survey said they were increasing their investment in training and development.
It’s clear that business leaders face a choice. Dial back budgets in every area of the business, hoping that they can ride the wave of economic crisis and come out unscathed. Alternatively, they can choose growth, finessing the allocation of existing resources by concentrating on their most valuable asset: their workforce.
But what kind of training needs do they require? Learning and development – like the rest of the workplace is going through what the Workplace Learning Report from LinkedIn calls the “Great Reshuffle” – a period unlike anything in the history of work.
According to the Report – its members’ skills for the same occupation changed by about 25 per cent from 2015 to 2021. At this pace, it expects members’ skills will change by about 40 per cent by 2025. The report adds that almost half (49 per cent) of learning and development professionals say that their execs are concerned that employees do not have the right skills to execute business strategy.
Flexibility in training is becoming more important, for example, a report from City & Guilds has found that tailored training is on the rise with 65 per cent of organisations opting for tailor-made in-house training over off-the-shelf programmes, to support the bespoke skills needs of their business.
PERSONALISED TRAINING
The digital coaching industry experts at CoachHub agree that in response to economic challenges, a greater need for personalised training is required in 2023. Below they look to the year ahead and outline some of the key predictions that business leaders should begin to prepare for.
Key predictions include:
Economic challenges will mandate employers to re-think working practices
Professor Jonathan Passmore, Ph.D., SVP of Coaching at CoachHub said: “The coming year will bring a host of challenges for employees. All indications are that the economy will slow, inflation will rise and organisations will look for transformational change as they implement the lessons of digital and hybrid working. As organisational transformation takes place, whether it be cultural, digital, or related to a merger or acquisition, leaders will leverage digital coaching to offer employees a wellbeing and support framework that replaces traditional, in-office support.”
There will be a greater need to support neurodiversity in the workplace
He continues “Coaching will help organisations support neurodiversity in the workplace, starting with encouraging managers to recognise that each employee is different and identifying what support they need. One-on-one coaches can also help neurodiverse employees understand how others experience them and help them use their diverse perspectives to the best effect.”
Executives will require greater support due to significant pressure points
Juliane Sterzl, SVP EMEA at CoachHub said: “As leaders experience the range of pressures associated with organisational transformation resulting from upcoming challenges, they too will need support. Leaders will leverage executive coaching to unlock their potential and build the skills they need to manage their teams through periods of change.”
Leaders will need to future-proof training and development programmes
Sam Isaacson, Global Director of Consulting at CoachHub predicts: “In 2023, the business world will continue its move away from multi-day training workshops, toward shorter webinars and on-demand content. This ‘nugget learning’ fits more naturally into hybrid work and the gig economy, but it increases the mental pressure for employees to squeeze ever more out of each day.
“As our understanding of the hybrid workplace matures, learning activities will follow suit. Small group and 1:1 interventions, such as coaching, will be delivered digitally by default. Large-scale events will also increase the use of technology, including virtual reality and augmented reality, enabling attendees to join remotely. Learning will become increasingly personalised, with content for building knowledge bases delivered asynchronously, and digital coaching used for skills transfer.’’
Immersive technologies will become more common in the workplace
Isaacson continued: “Immersive technologies will become more commonplace in organisational learning environments. Virtual reality (VR) will be particularly popular in sectors where traditional training requires expensive equipment, such as healthcare, defence and construction. Other industries will begin to use more VR experiences for soft skills training, and early adopter organisations will use VR and AR (augmented reality) for some team events and conferences, reducing the environmental impacts of international travel.”
CONCLUSION
The experts agree that now is not the time to take our foot off the professional development throttle, as this would have an immediate knock-on effect on business outcomes. This year isn’t about dialling back, but rather ensuring that people development strategies are adapted to both business and individual challenges.
As the economic crisis continues to cause significant change in the workplace, in 2023 leaders will need to focus on fostering a culture of learning and development that takes into account the unique needs of each employee.
