The Big Quit. The Great Resignation. A Mass Exodus. Sometime around the fall of 2021, companies began noticing that their workers were quitting in groups. After a grueling 2020, employees just weren’t willing to accept working conditions that didn’t meet their needs. Instead, they opted to find new roles that offered the perks they wanted in a job.
One of the biggest perks members of the massive resignation wished for — and where the largest disconnect between employer and employee lies — was on-the-job learning and development (L&D) programs.
While enterprises thought they were providing top-notch L&D, employees felt deprioritized and unstimulated at work. This disconnect led to resentment from employees, prompting mass exodus.
To get started on shrinking this gap of understanding between worker and business, it’s critical to acknowledge the issue in its entirety. To do this, Udacity partnered with IPSOS to gather and analyze data about talent transformation around the world.
Enterprises and Employees Disagree About Success of L&D Programs
During self-assessment, large companies and enterprises overwhelmingly reported that their L&D programs were successful. According to the Talent Transformation Global Impact Report, 80% of enterprise companies with L&D programs considered them to be, at a minimum, moderately successful. But 55% of employees surveyed reported being only somewhat satisfied, or not satisfied at all, with their employer’s L&D programs.
While it’s great that enterprises feel like they are prioritizing talent transformation, those feelings only matter as much as the employees are experiencing the benefit. Companies need to put more resources into gathering and analyzing feedback of their L&D programs so they can better cater to the worker. After all, the employees are the ones who the programs are there for!
Employees Say Enterprises Lacks Followthrough on Priorities
It’s unfortunately very easy to talk a big game, especially in job posts and during onboarding, about the amount of effort your company will put into developing employees. But when it comes down to actions, sometimes the followthrough just isn’t there.
In the Talent Transformation Global Impact Report, 65% of enterprise companies say they prioritize developing their employees’ skills, yet only 41% of employees say that their company prioritizes their skill development. This misunderstanding around priorities between company and worker likely stems from a disconnect between what then employees truly want when it comes to talent development, and what the company is providing. Maybe the business is providing lots of L&D programs, but they aren’t quite meeting the needs of the worker in the way they need it to.
Shrink the Gap Between Business and Worker
The best thing you can do to close the gap between your worker’s wants and your company’s needs is to invest in a radical talent transformation program. This will not only increase your employee’s happiness, but it will also help your business thrive with digital talent.
Check out the full Talent Transformation Global Impact Report to get more information on why your workers might feel discontent and how to help them thrive. Learn more about Udacity’s work to upskill enterprise workforces today.
