Disruption looks different for each industry, but according to Mercer's Global Talent Trends 2019 report, "73% of executives predict significant industry disruption in the next three years — up from 26% in 2018." Watching this trend lead us into the future can be exciting, but it can also be nerve-racking. Job duties change. New technology is adopted and consolidated. Customers and clients have changing and conflicting expectations. Employees can no longer assume the traditional career path from an entry-level position to more advanced jobs through regular promotions. Today, more than 90% of companies report internal skills gaps, according to Josh Bersin, with 60% of jobs changing seemingly daily and younger workers exhibiting less loyalty to their employers than generations past. With technology and automation impacting the way we work and live, the World Economic Forum expects that by 2022 there will be 133 million new roles globally. Because of this, it is also estimated that in three years we'll need an additional 101 days of learning to keep up with industry disruption. Through lifelong professional development, employees can adapt to continual advancements.
Employee learning on the job
Today, 83% of employees see it as their responsibility to keep their skills current as opposed to leaning on their employers for this development, according to Mercer. Because of this, the top human resources approach for providing professional development is employee-directed learning, including both formal reskilling programs and informal hands-on learning. However, instead of taking time out of the workday to attend a conference or workshop, why not have the learning come to you when you need it? Think Netflix for L&D. According to the Harvard Business Review, the concept of "learning in the flow of work" recognizes that for employees to learn, "it must fit around and align itself to working days and working lives." No matter who you're training, employees crave immediate information, delivered precisely at the moment of need, without any interruptions or delays. Rather than going to a destination to learn, learning comes to us. Through cutting-edge technology and tailored design, we can now seamlessly build learning into our workdays, infusing L&D into the flow of work. By designing for the way we learn today, employers can make learning and development experiences rich, relevant and contextual, accommodating employees so they immediately have the answers they need, when and where they need them.
Business transformation
To compete today while preparing for tomorrow, businesses need to begin transforming their approach to work, if they haven't already. Employers should focus on redefining roles within their organizations, likely introducing greater flexibility according to team needs, while providing relevant learning. According to Deloitte, by 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce, of whom 45% claim they don't receive leadership training on the job. Additionally, Deloitte reports that 45% of North American workers believe their skills will be outdated within three years. Today, career development and learning are almost twice as important to employees as salary, benefits or work culture, according to Deloitte. Businesses should realize that our work and skills transformation is happening now. Embracing learning and job reinvention should be of top priority in preparing for industry disruption.
Unlock the door with your LMS
Understanding and anticipating how your employees should reskill themselves while reinventing their professional development is key to establishing an effective learning management system. Including leadership training and upskilling in your LMS requirements is the first step toward a successful adaption to work's new paradigm.
