Say goodbye to impersonal online courses. Peer-to-peer learning in the workplace could be the secret to your business’s growth.
Online courses aren’t even in the top 10 ways employees report wanting to learn. This could be because we all experienced the course and workshop flood during the early 2020s. Or, it could be that there are so many out there that everyone has a different favorite.
Either way, it shows that if businesses really want their employees to learn and grow, they’ve got to do things differently. And more internally. Which is exactly where peer-to-peer learning in the workplace shines.
Why you should be doing peer-to-peer learning in the workplace
Back in 2020, we were all superglued to our computers with what felt like an endless wave of online learning—workshops, coaches, you name it.
Now, I see far fewer people selling online courses and it’s likely because we’re all bored of them. In-person learning, and learning from people we know and like, is far more engaging than some random stranger on the internet talking at us.
Especially when it’s a topic we care about and that can help us grow in our careers.
When companies have a learning-based culture, employees are 147% more likely to connect with their peers. 94% said they’d be more likely to remain with a company with active learning and development programs, too.
L&D is more important than ever. 79% of CEOs worry that there’s an increasing skill gap between office-based and remote employees that’s threatening organizational growth. Peer-to-peer learning in the workplace can be a key tool in bridging the divide.
Your culture plays a big role in peer-to-peer learning success
I’d argue that the real issue is that companies don’t know if they’re in-office, remote, or hybrid. Those that don’t know where they want their employees to be based, or have different rules for each team, make it harder for their employees to support each other, let alone learn from each other.
When employees are taught there’s no such thing as a stupid question, it improves communication within, and between, teams.
Sometimes we need to learn something new to stay engaged in our role. This is particularly true if we’ve been doing it for a long time or recent months have been stressful.
Employees often leave because they feel frustrated and unsupported. Learning something new can help with their ability to cope with stress as well as how valued they feel at your organization.
If they’ve put all that work in only to get their usual pay check at the end and no other form of gratitude, they’re going to feel pretty fed up. Investing in their future through peer-to-peer learning in the workplace is a way to reward them and show that you notice, and value, their efforts.
How to create a culture of peer-to-peer learning in the workplace
Let’s look at what your organization can do to encourage peer-to-peer learning in the workplace:
Manager feedback
When it comes to peer-to-peer learning in the workplace, employees want to learn from their managers more than anyone else. But managers are busy. They often struggle with their own workloads, let alone assisting employees with theirs, too.
Support from managers helps employees know they’re on the right track. It shows them what the next steps are.
And if your managers are too busy to help their team members grow as people and employees, it might be time to look at hiring more staff to give them the space to do so.
If managers are in a constant state of stress, that will have a ripple effect on their employees, too. It could mean the feedback they give them skews harsh over helpful, damaging employee morale and initiative rather than supporting it.
Make goals clear
If someone doesn’t know what they’re aiming for, or how to measure results, it can make it difficult to learn and know what direction to go in.
Clear goals, while they can be tough to put into place, help both managers and employees measure their success. It helps you know if initiatives to drive peer-to-peer learning in the workplace are working, spot gaps more easily, and track their progress.
Colleague collaboration
At least 55% of employees go to their colleagues first when they want to learn something new about business. So why not encourage that by creating more opportunities for peer-to-peer learning in the workplace?
Just 10% of learning is formally structured. 70% of learning takes place when colleagues are working and 20% comes from collaboration with colleagues. This shows just how important those relationships are. And how crucial peer-to-peer learning in the workplace can be for your business.
Everyone comes in with different levels of experience and different backgrounds. These things give them different perspectives that can teach their colleagues something new.
For example, a petite female wheelchair user will have a different experience with cars compared to an able-bodied, 6ft man. Combining their perspectives and experiences can help a car business design a vehicle that has a broader appeal and can therefore make more money than one that only works for a man over 6ft.
Share info in ERGs
Your employee resource groups connect your employees based on shared backgrounds or experiences. This foundation can make it easier for people to open up. In turn, fellow members may be more open to learning from them. Especially if they’ve been at your company longer or have more experience in a particular field.
Your ERGs can also be great spaces to pilot new peer-to-peer learning in the workplace initiatives.
Mentorship schemes
Mentoring can help your newer employees understand how your business works and navigate the workforce.
Reverse mentoring, meanwhile, can support your older, more experienced colleagues to adapt to new technologies and ways of communicating.
Mentoring in any form is an important and easy way to foster peer-to-peer learning in the workplace.
Lightning talks
Lightning talks are five-minute presentations about a topic that interests the speaker. Your lightning talk event could have a theme, such as new technologies, or be open to anything anyone wants to share.
You might even discover some of your employees have hidden public speaking talents! These sessions can be fun ways to build culture while also enabling peer-to-peer learning in the workplace.
Employee-led workshops
Since employees prefer to learn from colleagues, why not get employees to lead workshops? Some of the lightning talk topics could lead to longer workshops that benefit some or all of your workforce.
Conclusion
Peer-to-peer learning in the workplace can improve employee morale, engagement, and initiative. It teaches your team members new things in a low-effort, high-results way.
If you want to make the most of peer-to-peer learning in the workplace, Workrowd’s tools can help. From ensuring everyone has easy access to your initiatives, to following up to collect feedback and even analyzing the data for you, everything you need is in one place.
Get in touch today to discover how Workrowd can supercharge your employee initiatives and company culture.
