Why you can’t have education without motivation
By Nikolas Kairinos
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have been working remotely –- for better or for worse. Initially, many employees were overjoyed to wave farewell to the commute and welcomed the prospect of days at home, as well as the freedom to multitask. But along with these benefits, the workforce has also had to confront some harsh realities.
For many employees, burnout has been a real difficulty throughout the pandemic period, as individuals have faced uncertainty, longer working hours (often necessitated by fewer hours of focused work), and the outdated work ethics of their current roles. According to recent research from CNBC, over two thirds of the working population in the U.S. have experienced symptoms of burnout. What’s more, the majority (59%) also stated that they are taking less time off than they normally would, and 42% of those still working from home are not planning on the luxury of a vacation any time soon.
In the workplace, this raises several practical concerns. Beyond just having a negative effect on business productivity, perhaps more importantly, burnout has the potential to impact the overall health of employees, as well as their ability to learn and grow in the hybrid climate.
With organizations now under fresh pressure to mitigate this burnout and retain talent, how can they ensure that employees remain driven and keen to learn?
Investing in learning solutions that keep staff happy
Given that most individuals have found themselves exposed to more screen-time than they had prior to the pandemic, run of the mill and often tedious e-learning solutions will not be enough to keep employees engaged. As such, business leaders would do well to invest in solutions that have an edge; one such avenue that warrants attention is that of gamified learning.
While more advanced gamification in online education is becoming more prevalent, learning systems that incentivize employees with rewards is one way to make training more enjoyable and meaningful. Earning badges, points or progress markers for every achievement can deliver real results and trigger employees’ eagerness to continue their development journey.
Gamified platforms tap into employee motivation and empower them to perform at their best. It’s no wonder that 72% of employees in a recent study said that gamification encourages them to work harder. So, when it comes to implementing new technologies into their training initiatives, businesses would do well to look for platforms where gamification offers a strong incentive.
Bite-size, made-to-measure learning
Outside the realm of gamified learning, organizations should re-evaluate how they present learning materials to employees. If content is delivered in bulk, leaving workers to sift through reams of text to find the knowledge that really matters, then perhaps it needs a re-think.
Research has long suggested that individuals learn more effectively when information is delivered in smaller, more manageable chunks. After all, if ‘brevity is the soul of wit’, so to speak, then the same can be said for learning and development (L&D). Businesses would therefore be better off condensing course material into bite-sized portions to ensure that workers are not overwhelmed with excessive amounts of contemporaneous learning material. Fewer learning tasks over more regular sessions should help users with their knowledge retention, as well as making it easier for them to remain enthused.
Behind the scenes, the Soffos team is working on products that deliver exactly these benefits to businesses. Our upcoming ‘Test Me’ solution, for example, will allow tutors and trainers to upload relevant documents, automatically transforming important information into interactive flashcards with which employees can engage and interact. Such technologies take the chore out of learning and will go some way to curb the burnout that is becoming endemic in today’s workforce.
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements about our new line of micro-products. In the meantime, get in touch to learn how you can trial any of our corporate training solutions within your organization!
Nikolas Kairinos is the chief executive officer and founder of Soffos.ai, the world’s first AI-powered KnowledgeBot. He also Founder & President at Fountech.ventures.
