Three learning & development trends we are focusing on in 2021!

1. The back-to-the-office move will not be like flipping a switch.

In March 2020 we all moved from one environment to another. But, everyone was in the same boat! If it hasn’t happened yet, you will soon be managing the reality of a seriously disparate workforce. Managing teams when some people are in-person and some are remote raises the stakes for leadership and learning. Here are our top tips for getting this right.

• Start thinking about your learning curriculum early to decide what should be hybrid/blended/in-person.
• Stay up to date on the latest hybrid working research so you know what to keep an eye on.
• Identify the pockets of leaders in your organization who need support on leading hybrid teams’ work setup.

There is no doubt that talent is on the move! But something new has been hitting our inboxes and ears with all of this talent movement. Historically when employees depart, the questions about why have been focused on the employees themselves. Suddenly, we are seeing a much stronger focus on the leadership skills of those losing talent. To be honest, it’s a refreshing and self-aware redirect and we love to see it! Want to create more accountability for leaders?

• Give them the training to support their people.
• Make sure that they are able to receive feedback to avoid resentment or frustration from their teams.
• Connect their daily work to the mission and values of the organization in tangible ways.

3. As talent is asked to do more with less, efficiency tools will be critical.

This last one is for all our talent management folks out there. As you are being asked to “do more with less” (my all-time LEAST favorite corporate phrase) you have to find ways to keep your sanity and well-being intact. Maintaining the amount of work you are doing now when you start incorporating in-person meetings and commutes will not be sustainable. Look for opportunities to use efficiency tools as a way to keep the workflow moving but with less time and effort. We recommend doing an audit of your time for 2-3 weeks to help identify where you could save time/money/energy and then looking for solutions to help you become more efficient. Here are my favorite tools for keeping us running here at Fringe.

• We couldn’t live without our project management tool Monday.com – and they just had their IPO last week 🎉
• Communicating effectively often means translating tone. To avoid a lot of video meetings we swap videos via Loom to make sure everyone is on the same page but in their own time.
• Evergreen and asynchronous onboarding means that we can add talent at any time to our team without having to stop our work for a long, drawn-out onboarding process.  Not sure what that looks like? Reach out and we are happy to share the details!