Welcome to this month's "What's trending in learning?" In today's global workforce where it's easier than ever to access remote work, cultural diversity is at its highest. While this diversity brings a wealth of perspectives and ideas, it can present misunderstandings that need to be addressed to foster a truly inclusive and collaborative environment.

This month, we'll share employee training for recognizing these cultural differences at work and learning to embrace the unique aspects of every employee. We'll delve into the importance of cultural competence with relevant courses you can add to training programs before sharing new content providers that can help you navigate and thrive in a multicultural workplace.

Topic spotlight: Recognizing cultural differences

Here are five expert-recommended courses available on Go1 to help your team build their emotional intelligence and cultural awareness:

1. Managing Culturally Diverse And Globally Distributed Teams by The Expert Academy (Interactive, 10 mins)

Are you a manager of a global team who wants to maximize efficiency? Are you an executive who wants to expand into the global market? Or are you a professional who works with a culturally diverse team looking to improve your communication skills? If so, this course is for you!

The rise of globalization paired with advancements in technology has changed the way we work forever. Distributed and remote teams are now the norm in many industries, so it's important to optimize our approach to teamwork in this new environment and be prepared to tackle any challenges that may arise.

2. Understanding the Cultural Differences (U.S./India) by Talent Quest (Course, 10 mins) 

India and the US are such vast and populous geographies that drawing comparison points of cultural differences between the two can result in people making sweeping generalizations.
A young, ambitious software engineer from New Delhi may have a lot in common with his or her counterpart in Silicon Valley. It could be, certainly a lot more than a farmer from any part of India would with a construction worker from Seattle.

3. Cross-Cultural Intelligence by Symmetra (Interactive, 15 mins) 

Today’s world is more diverse and interconnected than ever. This means we're often required to have a wider worldview to be successful in different markets or with culturally diverse teams. In this module, you’ll learn about how you can build your cultural intelligence and navigate these differences.

4. Intercultural Teams — Communicating with Colleagues from Other Cultures by Pinktum (Interactive, 1 hr 10 mins) 

Communication is everything when it comes to successful cooperation, including in an intercultural context. However, conflicts or misunderstandings occur frequently, especially between people from different cultures. This e-training course discusses how to adapt one's own communication, criticism, and conflict behavior in an intercultural work context, and how to effectively overcome language barriers. Course participants learn how they can succeed in interacting with people from different cultures in a respectful and appreciative way.

5. Cross-Cultural Leadership by Mind Tools  (Article, 5 mins) 

This article explains what to look out for when leading people from different cultural backgrounds.

At Go1, we’re constantly growing our content offering. From new content providers to returning favorites updating their offerings, here’s what’s new to Go1 in December.

Simmons Learning Solutions is a US-based content provider that's new to Go1 and offers interactive and practical content on the topics of AI, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship. Their courses cover a wide range of topics around AI, such as AI Ethics, Leveraging AI to Enhance Customer Experience for Managers, AI Integration in Leadership, and more.

Topic coverage: Artificial Intelligence, upskilling, professional services like leadership, time management skills, personal development

Top courses: Artificial Intelligence Ethics, ChatGPT for Entrepreneurs, Data-Driven practices, Emotional intelligence, Managing stress at work, Upskilling and reskilling: Adapting to technological advancements

Virtual Design and Construction Institute (VDCI)

VDCI is a US-based new provider at Go1, offering career-focused software training in 2D drafting (CAD), Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC). VDCI’s courses are tailored for jobs in design, architecture, engineering, and the construction industry, on tools such as AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp Pro, Photoshop, etc.

Topic coverage: AutoCAD (Drafting/Architectural Software)

A new, 10 courses series on AutoCAD now available!

Learn everything you need in this 10-stage breakdown for using AutoCAD.

American Medical Compliance (AMC) now offers continuing medical education credits (CME) to physicians and healthcare professionals through The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
AMC offers a variety of courses eligible for CME credits, including those focused on clinical knowledge, skills development, ethical information, medical strategies, and management practices. 

Courses are rigorously vetted to align with ACCME accreditation criteria. The goal of ACCME is to ensure healthcare education meets rigorous standards to support medical professionals. AMC's accreditation gives healthcare professionals the confidence they need that their CME-accredited courses meet these stringent national standards.

Three content providers that we’re loving this month

Mind Tools for Business from Emerald Works provides on-demand performance support and learning resources designed to help people overcome workplace challenges. Our insight-led learning solutions help millions of people around the world develop essential management, leadership, and personal effectiveness skills to build happy and successful careers.

Topic coverage: Leadership & Management; Sales & Customer Service; Communication; Teamwork; Business Skills; Personal Development; Mental Health & Wellbeing; Health & Safety 

Approximately 100 courses in Premium around 60-minutes in duration, each

Top courses: Anti-Bribery 101; Five Customer Service Parables; Health & Safety 101; Data Protection 10

Introducing Mind Tools- digital training to boost management, leadership and self-development skills

PINKTUM is one of the leading providers of E-Training and web-based training for lasting and effective staff development in businesses. For more than ten years, their high-quality E-Training experiences have inspired employees and promoted intercultural and accessible human resource development. PINKTUM's internationally awarded online library includes more than 400 video-based, interactive and multilingual E-Trainings. PINKTUM also develops and offers modular learning pathways for targeted competence development, including as blended learning. This enables learning to be integrated into everyday working life in a lasting and targeted manner and encourages employee self-directed learning.

Topic coverage:  Leadership & Management, Project Management, Personal Development, Communication, Sales & Customer Service, Wellbeing, Teams, Negotiating Skills

400+ courses in Premium, ranging from 40 to 200 minutes in duration

Top courses: What is Agile Management?, Situational Leadership, Smart Stress Management, Feedback Between Colleagues, Time Management

The Expert Academy create a diverse range of extremely informative courses hosted by world experts. Each course is led and taught by a leading expert in that field who provides learners with the knowledge and skills to master the topic.

The Expert Academy is a UK-based provider of communication, business and sales skills courses, all available in the Go1 Content Hub and relevant globally.

Topic coverage: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Sales and Customer Service, Wellbeing, Marketing, Resilience, Communication, Negotiating Skills, Social Media, Entrepreneurship, Remote Working

95+ courses in Premium, some shorter courses but most are 60-minutes plus in duration 

Top courses: Mastering Sales: How to Hold a High Price and Difficult Conversations: How to Master Them, Become a Coffee Expert: How to Make the Perfect Cup, Resilient Business Leadership, Feedback & Difficult Conversations, Sales: The Psychology of Selling

As we wrap up this month's "What's trending in learning?" on recognizing cultural differences, it's clear that cultural competence is a necessity in today's interconnected world. By embracing and understanding cultural diversity, we can build stronger, more innovative teams that thrive on collaboration and mutual respect. We hope the courses and content providers featured in this article have provided you with valuable insights and tools to enhance your cultural awareness and skills. Stay tuned for more updates and resources from Go1, and don't forget to check out our upcoming webinars for additional inspiration and learning opportunities

If you have any questions or need further assistance, our team is always here to support your learning and development journey every step of the way. See you in the next edition!

You can stay ahead of the latest trends and learning content when you sign up for our newsletter! You'll receive valuable L&D resources and tips directly to your inbox.

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This month is all about recognizing cultural differences. Read the full article to find course recommendations and new content providers to help your employees recognize and respond appropriately to cultural differences at work.

What’s trending in learning? Recognizing cultural differences in December 2024

Discover the latest employee training for recognizing cultural differences at work. Learn about essential courses, new content providers, and expert insights from Go1.

Generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping how organizations approach learning and development. It offers ways to make learning more personalized, efficient, and engaging. Marc Zao-Sanders, an expert in learning technology, offered insights on how L&D leaders can effectively implement this technology in the latest episode of L&D in 20.

Sometimes, creativity stalls because the right tools or prompts are missing. GenAI can help employees generate new ideas, simplify complex concepts, and explore fresh approaches to challenges. It’s a supportive tool for breaking through mental roadblocks and can be used to brainstorm solutions during team workshops or develop visuals to explain technical topics more clearly.

When prompted and implemented correctly, GenAI can enable personalized training by adapting content to individual skills, roles, and goals that match the individual learner. To take it a step further in prompting, adding in a brand voice or regional nuances that relate to your employees' experiences can make a difference in not just engagement, but retention of the information covered as well. This tailored approach ensures employees find value in the material. For example, an AI tool could suggest bite-sized courses on leadership skills for a new manager or deep-dive technical lessons for an engineer, specific to your organization.

AI can provide on-demand guidance and support without judgment, creating a safe space for employees to practice skills, explore ideas, or ask for feedback. It’s not about replacing human mentorship — it’s about adding another layer of support. An employee preparing for a presentation could use AI to refine their delivery or gather tips for overcoming stage fright. When we train AI to act like, and endorse it as a colleague or mentor, employees will begin to feel comfortable asking more personalized questions.

Rather than tracking how many courses employees complete, measure how new skills impact their work. Start small — pilot AI tools on tasks that directly contribute to business outcomes, and refine based on results. If your organization provides a service, use AI to train customer service teams and measure changes in response times or satisfaction ratings for quantitiative outcomes.

Understanding government and organizational AI policies is crucial from an ethical and safety point of view. New technology always comes with risks we need to be aware of, and AI is no different. Ensure any tools you use meet standards for data privacy and fairness, and are reviewed by the correct teams if they're a third-party product. Addressing risks upfront helps build trust among employees and leadership, and that starts with proper education. Partner with IT or compliance teams to audit tools and confirm they align with ethical guidelines. Then, build in AI ethics courses into your L&D programs. Go1 has multiple content providers offering AI courses today!

AI can handle repetitive tasks, like summarizing notes or analyzing trends, freeing employees to focus on more meaningful work. Offer training sessions to show how these tools can make daily tasks easier. Then, use AI to generate training session summaries as a takeaway to show the power of the tool straight away.

You can create truly personalized development plans at a faster rate with GenAI. Use it to identify gaps in skills and recommend specific training paths for each employee. AI could pinpoint an employee's need for negotiation skills and recommend a mix of videos, practice exercises, and reading materials.

It’s natural to feel unsure about AI, especially with its rapid advancements. One challenge is measuring intangible outcomes like confidence or curiosity. Using progress tracking and engagement metrics is a great starting point. Look for patterns in how employees apply their training at work and refine your AI strategies based on those insights.

Generative AI is more than a buzzword — it’s a tool to help employees thrive and organizations adapt. By starting with small, practical steps and keeping your team’s needs in mind, you can make AI a meaningful part of your L&D strategy.

For more on the topic of incorporating storytelling into business strategies and employee training, be sure to check out L&D in 20 Episode 3: AI use cases for personalizing learning and measuring impact with Filtered’s Co-Founder and CEO Marc Zao-Sanders

Episode 3 - AI use cases for personalizing learning and measuring impact

From personalized learning paths to AI mentors, L&D leaders using GenAI will learn practical implementation tips in this article.

Practical tips for integrating AI into L&D strategies

Leading with integrity has never been more critical. As Generation Z is poised to make up 25% of the workforce by 2025, their expectations for ethical leadership are reshaping workplace norms. This generation prioritizes transparency, fairness, and purpose, challenging organizations to rise to the occasion.

Despite this growing demand, trust in organizational leadership remains alarmingly low. Only 21% of US employees strongly trust their leaders — a decline from 24% in 2019. This erosion of trust underscores the urgent need for leadership grounded in ethics and integrity. And for consumers, much is the same. Customers, partners, and the general public are increasingly demanding that businesses operate with transparency and ethical principles. 

When organizations lead with ethics and integrity, they create true trust at an individual and organizational level — both of which can contribute to an organization’s long-term success and sustainability. Of course, the opposite can be true, too — when an organization doesn't have trustworthy leaders who act with integrity, their success can be threatened.

Ethical leadership revolves around guiding an organization with a steadfast commitment to moral principles. 

At its core, ethical leadership embodies key values such as:

Integrity and honesty: Ethical leaders demonstrate a strong moral compass, acting with authenticity, transparency, and truthfulness at all times. They "walk the talk" and lead by example.

Fairness and justice: Ethical leaders make decisions and treat stakeholders (employees, customers, partners, etc.) in an impartial, unbiased manner. They strive to ensure equitable processes and outcomes.

Empathy: Ethical leaders show genuine care and consideration for the well-being of their team, organization, and broader community. They make a conscious effort to understand different perspectives.

Principled decision-making: Ethical leaders rely on clear moral frameworks and standards to guide their choices, even when faced with complex or ambiguous situations. They always consider the broader impact of their decisions.

Accountability: Ethical leaders take responsibility for their actions and the consequences they have, both positive and negative. They're willing to admit mistakes and learn from them.

Among organizations that demonstrate this kind of ethical leadership, Patagonia — the outdoor apparel company that has long been known for its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection — stands out as an example. 

In 2011, the company famously ran a Black Friday ad with the tagline "Don't buy this jacket," encouraging customers only to purchase what they truly need — directly in line with their morals and values around overconsumption and protecting valuable resources.

Ethical leadership isn’t optional — it’s a cornerstone of organizational success. 

According to Harvard Business Review, people at high-trust companies report:

74% less stress and 106% more energy at work

50% higher productivity and 76% more engagement

29% more satisfaction and 40% less burnout than people at low-trust companies. 

Plus, ethical leadership leads to a more physiologically safe workplace where people trust their leaders and their vision, feel comfortable voicing their opinions, and will ask for support.

Here’s what this means: When organizations lead with integrity and true ethics, their employees have greater well-being, leading to more engagement and productivity — a win-win for everyone.

Top ethical challenges facing businesses today

There are plenty of obstacles that test the character and decision-making abilities of organizations’ leaders. 

Corporate social responsibility: Balancing profit motives with environmental sustainability, community impact, and fair labor practices.

Data privacy and security: Protecting customer information and using data ethically in an era of increased surveillance and targeted attacks.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion: Ensuring fair and unbiased treatment of internal and external stakeholders regardless of race, gender, age, or other identifying characteristics.

Conflicts of interest: Maintaining objectivity and transparency when personal, financial, or political interests intersect with business decisions.

Ethical supply chains: Ensuring products and services aren't tainted by human rights abuses, unfair labor practices, or environmental destruction further down the supply chain.

Developing ethical decision-making and a culture of integrity

Learning and Development (L&D) plays a pivotal role in shaping ethical leaders. By designing targeted programs, L&D teams can equip leaders with the tools for principled decision-making, foster moral behavior, and build a culture where integrity thrives.

Some starting areas to focus on for L&D include:

Ethics and integrity training: Providing comprehensive training on ethical frameworks, case studies, and decision-making models to help leaders recognize and navigate complex moral dilemmas.

Ethical leadership development: Designing leadership development programs that emphasize self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the ability to role-model ethical conduct.

Speak-up culture: Implementing initiatives that encourage employees to voice concerns, ask questions, and challenge unethical practices without fear of retaliation.

Accountability: Ensuring that the organization's performance management, recognition, and consequence systems reinforce and reward ethical behavior, not just results.

Ethical risk assessment: Equipping leaders with the skills to proactively identify potential ethical risks and vulnerabilities within the business.

When creating these programs, be sure to offer leaders several different channels for learning — like blended learning, mentorship, modules, podcasts, and more — in order to increase engagement and retention. 

Building a culture of integrity across an organization

Along with offering training to leaders and employees, we’d encourage organizations to incorporate ethics and integrity into other parts of business operations. 

Consider looking deeper into these areas and processes:

Onboarding: Embedding ethics training, case studies, and discussions into the onboarding process to ensure new hires understand the company's ethical expectations from the outset. For example, you can provide real-world scenarios that challenge new employees to apply ethical reasoning.

Communications and campaigns: Launch targeted communications, awareness campaigns, and storytelling initiatives that celebrate and highlight ethical conduct within the organization. For example, you might place posters or digital displays in common areas that reinforce integrity as a core value. Some companies even display a hotline number for reporting misconduct prominently in break rooms or onboarding portals.

Performance management: Incorporating ethical considerations into performance reviews, promotion criteria, and recognition programs to incentivize and reward ethical leadership. You might offer small cash bonuses, points, or "shoutouts" at team meetings for employees who demonstrate ethical decision-making.

Culture: Collaborating with HR and compliance to establish clear, confidential channels for employees to report ethical concerns or misconduct, and providing training on how to use these mechanisms. EthicsPoint or Convercent are good examples of tools organizations can use that allow employees to report ethical issues anonymously. 

Go1 simplifies ethics training, offering accessible, high-quality content that empowers organizations to instill integrity at every level. From creating custom learning paths to accessing 100+ pre-curated playlists aligned to a broad range of skill development needs, your organization can make ethics training a simple and effective part of your everyday operations. 

Experience the future of learning with one, easy-to-integrate subscription. Schedule a demo with our team to explore Go1's innovative features and benefits.

Leading with integrity has never been more critical. As Generation Z is poised to make up 25% of the workforce by 2025, their expectations for ethical leadership...

Leading with integrity: Why ethics matter more than ever

Ethical leadership is essential for earning trust and ensuring lasting success. Discover practical strategies to cultivate leaders who act with integrity, driving meaningful and sustainable growth.

Today's businesses include up to four generations working side by side. Each generation brings unique perspectives, values, and communication styles, which Jennifer Dowdy highlights in Episode 2 of our podcast, L&D in 20. She emphasized the growing need for organizations to find common ground among Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z to foster workplace collaboration and inclusion. But what does this look like in practice? Let's dive right in.

One effective strategy is to frame workplace programs around universal human values like respect, inclusion, and trust — principles that transcend generational and cultural differences. We'd recommend starting with diversity and inclusion training led by a third-party or objective source, team-building exercises that bring a sense of achievement, and open communication channels to share feedback.

By showing a commitment to these shared values, companies can create a more cohesive and harmonious work environment where everyone feels valued and accepted, which in turn improves employee satisfaction, retention, and ultimately, better business outcomes. Prioritizing a culture of respect, inclusion, and trust can help companies not only attract top talent but also drive innovation and success. Take it a step further with these next steps:

Develop a shared language: Working across different generations can often mean getting lost in translation. As a team, establish terms and concepts everyone understands and can easily find the definition for in a central place.

Focus on behavior over policy: While what's written in the books is important from a legal or HR perspective, for everyday employees, behaviors matter most. Emphasize everyday practices in positive behavior like active listening, apology frameworks, and creating space for others' viewpoints. Be sure to work with your leaders on modeling behavior that aligns with companies as well.

Inclusivity isn't a one-size-fits-all topic and one of the key challenges to cohesion among a generationally diverse workforce is understanding and navigating the differing expectations and perspectives you work with. It's also important for older generations to be open to learning from younger generations and vice-versa, as this can lead to growth and innovation within the workplace. By acknowledging and respecting the expectations of different generations, companies can create a more collaborative workforce that isn't trying to one-up each other or get the upper hand.

For example, Gen Z and Millenial workers may want to discuss issues like climate change or societal conflicts, topics older generations may find unconventional in professional settings. It's important for companies to create space for these discussions, as it can lead to a better understanding of each other's values and a more well-rounded approach to problem-solving. Additionally, incorporating technology and digital tools into the workplace can also appeal to younger generations, who are often more adept at utilizing these resources.

Baby boomers and Gen X may value more formality and hierarchy at work, requiring younger leaders to adopt differing leadership strategies. For L&D teams, this could mean providing mentorship and guidance to help younger leaders develop new strategies from what they've come in with. Teaching managers and employees to hold space for generational differences, ask questions with curiosity, and connect through shared experiences is vital.

Across all employee training, we recommend implementing training programs and workshops that focus on intergenerational communication and collaboration. By educating employees on the unique perspectives and strengths that each generation brings to the table, companies can break down stereotypes and foster an understanding work environment that sees the value of each generation. Additionally, L&D teams should provide opportunities for employees of different generations to work together and learn from each other. Have an HR team of mostly Baby Boomers? Have them collaborate with that Gen Z employee running social media for the next recruitment campaign. This improves teamwork, the sharing of ideas, and a sense of mutual respect among employees of all ages.

Practical applications in employee training

If you're feeling inspired and ready to take action, here's some final advice, inspired by Jennifer Dowdy's insights from Episode 2 of L&D in 20:

Whenever possible, use real-world scenarios to address common generational challenges your team is experiencing, like conflicting communication styles or work-life balance expectations.

Incorporate interactive elements like role-play or scenario building into training whenever possible. This allows employees to practice resolving generational conflicts in a safe and hypothetical environment that they can recall for the real thing.

For more on the topic of cohesion among a multigenerational workforce, be sure to check out L&D in 20 Episode 2 with Jennifer Dowdy of Emtrain

Episode 2 - More than a checkbox: Unlocking value and professional growth through compliance training 

Embracing universal human values can go a long way for a multigenerational team. Find out how with this advice from Episode 2 of L&D in 20.

Creating cohesion in a multigenerational workforce

AI is more than a tool — it's a new team member

Josh Penzell, VP of AI Strategy & Innovation at ELB Learning, is encouraging everyone to shift their perspective on AI. Rather than treating it as a tool, he proposes that AI should be seen as a new team member. This perspective change could lead to more effective utilization of AI and open up new possibilities for its application. He went into detail on what this could look like for leaders in the learning and development space in our recent webinar, How AI can be a partner in employee development. (You can watch the recording at the end of this article).

"AI is not just a new tool. AI is your new team member," stated Penzell. He argued that AI is capable of operating more like a partner or colleague than a tool, providing insights and identifying patterns that a human might overlook.

This shift in perspective can help alleviate fears and concerns about AI taking over jobs and replacing human workers. Instead, AI can be seen as a valuable asset that can enhance human capabilities and improve overall efficiency and productivity. By viewing AI as a team member, businesses and organizations can foster a collaborative environment where humans and AI work together towards a common goal. This can lead to innovative solutions and advancements in various industries, from healthcare to finance to manufacturing.

"I think that the future here is every single individual being able to hire and create their own team at scale. And I want you to think about this. You have something that is behaving like a human. It has the whole human knowledge," Josh urged the audience. This more strategic view of what AI brings can completely change an individual's day-to-day efficiency with some prompt engineering and upskilling around AI.

By working alongside AI, individuals can learn new skills and improve their own abilities, leading to personal and professional growth. Humans can tap into new capabilities and use it as a tool to tackle complex problems and create innovative solutions. It's an always-on brainstormer and teammate that you can train to respond in a way that fits your role, expected outcome, or business. With the combination of human creativity and AI's analytical abilities, the possibilities for progress are endless. But it's on the individual to embrace the technology and use it ethically to enhance, not hurt.

Enhancing productivity and employee engagement with AI

Josh Penzell explained that AI doesn't necessarily mean job loss. Instead, AI can increase productivity by taking over automatable and mundane tasks that can bog down a day's work. Statistically, employees who use AI are more engaged and motivated, which ultimately boosts their creativity. Because when AI can handle mundane and repetitive tasks, employees have more free time to focus on the challenging and engaging work.

"According to McKinsey, only 5% of jobs can be fully automated. But 60% of jobs have 30% of automatable tasks, meaning that those are easy things for us to let AI do for us," explained Penzell. This means that while AI may be able to take over some tasks, it's not there to take over your job.

The ability to think about and understand one's own thought processes can really up the ante on how the way we use AI for learning and development.

This means that instead of simply performing tasks and completing rote actions, AI, if trained properly, can reflect on its own decision-making and adapt accordingly. It may sound intimidating or like something out of a sci-fi movie, but this has huge implications for industries such as education and training, where AI can be used to personalize learning experiences and provide individualized feedback. The future of AI is undoubtedly exciting, and with a focus on metacognition, it has the potential to greatly enhance our world in ways we can only imagine.

Despite the advanced capabilities of AI, Josh, like many AI experts, emphasized the importance of human contribution. He suggested that the best way to effectively use AI is to engage with it in a conversation, provide it with feedback, and treat it like a colleague.

"You have a tool, and the tool's only as good as you are. You're putting information in, it's giving you some sort of something out. But with AI, it's able to look at that entire case study. It's able to provide and notice things we might not have noticed or we might have overlooked," Penzell points out.

This is where upskilling your team on AI, and training them on how to engineer prompts that churn out the best results comes into play. With proper training, teams can use this new machine for everything from brainstorming topics that leaders around the world are investing in to building out a script for the next coffee chat your CEO is hosting. It's on us, as humans, to build these prompts, ask the right questions, fact-check everything, and put the guardrails on this new technology.

When your team is trained and confident in their AI skills, productivity advancements will begin to flow in and new use cases will emerge. And Josh has you one step ahead with this custom GPT he's programmed to assist L&D professionals in applying concepts from this webinar!

For more on how AI can be a partner in creating employee development opportunities, don't miss the full webinar with Josh Penzell

How AI can be a partner in employee development

Learn how AI can be a valuable asset to your team, enhancing productivity and employee engagement while opening up new possibilities for employee development.

How can AI be a partner in employee development?

Learn how you can put AI to work as a partner on your team, enhancing productivity and engagement while opening up new possibilities for employee development.

Compliance training often carries the stigma of being mundane and obligatory, with employees seeing it as a chore. However, as Jennifer Dowdy emphasized in Episode 2 of our podcast, L&D in 20, this underappreciated yet crucial part of workplace learning holds serious upskilling potential that goes beyond any regulation or legal adherence. By approaching compliance training as an opportunity rather than a regulated business requirement, your employees will do the same.

Step away from out-of-the-box compliance training

Traditional compliance training, often supplied by your legal, cyber, or HR vendors, focuses heavily on rules, policies, and scenarios that might feel detached from employees' daily work lives or the specifics of your business. So while it's crucial information, we're big believers that no employee training should be one-size-fits-all, and that includes compliance training.

To make compliance training feel more personal to your organization, consider:

Embeding growth opportunities: Infuse elements such as conflict resolution, communication, and bias awareness into compliance modules. For instance, teaching employees how to pause and check their biases during workplace interactions serves both organizational and personal benefits, and adds a more tactical element to the training. Take it a step further and add in examples that are most relevant to your teams based on region or industry.

Adopting the "Pill in Peanut Butter" strategy: As Jennifer Dowdy described on L&D in 20, just like hiding medicine in a treat for pets, compliance training should blend regulatory requirements with engaging and practical content, ensuring the "medicine" is consumed effectively, and in a way that's enjoyable and memorable. In practice, this could look like gamifying the experience with streaks or prizes or even making sure the trainings are visually and aurally appealing.

Behavioral insights play a crucial role in compliance training as they help employees understand the reasons behind regulations and how their behavior can impact the organization. Rather than exclusively addressing regulations, the best compliance programs focus on the behaviors and attitudes that underpin them. Behavior is often at the heart of why compliance issues arise, making skill-building an essential layer.

For example, in the finance industry, compliance training could include scenarios that reflect real-life situations where employees are tempted to cut corners. By incorporating these specific examples, employees can better understand the potential consequences of their actions and develop the necessary skills to make ethical decisions.

Similarly, compliance training for a retail company may include scenarios related to customer data privacy and security breaches, empowering employees to actively protect sensitive information and avoid potential legal ramifications.

As the team responsible for employee development, it's imperative that you focus on the most relevant areas and bring it to the employees' attention directly to address these behaviors head on. By focusing on behavior and providing relatable examples, compliance programs can mitigate risks and promote a culture of ethical and responsible behavior within an organization.

Tackling ethically ambiguous areas of compliance

But not every compliance training it cut and dry. Teaching employees how to navigate ethically ambiguous situations, however complex, is at the heart of impactful compliance training. When done right, these trainings can empower employees to make ethical decisions and prioritize inclusion and trust in their actions.

How can you incorporate these more ambiguous areas into your compliance training?

Try case studies and real-life examples that can better illustrate the complexities of ethical decision-making. This allows employees to see the potential consequences of their actions and the impact it can have on others.

Interactive and scenario-based compliance training can provide employees with a safe space to practice navigating these situations and receive feedback on their decisions.

Emphasize the importance of speaking up and reporting any potential ethical violations, as well as providing employees with a clear and accessible reporting operating procedure within the training to refer back to and practice.

Addressing the harder, behavioral parts and the actions that brigs us to compliance training in the first place ensures that employees understand the significance of the training, while picking up the necessary skills to handle complex situations effectively.

Ultimately, incorporating personal experiences, offering behavioral insights, and addressing even the hard and ambiguous topics in your compliance training can help create a culture of accountability and ethical behavior within the organization that goes far beyond the compliance training room.

For more on the topic of creating the most engaging compliance training, be sure to check out L&D in 20 Episode 2: More than a checkbox: Unlocking value and professional growth through compliance training with Jennifer Dowdy of Emtrain 

Compliance training is more than a requirement. Learn how to make more engaging and valuable for your employees' growth and skill development.

Flip the script on how employees perceive compliance training

Legacy systems in learning and employee training (or outdated systems with high-maintenance systems that a company may use) are pretty common. In fact, on average, 31% of an organization’s technology is made up of legacy systems.

While these legacy systems can often seem to offer safer, more comfortable ways of operating — given their familiarity — they can be pretty damaging to organizations and the employees that use them.

In this article, we'll discuss some of the challenges of outdated L&D legacy systems. Plus, we’ll explain why modern tools are a better solution for your business and employee training programs.

Five challenges of legacy learning systems

Legacy systems often rely on traditional classroom-based training or outdated learning platforms. These systems struggle to provide the flexibility and accessibility that modern workforces demand, like:

Mobile learning, microlearning, or in the flow of work content delivery

Access to learning materials outside of scheduled training sessions

Personalized learning paths based on individual needs and preferences

Multimedia content or interactive learning experiences

Older learning systems typically lack sophisticated analytics capabilities, which are crucial for measuring the effectiveness of learning programs and driving continuous improvement.

The ability to track detailed progress and engagement metrics

Tools for measuring the impact of training on job performance or business outcomes

Tools for identifying skill gaps across the organization

The ability to generate comprehensive reports for stakeholders

Legacy systems often struggle to keep pace as organizations grow and evolve. These systems can be rigid and difficult to adapt to, which hinders an organization's ability to respond to ever-changing needs:

Storage limitations that restrict the amount of content or user data that can be managed

Difficulty supporting multiple languages or regionalized content for global workforces

Struggle to manage complex organizational structures or multiple business operations

An inability to connect seamlessly with your critical business systems

Legacy systems often have outdated, unintuitive interfaces that can frustrate employees and administrators alike. In fact, 67% of employees are so frustrated with legacy systems, they said they’d be willing to take a pay cut if it meant having access to software and technology that'd be twice as good as it is now.

That’s because legacy systems usually have:

Clunky navigation that makes it difficult to find relevant content

Poor accessibility features for users with disabilities

Inconsistent experiences across different devices (desktop, tablet, mobile)

Limited or non-existent social features for peer-to-peer interaction

Absence of gamification elements to increase engagement

Slow loading times and frequent technical glitches

Keeping legacy systems operational can be expensive and resource-intensive. In fact, updating legacy systems has dramatically increased over the last five years, with almost two-thirds (65%) of businesses now investing more than $2 million in maintaining or upgrading their legacy systems, twice as much as five years prior. This is due to:

High costs for specialized IT staff to maintain outdated technologies

Difficulty finding replacement parts or compatible hardware

Frequent downtime for patches and updates, disrupting learning activities

Why do modern tools and methodologies matter?

With the right modern tools and the discarding of legacy systems, organizations can:

Rapidly pivot when needed: Businesses are constantly changing — from technological advancements to market pressures. Modern tools, unlike legacy ones, allow organizations to quickly adapt when needed.

What are the challenges of outdated learning systems and how can modern tools improve employee engagement, productivity, and the overall learning experience?