3 Primary Trends Driving Digital Learning

Here’s what that means for 2022 and beyond

The pandemic shifted how we do work, and in turn, it’s made employees re-evaluate the resources their companies provide. In 2021, human resources teams are finding it more and more difficult to attract, train and retain employees. Furthermore, a new McKinsey report found that a record number of employees are quitting or planning to do so. HR teams have, quite reasonably, become most concerned with retaining talent. That means figuring out what employees want to keep them loyal. The report found that employees want remote or hybrid jobs, they want flexibility, they want to feel valued and be recognized for their work, and they want to be able to develop their skill sets.

This is why every company needs digital training tools that work with employees’ lifestyles and provide opportunities for upskilling and growth. And there is no reason for any company to use antiquated, stodgy technology to facilitate learning. In 2021, employees want a better training experience that mirrors the digital world in which we live.

Even as many companies are returning to the office, training administrators are looking for ways to streamline communication and maximize efficiency. Never before has a larger group of people relied on digital learning tools than they did during the pandemic. Think of the masses of children learning from home, or the employers providing training while their team members logged on from their home offices. The future of learning and the future of commerce has already been transformed by these new habits.

According to the Harvard Business Review, 82% of employees and 62% of HR directors believe that workers will need to reskill or upskill on a yearly basis to stay competitive in their fields.

Learning technology has evolved enough to make this possible. Now that we have adjusted to hybrid workforces and greater reliance on digital tools, there are three primary trends driving digital learning that we’ll see in 2022 and beyond.

According to a 2020 Gartner survey of company leaders, 47% said they planned to let their employees work from home full-time after the pandemic. This is a dramatic shift, but only further proves the new value we have placed on remote work. For companies looking to attract and retain clients, remote work (and adequate remote working tools) can make or break an employee’s loyalty to the company. Even further, in a survey of 669 CEOs, PwC found that the majority of company leaders will make digitizing core business practices a core focus of long-term business change.

Training strategies that are designed specifically for hybrid work environments will continue to evolve in the next few years. We will see a greater value placed on digital tools and more companies will rely on learning management systems to ensure compliance across a range of employee roles. While digital learning tools filled a gap during the work-from-home pandemic environment, they will shift from a temporary solution to a regular fixture in workplace culture.

With collaborative learning platforms, training initiatives will go further and have a greater impact even if employees are split between remote and in-office work. Digital learning will become a key component of employee engagement as employees pursue upskilling and develop further expertise in their fields so that they can stay competitive.

Just as 2020 showed us that remote and hybrid work styles can transform businesses for the better, 2021 has shown us that flexible digital tools can transform an employee’s experience and promote a company’s success. The future of digital learning will rely on streamlined and accessible digital tools that can function in multiple environments and that are distributed across platforms and devices.

Learning management systems of the present and into our future must correspond with frequently used workplace apps and offer mobile functionality. In their remote environments, employees also want to connect with their teams. The next-generation Learning Management Systems make this possible. Collaborative digital training programs provide this opportunity for employees. Further, when apps are integrated with existing workplace systems, coworkers can invite others to join training sessions. This also prevents context switching—moving from platform to platform to complete a task—a highly distracting habit that reduces productivity. Gerald Weinberg, a computer scientist and psychologist, discovered that simultaneous work on multiple tasks (context switching) reduces productivity by 80%.

As we look toward the future of digital learning, we will find increased distribution because tools are more accessible via commonly used workplace apps. This will increase training completion and reduce wasted time and unnecessary tech systems because it offers employees access to training content through a platform that they already know.

The future of digital learning is about offering accessible, useful, and personalized training to each and every employee, customer, or company leader. Personalization, however, can be a complex feature—especially for companies with more than 100 employees. Customized learning solutions are essential for each employee’s success because they reduce time wasted on irrelevant training and maximize time spent on relevant upskilling.

This is where AI has come into play. Personalized training recommendations totally transform learner engagement, and they make it easier for leaders to ensure that their employees are getting the training they need to upskill and advance in their careers. AI takes the guesswork and the heavy lifting out of the process of finding relevant training resources to extend learning initiatives. Digital learning has long been limited to what is assigned or required in a role, but AI will disrupt this old practice and breathe new life into learning management systems and corporate training by providing relevant training recommendations so learners stay engaged and inspired.

Transformation in digital learning shows no signs of slowing down. As 2021 comes to a close and we move into 2022, we will see a greater value placed on digital learning—for both the employee and the overall organization. The most successful companies, the ones with the best talent on their teams, are the companies that have awakened to the importance of cultivating loyal employees. Now more than ever before, employees want to feel valued in their work, connected to their team, have the freedom and flexibility to work remotely, and receive the training that will assist them in their current roles but also move them closer to their long-term career goals. All of this can be achieved through the next generation of learning management systems.