8 Ways to Motivate Employees to Take Time for Training

The burning question of many leaders is how to motivate employees to take extra time out of their busy days to learn new skills for professional growth. The #1 reason employees say they are not engaging in workplace learning is because they don't have the time. It’s a common finding in many training industry trend reports.

Among 1,209 employees in the U.S. and U.K. at organizations that offer some form of training or professional development, 65 percent said they either don't have enough time or the training doesn't match their role, according to The Pursuit of Effective Workplace Training, released by Emergn.

8 Ways to Help Motivate Employees to Take Time for Training

Organizations find it challenging to know exactly how to motivate employees to take time for training. Based on current adult learning theory and decades of HSI’s cumulative experience in rolling out training programs, here are 8 ways to motivate employees to not only take time for training but to enjoy the ongoing learning experience.

#1: Create a learning culture. A learning culture emphasizes the importance of education and skill development, allowing employees to acquire new knowledge and expertise. This keeps the team members abreast of industry trends, best practices, and new technologies.

A learning culture results in high levels of employee motivation and encourages learning, while a poor learning culture can demotivate people and slow learning. (There are other benefits of a true learning culture, too.) Organizations can be intentional about cultivating the right kind of learning culture, which will motivate their employees to learn and improve employee performance.

#2: Communicate value through managers. Managers have a huge and direct effect on employee engagement with any task. A classic study by Gallup found that an organization’s managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores. More reason managers need to be taught how to prioritize employee training, too. For example, managers need to allow time in employees’ schedules for training, encourage them to pursue training on their own, assign online courses and deadlines for required training, and enforce those deadlines if needed. Sometimes, simply knowing there is “room” in the schedule for training activities is enough to motivate employees to participate.

And the best way to increase the value of training is for managers to communicate that value in a way that makes employees realize they can’t afford not to take time. Open communication between managers and team members about the benefits of training is a great way to establish a motivated workforce. They will begin to see training courses as development opportunities to further their career goals.

#3: Offer soft skills microlearning. Wait, employees can learn to become great conversationalists while waiting to board a plane? Or how to become an effective leader while a coworker drives the team to a lunch meeting?

In short, yes, employees can...if those topics are broken down into meaningful, bite-sized pieces. The average length of a training video in HSI’s library is 10 minutes. Not only is this the perfect run time to maximize learning, but it’s also an effective way to easily fit into busy schedules and complete during those “down” moments — much more so than an hour-long, instructor-led session. Microlearning is accessible and easy to comprehend and retain. It engages even the hard-to-reach and reluctant learner. To learn more about this learning process, check out HSI’s white paper, “The Science of Microlearning”.

#4: Keep topics relevant. When giving employees access to a library of training topics, ensure it’s full of up-to-date and relevant content! For example, most learning libraries, including HSI’s, cover basics like anti-harassment and soft skills training. HSI also covers topics like cybersecurity, diversity and inclusion, and leadership training. These topics are timely and relevant, thus are more likely to be useful to employees and managers.

#5: Provide an accessible library. Recall an experience of getting engrossed in a bookstore or library? Or browsing page after page on Amazon, finding tons of publications on a subject of interest? When employees know they have access to tons of material on topics they’re specifically interested in, it’s known to motivate them to explore more.

So, start with a well-curated training library with a wide variety of topics — this will maximize chances there’s something of interest to each employee. Then, give them access to the library. Employees will explore it on their own and direct much of their learning.

#6: Offer self-directed learning. When organizations have a large, accessible library of relevant and timely content, they have the beginnings of a program for self-directed learning. Self-directed learning is simply a system for allowing individual learners to direct their own learning, depending on their individual needs and interests. For example, some employees might struggle with time management and appreciate the opportunity to learn how to manage their time better. Others might appreciate learning basic finance with a course like our Finance for Non-Financial People.

The idea here is that people will be more motivated to make time for training on topics they choose, versus ones that management chooses for them. Keep in mind mandatory training is fine when it’s due to federal and state regulations.

#7: Support mobile learning. If organizations want employees to learn on their own, and they want them to take time for learning, leaders must make it possible for them to access content any time, anyplace. That means the learning resources must be accessible on their mobile devices. Imagine an employee watching a short course on How to Become a Great Conversationalist while waiting at the gate at the airport. With mobile learning, moments that have traditionally been “wasted time” can now be used for learning and gaining insight.

#8: Recognize employees. When employees complete training and improve their skills over time, be sure to recognize and reward them. Doing so not only reinforces good learning habits but also shows that the organization values training and skills growth. Other coworkers who witness the recognition will also be encouraged to make time for training, too.

This employee recognition can be formal or informal and can include simple acts like mentioning their names in team meetings or awarding gift cards to a local coffee bar. Monetary rewards, in the form of incentives, could be given to those who reach their annual career goals and have completed a certain number of online courses.

Autonomy and Support are Key to Motivating Employees to Take the Time

If there are two themes running through these ideas, they are autonomy and support.

Employees are more motivated to pursue their goals when they have the freedom to do so on their own. Allowing them to direct some of their learning and pursue topics that interest them will encourage more engagement with training across the board. Sometimes, employees need to feel permission to do so to get started.

That autonomy must be supported, however. By improving accessibility, widening the breadth of topics covered, having managers encourage and communicate the value of training, and recognizing learning milestones, leaders can create the ultimate supportive learning culture.

How HSI Can Help

In today's world, marked by artificial intelligence (AI), intense competition for top talent, and changing regulations, the importance of relevant and ongoing upskilling is greater than ever. However, companies continue to struggle with delivering personalized learning at a scale that effectively engages and motivates their employees to prioritize training opportunities.

Explore a refreshing approach to continuous skills-building that turns professional development from a task into an inspiring journey for managers and their teams.

Contact HSI to experience firsthand how our microlearning video and content-based training courses can help create great learning experiences and upskill even the busiest employees in the competencies that matter most to your business.

Additional Resources

• 10 Benefits of a True Learning Culture
• 6 Benefits of Self-Paced Learning for Employees
• How to Reduce Time Consumption in Employee Training
• Fostering Organizational Culture Change with Microlearning
• Benefits of Fostering a Growth Mindset Culture: How to Begin