As learning and development (L&D) teams search for the best remote, hybrid and office-based workforce training and development options, there is a risk that time and budget-pressured L&D teams feel they must make do by pushing blended content out to learners to reconcile many different learning needs with little hope of the organization getting a clear return on investment (ROI).

The whole idea of ROI for training is becoming crucial to organizations given the massive change we are seeing in workplace skills. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report 2023 suggests that skill sets have already changed by around 25% since 2015, and this number is expected to double by 2027. But views on training’s effectiveness vary, depending on whether it’s leader or the employee’s point of view. For example, a study of Fortune 500 companies found that only 10% of bosses believe their leadership development initiatives have a clear impact on their business. In contrast, according to MetLife, 58% of all workers were satisfied with their professional growth and training opportunities.

But as training teams’ workloads have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, setting up ROI frameworks for learning and development is an increasingly complex task on an already long to-do list. Hard-pressed learning teams may feel they have to take the easy way out when it comes to ROI; our own research of global enterprises suggests that most L&D teams (60%) still rely on learner feedback more than anything else, while just over a quarter (28%) believe they have the support or resources to assess their learning programs’ impacts on their organization.

So, amid these widely differing opinions, how can busy learning leaders with limited funds inspire wider engagement among colleagues? How can they more easily come up with data that more clearly identifies which types of content and learning approaches truly engage learners — without breaking the budget? We believe L&D teams can not only augment their existing learning practices but also go much further and think more creatively to build the best learning experiences for employees.

Here are six ways to turbo-charge your learning programs’ content options to boost learning opportunities, increase engagement and cost-effectively deliver organizational change.

1. Embed Bite-Sized Learning Into Workflows

Given the ever-increasing pressures on people’s time at work, one obvious strategy is to weave short-form video and microlearning assets, along with bite-sized virtual or expert in-person sessions, into the work day. This approach can be a game-changer for upskilling both remote and hybrid teams.

This highly flexible blend of in-person, digital learning and self-directed learning and follow-up elements is a realistic option for today’s organizations since it can be achieved by harnessing the same collaboration tools and workflow platforms like Microsoft Teams or Slack for existing learning or knowledge sharing platforms that today’s hybrid workforces already depend on to be productive amid hybrid work and increasingly decentralized businesses.

As a result, highly flexible and human-centric learning can be successfully “programmed” into people’s existing work schedules. Training managers can use collaboration tools’ calendars to send regular invitations to learners to try out new content and follow up with regular reminders to keep them engaged. And as L&D teams see that this programmatic learning will quickly yield rich data on fellow workers’ engagement and learning results, they are in a better position to review their content strategies and fine-tune the approach than before.

2. Drive Engagement With Learning “FOMO”

Adopting internal marketing tactics and creating a “fear of missing out” (FOMO) among trainees is another way to drive greater learner engagement. Tailor how this messaging is delivered to meet the different subcultures within an organization so that the content and learning objectives appeal to different groups. This approach overcomes the pitfalls of spamming learners with a one-size-fits-all narrative which often fails to motivate learners and can feel like an interruption to their primary job responsibilities.

To sustain learners’ interest, L&D teams should leverage feedback from learners to continuously innovate and refine their training offerings. Prototyping new ideas and customizing learning programs allow for a more dynamic and adaptive approach to meeting the evolving needs of the learner and challenges of the business.

By combining appealing experiences and internal promotion tactics, learning leaders can generate a greater sense of interest and enjoyment among their learners, leading to better course and content impact. This shift in thinking not only makes the process of acquiring knowledge itself more varied and attractive but also bolsters social learning habits among peer groups across the business.

3. Inspire Hybrid Learning With Internal Role Models

Whether in a physical office or a hybrid environment, it’s what leaders do, rather than what they say, that really inspires new learning habits.

There’s an opportunity for executives to better “walk the walk” of L&D. Research of global enterprises by Development Dimension International found that only 12% of company leaders feel they have all the skills they need for success: developing future talent, strategic thinking, managing successful change, decision-making and influencing others. But when leaders do have them, they are three times more confident about engaging and retaining top talent at their organization.

When your company’s senior executives and line managers are seen regularly accessing and returning to learning content and experiences in their own work time or downtime, they are in effect giving “permission” to their teams and direct reports to do the same thing, and so helping embed learning in the flow of their work. The company that persuades its leaders to become learning role models and take on new habits day by day will gain faster and wider buy-in for their learning strategies. In addition, managers and leaders have a crucial role in helping their teams develop themselves. This can be encouraging trainees, checking in on their progress, highlighting lessons learned, making timely coaching interventions with their direct reports or looking for examples of learning applications and resulting benefits — whether for the business, the department or the individual employee.

4. Establish Training’s Relevancy

Learners are more likely to engage with content that seems relevant to their current roles and challenges they face in their daily work. Making training relevant allows for smoother integration into their everyday workflow, as learners can easily connect new concepts and skills with their ongoing projects and responsibilities, leading to a more seamless learning experience.

Relevant training that addresses specific, real-world challenges faced by learners adds a layer of practicality and urgency to the learning experience as well. It transforms the training from a theoretical exercise into a valuable tool for problem-solving and innovation. When learners can apply what they learn to tackle actual issues, the training becomes more than just a checkbox; it becomes an essential part of their professional development and growth.

5. Playlists Show the Way

For anyone who has been tempted into buying an extra item on Amazon or one more track on Spotify, the same “nudge” thinking can be applied to new program assets by training managers setting up content playlists and downloads. This approach creates an exciting and seamless learning journey, delivers enticing options and then promotes linked content.

Learning playlists and the resulting user data not only give learning practitioners clearer insight into the most appealing content in different parts of the business, but they also draw attention to or reanimate otherwise “hidden” content for the organization’s learners. L&D teams can crunch the fast-changing usage data to rethink a particular program’s content or provide pointers towards refreshing the content as a whole.

6. The Power of Support in Learning

While the past years of lockdowns and organizational upheavals have challenged or disrupted managers’ training and learning programs, they have also led to more contact between colleagues to support each other at times of stress and regular change. Smart L&D teams can make the most of this “social glue” effect by encouraging mutual support groups — in and out of work — to reinforce employees’ and peer groups’ learning behaviors and so acquire and retain greater knowledge.

Companies that embed social learning and networking within learning sessions will also help deliver on the promise of developing their employees and build their appeal as an employer brand. That’s because their learners harnessing these social support networks will open up internal and external industry resources like wider professional networks and new peer groups to aid their skills and career development.

Conclusion: Rejuvenating Learning Experiences

Even comprehensive L&D programs with enticing assets can seem worn out and uninspired without regular updates and refreshes. Creating “learning FOMO,” encouraging leaders to be at the heart of new learning habits, building learning assets cleverly into existing daily workflows, creating desire for learning by establishing relevancy, exploring nudge strategies and harnessing peer groups’ enthusiasm for learning and boosting their career prospects are all ways to refresh learning habits and create more nimble learning options.

Together with smart analysis of increased user data showing which is the most (or least) popular learning content and experience options, even training managers with limited resources can create more exciting learning journeys for their people without breaking the budget.