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Industry News

 

Research Highlights How Management Training Supports Employee Engagement

Friday September 18, 2009

 

Nashua, N.H. — Sept. 18

SkillSoft PLC, a leading SaaS provider of on-demand e-learning and performance support solutions for global enterprises, government, education and small to medium-sized businesses, announced the findings of a significant report on employee engagement. Sponsored by SkillSoft and conducted by the Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks company, the report reveals the need to provide training and tools at all levels of the organization to create an engagement mindset that drives business results and customer satisfaction.

“Employee engagement is something world-class organizations need to be effective at in today’s competitive environment,” said Mollie Lombardi, an Aberdeen analyst, who authored the report. “Learning programs, such as those offered by SkillSoft, provide individuals and managers with the skills and tools to align goals and priorities and give a strong foundation which organizations can build on in order to achieve success.”

“Beyond Satisfaction: Engaging Employees to Retain Customers,” found that one of the key actions that companies can take to drive higher levels of engagement is to improve leadership skills of front-line managers. In fact, more than half of best-in-class organizations provide training and tools to managers to help them better engage employees, and nearly all of the rest (45 percent) are planning to extend this type of training in the future. The report also found that two programs — on-boarding (conducted when employees start working) and development plans (agreed to by manager and employee) — are critical to building high levels of engagement. On-boarding ensures that employees are aligned with the organizational mission and priorities from their earliest days, and development plans ensure that employees and managers remain in alignment when it comes to their role in achieving organizational success.

“This study is important because it highlights the need to develop strong leadership skills at all levels in the organization, not just in the corner office,” said John Ambrose, senior vice president of strategy, corporate development and emerging business for SkillSoft. “The challenge comes in finding ways to deliver leadership training that are cost-effective and scalable. That is why so many companies are embracing technology-enabled learning as part of an overall leadership development effort.”

An earlier Aberdeen study, “The 2009 HR Executive’s Agenda,” found that employee engagement was the top HR strategy being pursued by organizations in 2009. The reason most cited for this focus on engagement is the need to ensure workforce productivity and employee performance during a period of economic uncertainty. But the benefits of engagement go even further, as leading organizations with effective employee engagement strategies are seeing a 22 percent year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction and loyalty, the study notes. With effective programs in place such as on-boarding and manager training, organizations have the building blocks they need to succeed at employee engagement. SkillSoft provides comprehensive e-learning solutions that support engagement throughout an employee’s tenure, with online courses as well as performance support tools, such as online books, videos and simulations.

To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, please visit http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410924&cid=6050.

The in-depth study, which includes insights from approximately 450 organizations, finds that employee engagement was most critical to three areas: workforce productivity, employee retention and the quality of goods or services it produces. The study also showed that when managers and employees agree to performance goals, put in place development plans and provide consistent feedback on their progress, the organization benefits in many ways, including greater customer satisfaction.

For more info: http://www.skillsoft.com