Microlearning can be the key to balancing workload with manager development

Businesses are up against numerous challenges, including an influx of resignations and labor shortages that create time constraints. In addition, they’re dealing with increased consumer demands, rising technology complexity, and other challenges that impact daily operations.

With so much on their plate, businesses may struggle to find time for employee development. Research has shown that investing in employees has numerous benefits, for both the business and the employee alike, but finding the time to devote to training and development can be difficult.

Employee development can’t be ignored in light of business challenges, however. It’s important to strike a balance between day-to-day demands and employee growth.

Obstacles to manager training and development
With reduced workforce from mass resignations, increased consumer demands, labor shortages, and skill gaps, businesses have to do more with less. Employees are often tasked with heavy workloads and new tasks, making it difficult to complete their work in a day. With existing time constraints, finding time to spend on learning and development may seem impossible.

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Businesses may also struggle to find manager training programs that work for everyone. With remote and hybrid teams, in-person workshops are nearly impossible for everyone to attend. Virtual leadership training is an option, but it may still pose challenges with getting everyone on the same page.

Make sure content is relevant and timely
Employee training and development can go a long way in improving morale and satisfaction, but not if it’s an outdated and one-size-fits-all approach. Your manager wants to know what they’ll get out of the training — what value it holds for them — and whether it’s worth the time. Remember, they’re balancing a lot in a day, and they don’t want to waste it on training that offers little in terms of development.

Always choose training that’s timely and relevant. Consider asking your team for suggestions for what they’d like to see from training programs, what skills they’d like to develop, and what topics and programs would benefit them.

It’s also worth splitting the training into different segments or levels to align it with employees. Consider the skills your team has and what you’d like to develop in the junior employees, new managers, and up-and-coming leaders.

Connect training to career goals
Training and development aren’t just for your business — they benefit the employees. They may not see that, however, so it’s best to discuss how the training and development programs fit into the larger context of skill development and future growth. Make sure your employees know that it’s not a one-time thing — you’re investing in their future.

Read more: These 5 training tips will keep employees happy and lower hiring costs

It’s also good to include them in the conversation. Set mandated career meetings that are led by the manager at least twice a year. Outline the topics that you intend to discuss at each meeting, your available resources, and your budget.

Prioritize micro-learning
In-person training usually works well for employee engagement, but that’s not always ideal in the modern work environment. Remote or hybrid employees may not be able to make in-person training, not to mention that it’s difficult for you to have significant portions of your team stuck in training sessions.

Video conferences or recorded training series are more flexible, but they’re not engaging. At best, your employees may gain some knowledge, but at worst, they’ll fall asleep and may have wasted time and effort on ineffective training.

Read more: Edtech company Entity Academy wants to close the wage gap through AI-powered interview training

Microlearning addresses these challenges by delivering bite-sized training in digestible sessions on digital learning platforms. Unlike long virtual or in-person learning programs, which often provide a lot of information in single sessions, microlearning favors brief sessions with interactive elements to promote better learning and retention.

Microlearning is so effective, in fact, that employees can learn a new skill within weeks or days, instead of months. The programs are also tailored to different learning styles and present material in a way that’s ideally suited to the subject or system, whether that’s a combination of reading resources and videos, or hands-on, interactive options.

Think microlearning is a good choice for your team? Look for manager training programs with flexibility to squeeze into tight manager schedules. Your managers are going to have to set aside time to fit in training and won’t be tolerant of boring content, so make sure the programs you choose are as relevant as possible.

You may want to leverage your network to find out about programs others have used. Many businesses are investing in employee training and development, so you can save time and hassle by taking recommendations from your colleagues.

Also, remember that microlearning isn’t a solitary solution — it should be included in a larger training initiative that develops goals over an extended period of time. Telling your employees that you have training sessions planned for a few times a year not only keeps them from feeling overwhelmed, but shows them that you’re investing in their success.

Invest in your managers
If you want to build strong managers, you need to find a harmonious balance between your deliverables and the long-term goals of your business. There will always be time constraints, demands, and challenges, but you may find your solution in short, flexible, and timely content that’s suited to busy schedules.