I have worked in People and Culture for over 20 years, and I can genuinely say that Learning and Development (L&D) has never been more important. Why? Well, post-pandemic, we have totally redesigned the traditional office, introduced hybrid and flexible work models, tackled talent shortages and mobility, have a heightened focus on well-being, diversity, equity, and inclusion emphasised as a core business strategy and, AI! Stay tuned for a whole other piece in itself.

That’s a lot of change for people and education leaders to step our teams through! As L&D managers and HR professionals, what that boils down to is supporting people to learn, grow and develop in the new-look workplace.

We are the custodians for creating programs that engage employees and foster growth and development at the individual level. The challenge, however, lies in designing initiatives that are flexible enough to meet a diverse range of needs while still delivering impactful results.

At Ausmed, we faced a similar challenge. Learning and career development were highlighted as an area for focus through our employee engagement survey. When we first launched our Grow Program in 2023, despite our best intentions and thorough planning, the program only had a 55% employee take-up rate. This led us to pause and reconsider our approach. We learned valuable lessons that ultimately led to the creation of the Learn and Grow Program. This program is simple, flexible, and designed with the employees' individual needs in mind.

The Launch of the Original Grow Program

As a company dedicated to healthcare education, we understand the value of continuous development. However, despite our enthusiasm, the Grow Program did not resonate with our employees the way we had hoped. Feedback indicated that the program's one-size-fits-all approach didn’t resonate with our people, and it felt too complex and rigid.

The problem wasn’t a lack of interest in learning or development. Our employees were eager to grow, but the structure of the program didn’t meet their needs.

What we Learned

One of the biggest takeaways from our experience with the Grow Program was that over-engineering a development program can often lead to disengagement. Employee feedback highlighted several key areas for improvement.

Diverse learning formats: Employees were seeking diverse learning formats, such as group learning in person, learning from others in their team or across the business, professional education, coaching, mentoring, and opportunities for ongoing, incidental learning on the job.

Role-specific education: A one-size-fits-all approach didn’t resonate. Instead, employees preferred learning that was tailored to their specific roles, career goals, and skills. People wanted to identify a career goal, such as becoming a mid-level Developer, and match the skills and knowledge they needed to achieve it.

Simplicity and immediate action: Employees didn’t want to commit to long-term learning plans. They wanted something that allowed them to take small, immediate and manageable steps toward their development goals.

Mandatory vs opt-in approach: People are at different stages in their careers and learning journeys. Some employees are eager to acquire new skills and advance their careers, while others are focused on consolidating their existing knowledge and mastering their current roles. Providing the flexibility to opt-in allows individuals to engage with learning when it aligns with their personal and professional goals.

Capacity for learning: There was a strong call for giving employees the time and capacity to learn and apply new skills in their jobs.

Guidance on what to learn: Early-career employees, in particular, were looking for more direction on what skills and knowledge to focus on for their roles.

Learning linked to objectives: Interestingly, employees highlighted the importance of ensuring that their learning opportunities are directly aligned with business objectives, a focus typically driven by the company itself.

Clear request process: Once employees identified what they wanted to learn, feedback indicated it wasn't clear how they go about requesting training or coaching and what budget was available.

The Pivot: Developing the Learn and Grow Program

Armed with these insights, we set out to redesign our approach. Our goal was to create a development program that was simple, flexible and employee-driven. This led to the launch of the Learn and Grow Program in September 2024, a much more user-friendly initiative.

The first change we made was to shift to a model where employees could opt-in to development opportunities as and when they needed them. This opt-in model was crucial in addressing one of the key barriers to engagement: employees felt they needed autonomy over their learning journey. By allowing them to choose if and when they want to develop a skill, expand their knowledge, or work toward their career goals, we have given them ownership of their personal growth.

Next, we simplified the program by designing a straightforward framework that's easy to understand and engage with. We call it our Learn and Grow Action Plan. The process involves a simple matrix where employees, in collaboration with their manager, set a development objective or role target and then identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to achieve it. We also incorporated behavioural development that was aligned with our company values.

From there, development actions are established, supported by a three-month check-in system to ensure progress is on track or adjustments can be made as needed. It allows employees to select the learning methods that work best for them, from attending workshops to completing online modules to engaging in peer-to-peer learning. By providing a variety of options, we’ve made it easier for employees to integrate learning into their daily routines.

Quarterly Formal Learning

In addition to the Learn and Grow Program, we've integrated more formal group learning sessions into our quarterly strategic planning days. These sessions cover universally valuable topics, such as building healthy habits and mastering project management, offering skills that not only enhance performance across the business but also contribute to personal and professional growth.

To tap into our internal knowledge and talent, we have developed communities of practice where our people generously share their knowledge with others in similar roles on topics such as design skills or our tech meetup.

Recognising that a significant 70% of a person's learning comes from on-the-job experiences (based on the 70-20-10 Model for Learning Development by leadership researchers Morgan McCall, Michael Lombardo, and Robert Eichinger), we intentionally create opportunities for our people to engage in projects and activities that challenge and expand their skills.

Separating Learning and Performance

The Learn and Grow Program is designed to complement, not replace, our performance and remuneration review processes. While performance reviews focus on evaluating an employee's current contributions and setting future targets and goals, the Learn and Grow Program is all about personal and professional career development and learning. It offers employees the opportunity to set future-focused learning goals and career aspirations, separate from performance assessments.

Creating a Culture of Continuous Learning

Through the Learn and Grow Program, we’ve emphasised the idea that learning isn’t just something that happens at set times—it’s an ongoing process. We’ve encouraged employees to view their development as a continuous journey, not a destination. We’ve created an environment where learning is celebrated and where employees are recognised for their efforts to grow through our shoutout channel.

The program isn’t just about ticking boxes; it’s also aligned with our company's value of longevity. We want to provide ample opportunities for employees to develop their skills, expand their knowledge, and ultimately grow their careers.

Results

The response to the Learn and Grow Program has been overwhelmingly positive. Employees have expressed appreciation for the new program's flexibility and simplicity, and we’ve seen a 14% increase in positivity in our most recent employee engagement survey. We’re anticipating the program's positive impact on employee retention, too.

Key Takeaways for L&D Teams

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to employee learning and career development. Every employee has different needs, goals, and learning preferences, and it’s essential to create programs that reflect that diversity. Over-complicating a program can lead to disengagement, while simplicity, flexibility, and personalisation are key to driving participation and fostering a culture of learning.

For L&D managers and HR professionals, the success of any development initiative depends on understanding your employees and creating opportunities for growth that are tailored to their needs. Often, the best learning and growth opportunities come from incidental learning within the company and shared internal knowledge rather than an expensive training course.

We hope our journey from identifying why the Grow Program didn’t take off to the Learn and Grow Program, provides valuable insights as you develop your own L&D initiatives. Empowering employees to take ownership of their learning is the first step in creating a workforce that is not only skilled and knowledgeable but also motivated and engaged in their personal and professional growth.

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