Training and Development and Challenges During Covid 19

 

Introduction

Training and Development (T&D) refers to educational activities within a company created to enhance the knowledge and skills of employees while providing information and instruction on how to better perform specific tasks (Talentlyft.com, 2021). It is an overall effort to develop the personality and outlook of employees of an organization. T & D offers maximum utilization of human resources by enhancing the quality and output of human skills, increases productivity and profitability, enhances the organizational culture, increases quality and safety within workplace, improves organizational morale. Finally T & D is an ultimate indicator of corporate image.

Change of T & D during Covid 19

T & D has made a complete transformation as training, conferences, workshops and instructor led classes that gathered everyone together in one room were canceled indefinitely. Regardless of a pandemic situation such as covid 19 companies still need value creating efforts to protect and sustain the quality and deliverability of employees so that companies itself could adapt and flourish to changing diversities at tough times.

Digital and virtual learning programs were already on the rise before COVID-19 struck, and there is already a marked increase in such learning programs, which many younger employees embrace (Kshirsagar, Mansour, McNally and Metakis, 2021). There is also greater emphasis on social learning methods. It avoids conventional learning models and is based on new behaviors that is acquired by observing or imitating others. Even during pandemics an organization that values good T & D practices provides way for its employees to earn new skills and enhance knowledge, creates new and improved job positions and creates an environment that employees can enjoy working while being motivated even during unpredictable times.

Challenges to T & D

Pandemics itself offers various adversities to businesses across the globe. Among them incorporating T & D to business operations too is challenging because most importantly the grater reliance on technologies means that employees must be trained to operate them correctly and work alongside them efficiently (Alberti, 20202). As employees have different levels of skills and knowledge, some employees might find it difficult to engage in T & D virtually using emerging new technological methods.

Issues and inconveniences are sometimes unavoidable making more hindrances to connectivity to live coaching and virtual learning efforts. Such troubles act as discouraging factors to T & D. upskilling is another effort by organizations that teach current employees with new skills. Digital transformation and upskilling requirements can take people outside their comfort zone which is quite challenging.

 

References

Alberti, S., 2020. 3 ways COVID-19 is transforming learning and development HRD. [online] HRD. Available at: <https://www.hrdconnect.com/2020/06/01/3-ways-covid-19-is-transforming-learning-and-development/> [Accessed 1 May 2021].

 

Kshirsagar, A., Mansour, T., McNally, L. and Metakis, M., 2021. Adapting workplace learning in the time of coronavirus. [online] McKinsey Accelerate. Available at: <https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/McKinsey%20Accelerate/Our%20Insights/Adapting%20workplace%20learning%20in%20the%20time%20of%20coronavirus/Adapting-workplace-learning-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-vF.pdf> [Accessed 1 May 2021].

 

Recruiting and Hiring Resources. 2021. What is Training and Development?. [online] Available at: <https://www.talentlyft.com/en/resources/what-is-training-and-development> [Accessed 1 May 2021].