Mind Tools latest research reveals a positive shift in employees’ attitudes towards learning

In partnership with YouGov, this year we’ve collected data from 2,044 employees across 12 industries, with the aim of shining a light on the relationship employees have with learning since the pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve all experienced a unique opportunity to reimagine the future of work and trial a new way of working. Since March 2020 remote working has increased by 138%. But how has this impacted the way people learn?

In this report, we’ve delved deeper into employees' attitudes towards learning since the pandemic, the barriers they face, the resources and methods they value, and the impact that working arrangements have had on how they feel.

We’ve explored several key areas related to the employee learning experience and provided guidance and support to L&D leaders and business leaders looking to make an impact with their L&D strategy. These include:

• The rise of the self-directed learner – Employees are no longer learning because they have to but because they want to. The research reveals that in 2021, employees were motivated to learn at work for personal development but in previous years, this hasn’t always been the case. How can organizations ensure they are providing appropriate and adequate access to learning, and empower employees to be more proactive?

• Supportive cultures lead to stronger learning cultures - The more supported employees feel, the happier they are. Especially those working hybrid. Employees working and learning in hybrid environments feel most supported by their organizations and managers compared with other working arrangements (i.e., remote, or on-site all the time).  How can organizations support remote and in-person learning?

• Employees access resources at the point of need - Across the last seven years, the most stable pattern to emerge from the data is that employees access learning resources at the point of need. It’s at that precise moment where employees look for solutions to the problems they are trying to solve. How can your organization be prepared for this and understand what their employees need?

‘In the reimagined workplace, employees have something to say, and we should be listening. In our latest report we’re excited to shine light on the employees’ voices and delve deeper into the motivations and challenges they face when it comes to learning. As we move to a more hybrid workplace its crucial for organisations and L&D leaders to understand the impact this has on how we learn. We look forward to sharing these insights and discussing the opportunities and challenges with our learning communities’

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2044 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 9th - 15th November 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of British business size.