In today’s workforce, so-called 'soft skills' have become increasingly valued by employers. While traditionally, workers were hired primarily for their technical or functional skills, organizations are now placing greater emphasis on less tangible qualities, such as good communication skills, cooperativeness, flexibility and a positive attitude.

In fact, “nine in 10 employers believe that graduates with soft skills will become increasingly important,” according to a survey by Talent Q. In this hiring climate, even the best academic transcripts and CV may not be enough to land you the job, if your soft skills aren’t up to scratch.

If you’re keen to move up within your company or get noticed, improving your soft skills is one of the best ways you can set yourself apart from the competition.

The Difference Between Hard and Soft Skills

When we talk about hard skills, we’re talking about technical or functional skills that are directly related to your job, for example, your engineering, accounting, veterinary or project management skills. With these skills, you have proven your ability and expertise in this area – the skills have been learned in some way, and can be tested or measured.

Soft skills are completely different, in that they relate to intangible qualities and are often an inherent part of your personality. With soft skills, we’re talking about character traits and qualities such as:

Many of these qualities can be seen in people who have high levels of emotional intelligence –the ability to monitor your own and others’ feelings and emotions, and to use this information to guide your thinking and actions. Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is a very important factor in maintaining successful relationships, both personal and professional.

As you can see, these skills can’t exactly be measured or tested, yet can add so much value to the functioning of your team, or the experience of your customer. And just like emotional intelligence, soft skills can be developed and continually improved upon.

How Improving Your Soft Skills Can Help Your Career

It’s very important for employees to understand the importance of soft skills in determining career success, as it’s often the soft skills that matter when employees are being hired and fired. This can be particularly true for the healthcare and non-profit industries, where qualities like empathy and compassion are vital.

Let’s say you’re a hiring manager or HR professional, faced with two employees with the exact same set of technical skills. Yet these two individuals may be very different when it comes to attitude or the ability to communicate and work as part of a team. Which person will you promote to a higher level – the staff member with the good attitude who is always willing to pitch in, or the uncooperative employee who seems to enjoy making life difficult for their colleagues?

Improving your soft skills can also help you become a better leader, as many traits that are necessary for strong leadership can be linked to high levels of interpersonal skills and EQ. For anyone in a leadership or management position, developing your skills in areas such as problem solving, decision making and motivating people will be very beneficial.

The Benefits of Soft Skills for Organizations

Hiring employees with advanced soft skills can have a significant impact on an organization’s ability to function effectively, within its own structure and as part of their industry. For example, with sales-focused companies, employing staff with strong communication and teamwork skills will have a direct impact on customer experience, as well as profits.

If you’re in a management or recruitment position, it’s worth knowing that workers with high-level soft skills can bring a number of benefits to your organization. Being able to handle conflict, perform well under pressure and work as part of a team are all very valuable skills for any employee.

In addition to this, staff who possess soft skills tend to conduct more satisfying relationships, which leads to better workplace outcomes and a more positive work culture for all.

Improve Your Soft Skills through e-Learning

With soft skills often being underrated or neglected in the workplace, it’s important for individuals to recognize the link between these qualities and career success. Generally, organizations won’t provide set training in these areas, so it may be up to you to look at avenues to develop your soft skills.

Online learning is a great way to boost your soft skills and increase your job prospects. Through eLearning, you can improve existing skills or learn something completely new, in a time and place that’s convenient to you. You could even use your daily commute to work on developing your abilities in this area. 

While soft skills can’t exactly be assessed, a good measure of your success in developing soft skills is how well you manage the relationships with those around you – so get started today and see if you notice a change in your interactions with others, at work and at home.

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The importance of soft skills in today’s workforce

Many managers and business owners think that financial rewards are the most important thing on their employee’s list when it comes to job satisfaction. However, money may be less important than you would think. It seems that being happy at a job depends more on intangibles such as being valued, feeling like you’re part of a team, and feeling appreciated often outrank money when polls are conducted about job satisfaction.

If your company is struggling with turnover there are several things that you can do in order to retain your team. Here are 10 steps that you can take to improve your business.

It’s important that you create a vision for your employees that is crystal clear. This should be seen as a roadmap for each of your employees, and it should be clear so that each person who works at the company understands all of the twists and turns of the business.

It’s important not to assume that each of your employees has the training, tools, and support that they need in order to succeed. Make sure that you are checking in with each of them personally in order to find out what their needs may truly be.

Communication is perhaps the most important part of this list. Memos, newsletters, training sessions, and regular meetings should all be used to help present your vision to all of your employees. It’s also important to ask questions to make sure the information provided is understood. If you sense confusion, redesign the way that you are providing information to them.

Next, focus on creating a culture of communication where employees and managers have common goals so they are working together to improve the company overall. If you want to see the data that supports this idea, check out this article in the Journal of Change Management in 2004.

Find a way to make sure every employee is engaged in some way. If your employees are all involved in the planning and decision making of a project they will care more about it and be more willing to fight for it.

Perhaps one of the greatest motivators is feedback. Do not simply offer periodic reviews, instead you should offer feedback to your employees regularly and make sure you give positive feedback right away as this will encourage more of the same positive behavior and outcomes. You should also give negative feedback as soon as possible so that you provide your workers with a chance to correct the offending behavior.

If possible, schedule weekly meetings with each individual employee in order to provide a chance to discuss any issues with ongoing projects. These meetings can be short, but can do a lot to build tighter-knit relationships.

Remember, simply saying, “thank you” can be a powerful motivator and you should do this often and in person when possible.

Use good judgment in order to create a fair and trustful environment. When a problem comes up make sure that you examine the circumstances and understand the context of the issue before passing judgment. If you show your team trust and respect you will get the same in return. If you make a mistake, admit that you were wrong and apologize. Your employees will relate to you better and will appreciate you being honest.

A good manager will pay attention to the details and will care not only about the product, but also about the employees. One way to show this is to be involved in the process of creation. Pay attention to what happens during the work day and try to make the work environment fun as people will get more done when they are enjoying what they do.

A company that offers personalized professional development plans will have an easier time motivating their employees to learn. Look for applications and skills that are relevant for an employee’s success for both their current role and future roles they may have.

Younger employees place a high priority on professional development, even more so than obtaining a higher salary. Take advantage of their thirst for knowledge by providing them with personal development plans that are relevant to the career path they are on.

For both large and small companies, job retention can be a big problem. The cost of training new employees all the time can really add up.

When employees hold their work in high value, turnover rates are less of an issue. Special incentives, praise and recognition can help raise the value of work for employees. Employees who feel better about their jobs are less likely to leave. More importantly, if an employee feels good about their job they will try to be better at what they do. Turnover rates drop significantly when a company supports their employees.

Following the above steps will help your company helps improve employee retention. Remember: it’s important to be proactive in your employee training if you truly want to keep your top employees at your business.

At the end of the day, taking the time to invest in your staff will result in serious long and short-term benefits for your company. Your financial gains will grow over time as you will not be spending excessive resources on training new employees to do the work that you need. Invest in your current employees and you’ll reap the rewards.

Why providing training can help to retain your team

When it comes to eLearning, there are always new buzzwords popping up. This article takes a look at 13 buzzwords that you’ll likely encounter in the eLearning space, including: Lifelong learning, Blended learning, Personalization, Microlearning, Rapid eLearning, Scenarios, mLearning, Gamification, Social learning, “Tin can”, MOOCs , Learning Management System (LMS), lLocalization.  

We hope that this article helps you to better understand some of the terms that are throw around when reading up about online learning, assisting you in providing a better learning experience for you and your team.

The term “lifelong learning” refers to the voluntary, ongoing, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge. This can be for either professional or personal reasons. Lifelong learning enhances active citizenship, social inclusion, personal development, and also improves employability and competitiveness.

Lifelong learning recognizes that learning is not something that is confined to childhood or to the classroom, but is something that takes place all throughout life and in a number of situations.

During the past fifty years or so constant technological and scientific innovation has greatly affected learning styles and needs. Learning today is not divided into school and the workplace, but is now seen as something that takes place each day from the interactions that we have with others and with the world around us.

The term “blended learning” refers to a formal educational program that offers students the chance to learn through an online delivery system and within a classroom. Students will experience a blend of face to face classroom instruction combined with activities that are computer mediated.

Personalization in the eLearning environment refers to allowing students to customize many of the elements of the educational process. This means that students will set goals, work at their own pace, and communicate with other students and their professors in order to customize the entire learning process to their individual needs.

Essentially, the student is in charge of managing their own personal learning and can customize their experience as they have a direct say in the content and processes that are provided. Students have the chance to learn what they want to, when they want to, and even have a say in how they want to learn it.

The term microlearning refers to learning in smaller steps. This goes along with more traditional eLearning. Elements of microlearning include short term lessons, coursework, or projects that have been designed to provide the student with smaller amounts of information.

Microlearning essentially involves breaking down broader units into smaller chunks that are more digestible. This type of learning is often best utilized at points where a student needs the information or when the student is going to be receptive of receiving the particular information.

In learning we use scenarios to put the learner in a real life situation to reinforce the practical uses of training.

By forcing the learning into problem solving situations, the student is much more likely to be able to retain the information that they are learning, and then apply it to their everyday job without needing to return to resources to assist them. Scenarios need to be adapted specifically for a particular audience, but can be one of the most effective tools associated with creating learning material.

The term mLearning refers to any type of learning that happens when a student is not at a predetermined location. It also refers to any type of learning that happens when the student takes advantage of learning opportunities on a mobile device.

Demonstrate changes of understanding take place within the individuals involved

Demonstrate that these changes go beyond the single person and becomes situated in a wider social unit or community of practice

It must occur through social interactions between people in a social network. 

Past specifications had limitations and were difficult. The Tin Can API is flexible and simple. Some of the things that can be communicated and recognized with the Tin Can API include:

Note: this is a community driven API and is free to implement.

MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. These deliver open access to different types of learning materials. An MOOC tends to be focused on community using forums for online discussions about a topic. The content typically will contain a number of different resources and activities that may be automated, or offer a self or peer assessment.

An Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application that provides infrastructure and framework for the facilitation of delivery, tracking, and reporting of training online.

Localization is translating eLearning content to any language and regional context. For example, in Spain, an American-based company might need their advertising images to be changed in order to be more culturally congruent to the Spanish public.

These are just a few of the buzzwords you’ll encounter in the eLearning space. To find out how your company can improve from eLearning resources, make sure you check back in with the Go1 Blog regularly!

Top eLearning buzzwords and what they mean

With virtual reality becoming more prevalent in our everyday lives, many questions are being raised about the effects this form of technology will have on society. One of the most exciting aspects of VR is its potential to bring changes to the workplace, as work environments become more online.

Many industries are now beginning to consider the possibilities of using virtual reality for their employees. By using VR glasses and connected software, workers can be safely immersed in generated situations – situations that feel a whole lot more ‘real’ to the user than simply watching them on a screen. These generated situations, or scenarios, have the potential to bring positive benefits to both employers and workers, increasing employee performance and improving business processes.

When implemented across an organization, virtual reality has the potential to create better training and development, easier onboarding processes, and greater collaboration for teams and remote workers.

Let’s take a closer look at how VR could change your workplace.

Virtual reality offers new possibilities for improved training, regardless of industry. From corporate offices to construction job sites, the technology has the potential to be used to create controlled scenarios to assist with learning and development.

Through experiencing these generated scenarios, workers can receive effective real-time training in areas of safety procedures, efficiency and disaster management.

Thies Pfeiffer, technical director of the virtual reality lab at the Cognitive Interaction Technology Center of Excellence, explains how “in many professions, certain tasks are performed over and over again to ensure that everything runs smoothly in emergencies or stressful situations. Training in ‘reality’ would require considerable resources, and students need a lot of space. In virtual reality, however, students and trainees can practice at their own pace until the processes become second nature.” 

Training through VR could also have financial benefits for companies, with virtual training reducing many costs associated with traditional training methods. For example, by introducing VR, “an industrial company could digitally transport new employees to their future work environment without the added expense of relocation or fear of failure.”

Overcoming fears for professional development 

Speaking of fear of failure, VR could also assist employees experiencing phobias or fears, increasing their confidence in certain situations through sensitivity and exposure training. The potential for this form of cognitive behavioural therapy is very exciting, allowing individuals to safely experience situations they may not otherwise be exposed to. 

With the opportunity to gain further confidence and skills in their field, doctors could practice performing difficult surgeries; factory workers could carry out vital safety drills; corporate employees could overcome their fear of public speaking – with virtual reality, the possibilities are endless. 

With VR simulations being used for onboarding, companies could bring new hires up to speed faster than with traditional processes. Imagine, for example, the benefit of experiencing customer service scenarios in virtual reality, compared to reading text or watching on-screen tutorials.

“With virtual reality, we can generate spaces and situations that help people learn to perform occupational duties,” says Dr Pfeiffer. For people working in customer service or sales, this immersive experience would be far more practical, useful and engaging.

Increased collaboration through virtual reality

In a corporate environment, with its focus on team work and collaboration, VR will have a huge impact on how employees interact. Meetings could be held in virtual reality, in real time. For teams who are situated in different offices or regions, this could save a lot of time, money and stress – which also has benefits for a company’s productivity, profits and bottom line. 

VR holds even greater potential for remote workers, or staff who regularly telecommute, as a new way of maintaining connection across geographical barriers. While today’s collaboration tools such as Skype and Google Hangouts are certainly useful for remote workers, virtual reality will take online group interaction even further.

“In virtual reality, you can see everyone, or at least an avatar image of them and it’s much closer to being there with them,” Dr Pfeiffer explains.

However you choose to implement VR technology across your business, the future workplace is sure to be an exciting place for both employers and employees.

What changes could virtual reality bring to your workplace?

When it comes to eLearning, the way you approach content delivery is paramount. Video has long been an essential part of the learning process for corporations. Today, you have a multitude of options for creating video content. Some companies, for example, host their videos internally and supplement them with streaming videos from popular platforms like YouTube or Facebook.

Audio is more important than you realize.

Active videos are more engaging than passive ones.

Interactive videos may include features like:

These are just a few of the options you might consider when developing your videos.

If your lighting is murky or dull then that’s exactly how your learners will feel. On the other hand, if you use dynamic lighting and make sure the visual elements are sharp and clean, then your learners will be more attracted to what they see on the screen. Some lighting issues may be addressed in postproduction, but it’s certainly a factor to consider before you begin shooting.

Optimizing for the appropriate devices helps

How will your learners be accessing the material? If many of them will be viewing the videos from a tablet or mobile device, then the way you shoot the video might be different than if they were viewing them on a large desktop computer. The more optimized your video is for the appropriate device, the easier it will be for your learners to access it.

Did you write your script from the perspective of a human or a corporate robot? There’s no faster way to put your learners to sleep then to make your video script sound like a boring corporate trainer. Use their language. Make them feel like you understand them and their feelings.

A few ways you can make your script more human is to include some personal details or stories. Act like your video is on a “date” with the learner and your job is to make a good first impression. Don’t be afraid to treat your video script more like a personal exchange than a didactic treatise. Plus, if you’re able to throw in just a little bit of humor then your engagement levels will go much higher.

Music lights up several different parts of the brain at once, so it makes sense that the right choice of music will capture your viewer’s interest early on. However, if you decide to use cheesy out-of-the-box stock material then you might just turn them off out of the gate.

Consider what music might be appropriate for the material you are delivering—even if it’s only in the intro and outro of the video. If you can add a sense of drama, mystery, excitement, or curiosity into the audio aspect of your video production then your viewer will be pulled in to what you are doing easier.

There’s no question that video production matters when you’re creating your eLearning material. While you don’t need to hire Industrial Light and Magic, you will need to keep your learner in mind when you create their videos. Keep them excited and give them something that shows you value their time and they will appreciate it and be much more likely to retain the material you are teaching in the long run.

How video production affects student engagement

These days, it seems that many workers are leaving high-paid corporate positions to pursue a more meaningful career. For these people, finding a job that’s emotionally rewarding is top priority, and far more important than financial gains. While the concept of ‘meaningful’ work is obviously different for everyone, it can almost always be linked to an individual’s personal values.

To understand this, it’s important to see the connection between personal (or core) values and job satisfaction. One of the main reasons why people are unhappy in their jobs is that their work, career or employer is at odds with their values. Often, employees won’t even realize their dissatisfaction stems from this mis-match – there’s just a general feeling that something isn’t quite right.

For someone who values fairness, for example, it could be very frustrating and upsetting to work for an organization that frequently rewards or tolerates unjust behavior. For workers who strongly value compassion, finding out that the company they work for is testing on animals could be a sudden deal breaker. Public servants may also experience discomfort when the government they work for changes, or alters policy.

When your work collides with your personal values

Over time, this discordance of values can lead to negative consequences for both employee and employer.

Working in an environment that goes against your core values is not only frustrating, but can also lead to serious health issues, as both mental and physical wellbeing are affected by stress. We can see this in people who have burnt out at work, after many years of trying to fit square-shaped values into a round hole.

In contrast, individuals who consider their work to be meaningful are generally more productive, motivated and happy in their jobs. As Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, author of The Talent Delusion, explains, “when people pick jobs that fulfill basic psychological needs, motives, and values, they immerse themselves more in their work, experience higher levels of job satisfaction, and their productivity rises.” This has benefits for the whole organization, leading to a more positive work culture and better business results.

To determine your core values, you need to be aware of what motivates you. Individuals are motivated by many different things, especially in the workplace. Are you driven by money, power, recognition by your peers? Or perhaps your idea of meaningful work is connected to altruism, the desire to help people?

Once you find what motivates you, you’ll have a far better idea of what’s most important to you and how to get where you need to be. If you find that helping and connecting with people is top of your list, you might decide to explore teaching or social work, rather than continuing to work 9-5 in a job with no human interaction.

Dr Chamorro-Premuzik says, “if you know something simply doesn't motivate you, like a fat paycheck or great travel opportunities – even if it motivates others – don't regard it as an incentive for your next job.”

The interesting thing about values is that even if you’ve never consciously considered them before, your values are still an intrinsic part of you. Many people aren’t even aware that they exist until something happens that questions or threatens their values. Taking the time to figure out what’s really important to you, and exactly what it is that motivates you, will help you to be more prepared and resilient when your values are tested.

The benefits of working in line with your values

Once you’ve clarified your personal values, you’ll find it far easier to understand and trust any gut feelings that arise when you’re on the wrong path. Defining your values also allows you to “set goals that resonate, as opposed to frustrate,” says Associate Professor Anthony Grant, from The University of Sydney's Coaching Psychology Unit.

“If your goal is aligned with your core values, the thought of it will trigger a positive gut feeling. That feeling is what will keep you ploughing ahead until you've nailed it.” When you feel good about your work, career and employer you’ll be able to achieve far greater motivation, success and happiness.

To return to Dr Chamorro-Premuzik again: “we work more effectively when we're invested in what we do. And one of the keys to feeling engaged at work is aligning your own idiosyncratic values with those of your organization, your team, and your direct manager – when you're all working together towards something you believe in.”

Set aside some time to think about what it is that you believe in. What motivates you? What are your personal values? Figuring out how you can work in line with your values could be the best step of your career, as well as your life.

Why your career needs to align with your personal values

Preparing your L&D budget is no small undertaking. Sometimes it can seem like you are going out and fighting a battle every time you attempt to justify it to the higher brass! However, if you perform your due diligence and truly take a strategic approach to the budget, then you are far more likely to get approval for it.

Here are a few ideas that will help you make the process more effective:

Before you prepare your budget, you will need to identify exactly what the macro and micro objectives are within your learning strategy. You should put together a document that identifies key deliverables, short and long-term objectives, and most of all, the return on investment. You should be able to clearly articulate how this program will pay for itself over and over again.

Research is a huge part of the process when you create your budget. First you'll want to have a look at what's going on in the industry and where other organizations are allocating funds. The truth is you don’t have to look far—you can do a tremendous amount of research these days with a simple Google query.

You also want to look at what your own internal numbers look like. Where have you needed funds the most in the past? Where did you fall short of your target before due to financing obstacles?

For each one of your line items, you should ask yourself how much of a direct impact it will have on the bottom line. If you are acutely aware of profits and the processes that drive them within your Learning Department then you'll know which items to “zero-in” on.

When you create your research documents, make sure that you highlight the industry standards so that you can compare where your organization is right now versus where it should be in the near future to maintain a competitive edge.

The "powers on high” that have the authority to approve or deny your requests will want to know exactly how you came up with each item within your budget. This means you will likely need to justify your requests and provide the data that backs up your findings. If you can't explain why a budget item is the number that it is, then you will be fighting an uphill battle that you will likely lose. Again, it's a good idea to focus on explaining the return on investment so that stakeholders feel confident in handing you the money.

Your budget should be oriented towards measurable results and there are a few metrics that you can use to measure your success. Cost-per-learning-hour is one of the easiest to start out with. Following that, you should look towards outcome-based metrics, like improving employee satisfaction scores, reduction in compliance issues, sales growth, and so on. If you stay focused on the numbers that provide a way to measure your success, then you will be able to better understand and justify the financial resources required to obtain them.

Before you complete your budget you should spend some time evaluating opportunities that may have been overlooked in the past. What changes are happening in the industry right now that could affect your people? What new developments are taking place to improve eLearning deliverability, for example? Are there new tools and resources that can cut down on costs?

This is a fantastic opportunity to sit down with leadership and your key team members and brainstorm about the opportunities that could be out there. This may change the budget, but it could be the very thing that convinces stakeholders that you are on the right path. Innovation is one way that companies maintain their competitive edge and if you can discover innovative ways to deliver your learning material, for example, then you might have a much more attractive budget in the end.

Prepare a document that discusses worst-case scenarios and alternatives

This goes back to the justifying process that you may need to do. It's a fantastic way to present your argument because you will be illustrating what could happen if funding is not acquired. How might a compliance issue affect the company as a whole? What would the legal costs be?

Always be prepared to talk about the lost opportunities in the financial obstacles that could come about if your Learning budget isn’t met. Some of the results may not be disastrous but they could certainly be cases of lost revenue. If you can articulate these clearly then you will be able to attack any objection head-on and you’ll be much more likely to get the funding you need.

Some might argue that preparing your L&D budget is one of the most important parts of the eLearning process. After all, nothing happens without acquiring the funding to do it, right?

This is a part of the job that requires meticulous research and evaluation, while at the same time understanding how to sell your ideas to stakeholders. So don't forget the “human” aspect of the process. While you might be dealing with numbers, the real test will come when it's time to hold your hand out and ask for the money!

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

In this article, we'll show you how to create an effective L&D budget. We'll also share some tips on how to manage your L&D budget effectively.

Preparing your L&D budget is no small undertaking. However, if you perform your due diligence and truly take a strategic approach to the budget, then you are far more likely to get approval.

When talking about leadership, we often make mention of highly skilled public speakers – leaders who know how to motivate and encourage teams with their powerful words. While certainly, strong public speaking skills are highly valued in any leader, listening is also an incredibly important and underrated skill for effective leadership. 

You can probably think of someone you’ve worked with who never really pays attention to what you’re saying – they may appear to be listening, but often have a glazed look or appear lost in their own thoughts. A lot of people, particularly in the workplace environment, are also more interested in thinking about what they’ll say next, than paying proper attention to what’s being said by others.

It can be quite uncomfortable talking to any of these people. And particularly frustrating if the person is your boss! When faced with a manager or supervisor who doesn’t ever seem to really listen, it’s easy for employees to assume their leader simply doesn’t care. Team members can feel unheard, unsupported and unsatisfied in their jobs when working under this kind of management.

Why Listening Skills Are So Important for Managers

All managers have a responsibility to listen to their staff – to understand their individual perspective, provide support and professional development, and act as an effective link between employees and upper management.

As Taylor Berens Crouch, doctoral candidate in clinical psychology says, "if we’re trying to lead people in a direction that they want, it’s absolutely necessary that we understand people’s desires and perspectives and thoughts, and listening is necessary to get that information."

If you’re a manager or employer, you’ll find that being a good listener will turn you into a far better leader. Let’s look at how you can work to improve your listening skills and leadership style.

You probably hear a lot of talk about “mindfulness” and “being present.” But when it comes to listening, presence really is key to mastering this skill. 

To be a mindful listener, it’s important to be aware that your own thoughts have the ability to distract you from really listening. Whenever you feel your brain drifting away into your own thoughts, consciously push them away and bring your focus back to the person in front of you.

Judith Humphrey, founder premier communications firm The Humphrey Group, believes “good listeners have a physical, mental, and emotional presence, and they know how to integrate all three.”

You can take conscience steps to listen with presence by:

Turning your body and head towards the speaker

Putting smartphones or computer screens away

Avoiding crossing your arms or forming any barriers

Saying phrases such as “yes” and “I understand” 

These steps will serve to reinforce your listening, showing staff members that you are paying attention to their words and engaging with their thoughts. Managers who learn how to listen with their whole body, giving their employees their whole attention, have far greater potential as leaders. 

Connect While Listening to Your Employees

When you listen to someone speak and make the effort to connect with their feelings, you are practicing emotional listening. This ability to read nonverbal signs – through a person’s facial expressions, tone of voice and posture – is also connected to greater emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is a very valuable trait for managers, allowing them to better handle conflict, perform well under pressure, and lead and manage teams. EQ is also very highly regarded in today’s workforce, with studies showing that 90% of top performers have high EQs.

Emotionally intelligent individuals can also expect to earn more, possessing attractive skills for employers in any industry, such as calmness, clarity of mind and the ability to conduct more satisfying relationships. These are all very positive traits for those in a leadership position.

The Benefits of Being a Leader Who Listens

Practicing mindful and emotional listening, while connecting with your team members and putting aside your own emotions to feel theirs, will make you a more effective and appreciated leader. This will have great benefits not only for the employees who report directly to you, but also for your organization as a whole.

As Humphrey suggests, “the raw material that you and your company need to move forward together lies in the hearts and minds of those around you.” Strong leaders are able to successfully draw that raw material from their employees, for the greater good of the organization.

So start improving your listening skills today. By listening – really listening – to your employees properly, you’ll make each person in your team feel more valued and connected. You’ll also be working to improve creative and collaboration processes, enhance work relationships and contribute to a more positive work culture.

Improve your listening skills and become a better leader

Gender equality is one of the hottest topics in compliance today. Over the past few years we’ve watched the national spotlight turn to the persistent wage gap, lack of promotion, and other gender issues that Americans are unhappy with. While the United States is miles ahead of the pack in many ways, we still have a long road ahead before gender inequality is completely done away with.

That’s just one reason why access to effective corporate training is so critical. Gender equality issues hold organizations back and can set them up for costly legal issues that hinder growth dramatically. Luckily, as technology continues to advance, so too does our ability to deliver powerful and effective training programs for employees.

Today, more and more companies and employees are embracing the eLearning model and turning online for their gender equality training. Here are just a few reasons why:

Online gender equality training is more cost effective.

Traditional training systems are expensive. Not only are you forced to pay for specialized training personnel, you’ll also likely need to cover classroom rental fees, transportation costs, and physical training materials. Since most corporate training is delivered in large chunks of time, you also have to factor in potential productivity issues.

eLearning solutions are far cheaper to implement. Since the material is delivered to portable devices and desktop computers, there’s no need for your employees to relocate. They can go at their own pace and study the materials in smaller chunks of time—and at periods when it’s less likely to have a serious impact on productivity. In some cases, there’s no need to foot the bill for developing these courses, since there are plenty of effective gender equality training programs that have already been created.

Traditional training programs can be tedious affairs. After the first hour of training, it’s easy for a fatigued employee to “zone out” and miss important details. On the other hand, online solutions can be better customized to the individual learner. If something is missed, then all the learner has to do is access the material from their device and review the section that he or she didn’t catch.

Research has proven that eLearning increases knowledge retention by up to 60% and this means that your staff will be much more likely to adhere to gender equality policies in the long run.

Online gender equality training causes less anxiety. 

There are some compliance issues that can cause more anxiety in learners than others. Gender equality is a complex topic and many learners don’t want to be “put on the spot” about what they don’t know by a trainer in front of a classroom. Online training allows learners to make mistakes and even participate anonymously if they choose. This lowers the amount of anxiety involved in the process and is another reason why the retention rate is so high with online learning.

Online learning is the ideal method for training Millennials. 

Millennials are now the largest generation in the United States workforce and these individuals have grown up with hyper-connectivity as a way of life. They came of age with text messaging, social media, high-speed internet, and unlimited information at their fingertips.

When it comes to training, this is a boon.

Millennials are accustomed to acquiring information through mobile devices and in many cases their primary education was delivered through 21st century technology. Their university experience was certainly more digital-based than not. So when it comes to learning about gender equality compliance, Millennials clearly will prefer an education process that they are accustomed to.

Mobile learning promotes a social learning experience.

Humans are social creatures, so it makes perfect sense that we would respond well to opportunities to learn in a social environment. While traditional gender equality training programs tend to be more lecture-oriented, mobile platforms promote true collaboration between learners.

Online applications allow learners to bounce ideas off of each other, discuss case studies, participate in simulations and take advantage of discussion groups and chat functions. These features help reinforce the material that’s being learned, while at the same time promoting a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect between employees.

The best companies understand that interaction is an absolutely critical aspect of gender equality training. Gender equality is a social issue that requires individuals to internalize the concepts so they can relate to those who are potentially discriminated against. Online training platforms promote discussions that do exactly that.

More and more companies are embracing the remote work model for their employees, in part because it helps with reducing overhead. Even companies with a large in-house staff still have executives and sales personnel who spend a great deal of time “on the road.” This can make bringing everyone together for a training event a logistical nightmare.

Online training, however, can be accessed 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Learners can log on from their iPad on a red-eye flight to Los Angeles, just as easily as they can from their home office in  New York. This is another tremendous opportunity to save time and money on gender equality training.

The best companies in the world are addressing gender equality issues head on. As we move forward into 2017 and beyond, it’s clear that eLearning is the most effective and efficient path to training your staff and maintaining compliance.

Why people are heading online to learn how to improve gender equality

As 2016 drew to a close, media attention revealed claims of workplace bullying being made against Bunnings – Australia's largest household hardware chain and retailer. 

Bunnings employee Bruce Johnson was sacked, after lodging a complaint with the Fair Work Commission against the company for bullying.

Many Australians were surprised and shocked to hear of the accusations. Was the popular warehouse store, famous for its smiling staff and weekend sausage sizzles, hiding a workplace culture of intimidation and bullying?

The consequences of fostering a culture of bullying

high levels of absenteeism and sick leave

It also has severe consequences for individuals who experience bullying in the workplace. Let’s look at how bullying affected long-term Bunnings employee Bruce Johnson.

Bunnings: an entrenched culture of workplace bullying

Employment lawyer Alana Heffernan said the alleged bullying Mr Johnson suffered was "at the more severe level in terms of what we see".

Over time, the Bunnings department manager saw his weekly hours increase to up to 60 hours a week, with no extra pay, meaning he often worked from 5.30am to 9.30pm. His own manager would frequently assign urgent tasks to Mr Johnson at the end of his shift, meaning he would have to stay back to complete them. 

Bunnings management also directed Mr Johnson to manage people out of their jobs if they were "too old" or “too expensive” – for example, if they’d been injured at work or were long-term employees who had earned a higher rate of pay.   

Mr Johnson stated that he was “asked on a number of occasions to terminate a number of people for various reasons, none of which had anything to do with their job performance." When he refused to dismiss members of his team, he was warned his own job was at risk and that a manager known as "the terminator" would replace him.

Mr Johnson also alleged that there was a decrease in the number of workplace injuries reported, because employees who did so were criticised, intimidated or sacked. According to Mr Johnson, Bunnings employees could also be “sacked if they were caught not smiling at customers on three occasions.”

Turning a blind eye can be just as bad as bullying

As employment lawyer Alana Heffernan says, "it's important that larger companies are held to account in how their middle managers treat their staff on the floor and the law recognises that inaction can be just as bad as bullying." 

It’s wrong to portray your company as a positive and supportive place to work, while failing to protect employees and promoting a culture of intimidation. As an employer, you have a responsibility to make sure all staff feel safe while carrying out their work duties. They should also feel comfortable and supported in reporting workplace injuries, harassment or bullying.

Review your policies around workplace bullying

If you’re unsure about the kind of work culture you’re creating for your employees, start by making sure you have strong anti-bullying and harassment policies in place, to show your commitment to promoting a positive work culture for all staff. If you’d like to learn more about creating an effective anti-bullying policy, you’ll find our previous article on bullying and harassment policies useful.

For employees, your anti-bullying policy will help them to accurately recognise and define unacceptable behaviour in the workplace, while guiding them to the appropriate resources and contacts for assistance. As an employer, this policy will also ensure your organisation is compliant in this area, protecting you against claims and legal ramifications.

The Productivity Commission recently reported that more than two million Australians have experienced some form of bullying at work. So it’s crucial that Australian employers, and their workplace managers, know how to handle these situations.

You’ll find more helpful advice on the best ways for employers and managers to deal with bullying here – the article also contains links to three popular online courses that will assist you in managing this topic and practicing zero tolerance towards bullying in your workplace.

Bunnings and allegations of workplace bullying