Learning is increasingly taking place directly at the workplace. But when, exactly? Many employees simply lack the time to learn new things or reinforce training content. In this article, you will find out how dedicated learning times can solve this problem in companies.
Continuous training is an important success factor for companies – and many employees are happy to take advantage of learning opportunities. More and more companies are relying on modern methods such as e-learning and blends of classroom and online training (blended learning). However, the idea of training without a seminar room and time off work has one catch: time!
Motivation is there – time is lacking
Self-directed learning requires that your employees actually find (or are given) the time to engage with materials, online courses, or educational videos. This is where opinions already differ: Does self-directed learning even count as working hours, or should employees learn in their personal time? The trendy method of e-learning, in particular, is theoretically perfect for learning on the commute or from home instead of at the workplace.
Answers are provided by a study by LinkedIn: 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that supports their professional development. 68% of employees prefer learning at work, and 58% want to learn at their own pace. It is therefore worth investing in learning times at the workplace for your employees – and thus in their satisfaction.
At the same time, this increases the probability that learning offers will actually be used. If learning is officially part of working hours, the threshold for employees to engage with new content drops significantly. Companies thus create a learning culture in which further training is not perceived as an additional task, but as a normal part of the job.
Waste of time at the workplace?
Even in companies that support training at the workplace theoretically, reality often looks different: Managers often find no time at all in their calendars to schedule learning between daily business, phone calls, and meetings. "Just taking some time" is easier said than done with a multitude of important appointments.
For employees, the corporate culture often ruins the (time) calculation as well: "Often the mindset 'If I'm just looking at the computer, I'm not productive!' still prevails. For managers, who usually sit in their individual offices with their own computers, this is more normal. But at the level of shift supervisors or production employees, leaving the workplace to learn during working hours is a strong cultural disruption," reports corporate coach Stefan Enzler in an interview about employees in SMEs.
The solution: Establish learning times
The solution to both time and cultural problems can be the introduction of special learning times for your employees. During this learning time, learning is not only tolerated, but explicitly encouraged!
Learning times specifically offer free space for
training prescribed by the company. For example, completing e-learning courses or preparing for and following up on blended learning events.
self-selected learning topics that your employees currently need for their daily work. For example, researching on the internet or reading specialist literature.
learning groups with colleagues, where knowledge is passed on internally. For example, exchanging views on joint processes or strengthening cooperation between different teams or departments.
Learning groups with colleagues are a great way to utilize shared learning times in companies.
There are a variety of possible models for allocating learning times. Below we present three models with their advantages and disadvantages:
1. Fixed learning times:
Your employees have fixed learning times or learning days (depending on the time budget). For example, "learning time every Friday from 9 to 11".
Advantages:
The appointment is binding for all employees and cannot easily be postponed or forgotten.
No employee feels 'unproductive' or has to justify why other tasks are not being done right now.
Your employees can form learning groups more easily without having to synchronize different calendars.
Disadvantage:
The individual learning speed of your employees is not taken into account here: After "x hours", the learning time is over, regardless of how much or how effectively they learned. Absences, for example due to illness, are also not buffered.
2. Semi-flexible learning times:
Your employees have a fixed time contingent that must be used as learning time within a limited period. For example, "x hours of learning time weekly" or "x days of learning time per year".
Advantages:
Your employees can flexibly schedule their learning time into their own calendars. This avoids conflicts with other important appointments or differing working hours (especially in shift work or flextime).
Your employees can partially determine their own learning pace.
Employees can postpone or make up learning times if necessary, instead of having to cancel them – for example, in case of illness.
Disadvantage:
The danger: Your employees may schedule the learning time, but postpone it again and again due to other tasks or skip it entirely. HR managers or leaders must give high relevance to learning time so that it is actually scheduled and used.
3. Flexible learning times:
Your employees have complete control over how much learning time they actually need. For example, "add learning times to the calendar when you need them".
Advantages:
Your employees can organize their learning time completely freely and take time for training or research exactly when they need it.
Self-selected learning topics are scheduled when they are acute, and not days or weeks later. This allows problems to be solved directly when they arise in daily work.
Self-determined learning at one's own pace is fully possible.
Disadvantage:
Flexible learning times require a high level of personal responsibility and self-regulation on the part of your employees, so that the learning times are a) actually scheduled and b) used productively. The HR department and managers must therefore be able to assess the employees well. For large teams with little personal contact, this method is therefore only suitable to a limited extent.
As mentioned, these are just three suggestions out of a multitude of possibilities for establishing learning times in companies. You must decide individually which method fits your company best. Once the decision is made that learning times are to be introduced for employees, you should ideally also involve all managers and the employees themselves in the decision!
Conclusion: The Ideal Combination: Learning Times + Presence Times
Companies that deliberately establish learning as a permanent part of working hours lay the foundation for sustainable further training and successful digital employee training.
Whether fixed, semi-flexible, or completely flexible learning times: The decisive factor is that learning is visibly given space in everyday work. When employees know that further training is explicitly desired and that time is made available to them for this purpose, both the utilization of the learning offers and their motivation increase.
Learning times become particularly effective when they are combined with well-thought-out learning formats. Digital learning content, short online courses, or blended learning concepts can be excellently integrated into such time windows and ensure that knowledge is built up step by step.
This creates a learning culture in which further training does not happen on the side, but is deliberately promoted and contributes to the long-term development of employees and companies.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What are learning times in a company?
Learning times are deliberately planned periods during working hours in which employees can complete training, deepen knowledge, or engage with self-selected professional learning topics.
What models for learning times are there?
Companies can introduce fixed, semi-flexible, or flexible learning times. They differ primarily in how much the timing and scope are predetermined and how much personal responsibility the employees assume.
What are the benefits of fixed learning times?
Fixed learning times create commitment and make it clear that learning explicitly belongs to working hours. They also facilitate shared learning activities and protect further training from daily business.
When are flexible learning times suitable?
Flexible learning times are particularly suitable when employees can independently assess when and how much time they need for their further training. Prerequisites are personal responsibility and a supportive learning culture.
How can learning times be combined with e-learning?
Digital learning content, online courses, and blended learning can be flexibly integrated into designated learning times. In this way, employees receive both the suitable learning offers and the necessary time to actually use them.
