Scrimmage EXTRA - March 2017 Newsletter
Sharon Steeley on 3/24/2017
Welcome to Scrimmage EXTRA - March 2017 Newsletter!
Consistent Feedback, Coaching and Training may be more important than ever; they also prove more challenging than ever. Moreover, as the main drivers, we compel managers, supervisors and HR personnel to not only maintain their own individual performance, but also consistently develop employees and retain talent.
In fact, the following stats (from ATD) illustrate the power of employee development:
- As a top three non-financial motivator, 76% of employees want career growth.
- 40% of employees receiving poor job training will leave within the first year.
Meanwhile, talent development is further complicated today as traditional, full-time workers are expected to diminish in 2017 to 41% of the total workforce (per SAP Fieldglass), down 14% in 2015. Today, the majority of the workforce is in a remote work situation, along with other non-traditional positions, including part-timers, freelancers, consultants and contractors. As a result, performance management has to be more fluid, adaptable.
Another interesting dynamic has been the recent flux of the (often dreaded) annual performance review. Some major firms have even dropped it, including Accenture and Deloitte. Instead, they have created “a more learning-based approach with increased feedback conversations.” (Fast Company, 1.6.17) Actually, the annual review has been seen as “looking back” vs. on-going feedback sessions that focus on moving forward.
Employees want ongoing training to advance their skills; they want to know that companies invest in them. And, it is across all generations, including those in managerial roles. According to the Pew Research Center (Oct. 2016), a staggering 87% of employees believe consistent training is essential, or important, to their success. Further, turnover is often correlated to the employee/supervisor relationship. Therefore, it is essential for senior leadership to support its managers with training initiatives, as well as make it a part of the organizational culture. HR needs to be endorsed, as well.
So, yes, on-going feedback and communication are essential to employee development. They offer coaching moments, forward-looking conversations, knowledge reinforcement and pertinent training sessions. But, with a diverse workforce (in terms of location, learning style, etc.), how does a manager navigate a consistent forum of feedback? engagement?
First, it must be brought to the stakeholders, wherever they are. Make it accessible and easy, for everyone. Scrimmage’s mobile platform and (secure) collaboration technology streamlines accessibility, plus it allows for chats, two-way messaging, push notifications, reminders, surveys, polls, assessments and more to facilitate communication in real-time. It promotes a pro-active, social learning environment and is enrollment-based to keep it simple, relevant, in plain sight (vs. cluttered email), with moderators always an option too.
Next, managers can facilitate training by offering fundamental, on-going, on-demand, live coaching opportunities. Scrimmage’s mobile platform also supports this element with role-play, video uploads, along with knowledge sharing among manager/employee, or peers. By simulating various real world scenarios, job performance is always empowered.
Client Spotlight!
In 2016, Dale Carnegie Training partnered with Scrimmage garnering great success for its sales teams in terms of user engagement, as well as ease of use for administrators. As a leader in providing curriculum to the corporate training space for more than a century, Dale Carnegie Training utilizes the Scrimmage mobile learning platform to support its corporate and franchisee sales teams, including new hires. Dubbed eCampus, the custom platform creates uniform content delivery with both on-demand and time-spaced learning modules. In addition, social components, along with Gamification, are proven to be beneficial to the sales associates’ success, as they not only connect them to managers, but also generate an important sense of belonging to the organization.
Scrimmage News!
Scrimmage is an Award-Winning mobile learning platform! Recent Announcements include:
- GOLD 2016 Brandon Hall Excellence in Technology Award in Mobile Sales Enablement and Performance Tools.
- ATD 2016 Excellence in Practice Honorable Mention Citation Award in Learning Technologies.
Join Us!
We are excited to be attending and exhibiting at these upcoming Conferences. It’s a great time to register and catch the early rates.
Our Quote of the Month:
Returning to our earlier thoughts on the importance of training, development and lifelong learning for both employees and managers, we offer this mantra:
Train people well enough so they can leave.
Treat them well enough so don’t want to.
~ Sir Richard Branson
About Scrimmage:
SCRIMMAGE is a modern technology firm featuring the latest mobile learning and engagement tools serving global businesses from Fortune 100 companies to SMBs. The company works closely with its clients to build a customized, scalable and secure platform for all static and dynamic content, along with a full suite of learning solutions, including award-winning gamification, social collaboration and robust data reporting. Founded in 2010, Scrimmage has enjoyed over 475M platform interactions on a worldwide basis to more than 50 enterprise clients across a spectrum of industries.
To Request a Demo of the Scrimmage Mobile Learning Platform, please click here.
