Amy Awadalla

Workplaces are in their learning and development era.Imagine This: You walk into the office or log in to your workstation at home, and there’s a noticeable buzz at work. Your team is more engaged than ever, eager to learn, grow, and contribute. Conversations aren’t just about weekend plans—they’re about the latest skill someone’s picked up or a new concept that’s sparked interest. Your organization isn’t just keeping up; it’s thriving, with your learning and development (L&D) program at the heart of it all.In today’s work environment, one thing remains constant: the need to develop talent and nurturing the thirst for knowledge among employees. As employers seek to retain top talent, the spotlight is on L&D like never before.Recognizing the importance of L&D, OverDrive surveyed 150 senior HR and L&D executives in spring 2024 to understand their perspectives on L&D’s future. The findings? L&D is having a moment, and it’s up to organizations to sustain it.How to Make L&D’s Moment LastOrganizations must optimize L&D for their employees. Our research highlights three strategies to ensure the longevity of this L&D moment:1. Reimagine Your IncentivesOver half of HR executives (52 percent) believe that incentives are crucial for delivering top-tier L&D programs. However, 19 percent of companies don’t offer any incentives, and nearly one-third suggest that L&D participation would rise with more incentives. This indicates an opportunity for employers to innovate their incentive structures.Survey respondents suggest various incentives, such as cash bonuses or increased vacation time. One respondent notes, “If supervisors were incentivized for their employees’ success, we’d get more out of L&D.”Social incentives also play a vital role. For instance, creating opportunities for team members to share their learnings within their teams or departments can turn employees into recognized subject matter experts.2. Capitalize on Leadership SupportApproximately one-third of HR executives believe that L&D participation would increase with more encouragement from top management or supervisors and involve themselves as early adopters of programs. For L&D to be effective as a retention tool, senior leaders must be actively involved.In qualitative feedback, survey respondents recommend that management allocate time for learning during the workweek, preventing employees from having to extend their work hours. Leadership can share their L&D success stories through ways listed in our research report.3. Present Fresh Content ContinuouslyNearly one-third of HR executives highlight the importance of continuous learning for the future of L&D. Improved content quality is pivotal, with 36 percent of HR executives stating that better content would motivate their companies to switch to a new L&D platform. The survey and report analysis also identifies newer trends like more user-friendly platforms and some other surprising tactics to further enrich and equalize the learning experience for all to motivate their teams. Choose What Works for Your TeamUltimately, the effectiveness of your program depends on trialing what works uniquely for your one-of-a-kind team. Incentives, leadership buy-in, and frequent updates are the beginning. Find the combination of tools to make your L&D moment last by downloading our free full research report. 