Posted by ‘People Analytics’ also known as ‘HR Analytics’ and ‘talent analytics’ is a term that is growing in popularity and being used regularly by L&D practitioners, HR teams, and senior project managers. So, what is people analytics?
The Cornerstone Glossary gives the following definition — People Analytics, also known as talent analytics or HR analytics, refers to the method of analytics that can help managers and executives make decisions about their employees or workforce.
In this blog post, we will examine how people analytics can be used effectively in modern workplace learning to create an enhanced learning experience and derive successful training outcomes.
Today, the modern workplace is predominantly staffed by millennials who have grown in the laps of technological advancement and are ‘mobile first’ in their thinking with an ‘app’ to address all their needs. The challenge of addressing shrinking attention spans also makes it essential that modern training and development focuses on eLearning solutions that can be accessed with ease. Research has shown that the human mind is able to comprehend smaller chunks of learning better than longer learning sessions. This is the premise around which microlearning and mobile learning solutions are gaining prominence. With smartphones becoming more affordable and people looking to consume smaller nuggets of learning, it is apparent that the future of workplace learning is heavily focused on mobile learning.
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Table of Contents
Employee Satisfaction and the Knowledge Curve
Surveys conducted by various organizations and HR practitioners to gauge employee satisfaction have revealed some interesting insights. A majority of the employees who were covered in the survey stated that they derived greater joy in learning new skills and keeping themselves abreast of the latest technologies relevant to their work. As an employer, it makes sense for you to invest in developing the knowledge of your staff. Remember, knowledgeable and motivated staff will work faster with greater efficiency and ensure that project/work-output is faster and of better quality. By ensuring that your employees are happy and skilled, you ensure a safer and happier workplace that glows with positivity and goodwill.
Linking Performance and People Analytics
L&D managers and HR practitioners work in close partnership to assess the efficacy and usefulness of corporate eLearning programs. The programs are directly linked to the performance appraisals of the employees. This gives a measure of transparency in understanding how strong or weak a specific learning program is and how different employees taking the same program fare differently in doing the same task after completing the program. Essentially this involves analyzing data and measuring the impact of a learning program on the quality of the work completed by an employee and linking it back to the success of a program.
Creating Better Learning Experiences
The other benefit that people analytics and associated data from course-completion offers is the enhancement of existing eLearning content to make it more effective and learner-friendly. This also works well with beta-testing a course in a small group of learners, collecting feedback, and then releasing an updated variant of the learning program. As every learner is unique, the approach to acquiring learning varies. The key is to find a balance and create learning content that satisfies the needs of most of the learners and helps them attain the learning outcomes for which it was originally designed. Adding a survey form or a quiz at the end of the program, giving the option to skip a specific module, adding on-screen voice-over text, or granting direct access to one key module instead of completing the entire sequence of modules can significantly improve the learning experience.
Data that Drives Business
By linking the LMS running the eLearning program with the ERP platform that tracks work; HR practitioners can track data and use it to structure performance appraisals and disburse salary hikes and bonuses. Leading organizations like Microsoft and IBM have streamlined their employee learning and talent management systems effectively to retain the best talent and mentor new hires transparently.
Using metrics derived from people analytics helps organizations keep their staff equipped with the skills they need to work efficiently, define their L&D strategies properly, and create and deploy eLearning content when required. This helps the recruitment team train existing staff and hire new staff based on project requirements.
Are you using people analytics to enhance your workplace learning curriculum?
What do you think are the implications of people analytics in enhancing eLearning programs? Do share your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ section below.