6 Must-Haves for a Successful Learning Culture

It takes a lot more than simply offering learning opportunities to get employees to make the most of them. You need employees to pursue learning not out of obligation but because they’re excited for the opportunities learning can provide and the new skills they can develop.

According to LinkedIn's 2023 Workplace Learning Report, skills sets for jobs have changed by around 25% since 2015. By 2027, this number is expected to double — which is why it’s essential that employees are motivated to sharpen their current skills and to learn and develop new skills.

That’s where a having a robust learning culture at your organization comes in.

What is a learning culture?

In organizational learning cultures, employees are provided with the time, space, and learning opportunities to continually grow their knowledge and develop new skills. The continuous learning is geared toward improving employee performance and supporting personal and professional growth.

Workplace learning cultures develop organically but flourish with the right corporate framework and support in place. In fact, according to the 2023 Workplace Learning Report, a top focus area for learning and development (L&D) professionals this year is building a culture of learning at their company.

6 reasons why your organization needs a learning culture

1. Improved work culture and happier employees

Employees rank “opportunities to learn and grow” as the No. 1 driver of positive work culture. Employees who rate their company culture as positive are 31% more likely to recommend working for their organization and 25% more likely to report being happy working for their organization.

2. Enhanced hiring

Nearly half (48%) of employees agree that training opportunities were a factor in choosing their current company.

3. Better employee retention

This is quickly becoming one of the most important reasons to establish a culture of learning, as 93% of today’s organizations are concerned about retaining their employees. Providing learning opportunities has been shown to be the No. 1 way to improve retention.

Failing to provide learning opportunities is also a major reason why employees leave organizations: Employees who feel their skills are not being put to good use in their current job are 10x more likely to look for a new job, while 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development.

4. Better employee motivation and performance

Globally, employees report that their primary motivation to learn is to “progress toward their career goals.” Providing relevant, effective learning resources and training programs will help employees acquire the new skills they will need to succeed in their current and future roles.

Several different studies show that developing a learning and “growth mindset” culture via high-quality training programs will enhance the performance and motivation of the employees who take advantage of those offerings.

5. Increased employee engagement

Some 92% of L&D professionals believe that social learning helps create a sense of belonging in the workplace. Employees who feel this sense of belonging are 5.2x more likely to be engaged at work.

6. A future-proofed organization

Upskilling and reskilling are a top priority for L&D experts everywhere. More than half (54%) of all employees worldwide require significant reskilling or upskilling. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of learners agree that a workplace culture of learning makes them more flexible and adaptable, which means they’ll be ready to pivot when the company needs to shift gears.

6 must-haves for a successful learning culture:

How do you go about creating a learning culture at your workplace? Build and cultivate a successful learning culture by making sure your company has these six elements in place. 

1. Robust internal mobility

By showing your employees that their hard work will be noticed and rewarded, you’ll give them the best possible motivation to keep pursuing learning opportunities. This is especially true of professionals just entering the workforce: When asked which factors are most important to them when considering a new job opportunity, more than a third (35%) of workers ages 18 to 34 cited “opportunities for career growth within the company” as their most valued factor. Almost half (46%) of Gen Z professionals also said they’d spend more time learning to get a promotion.

Even better, internally promoted people will keep learning after their promotion — and they’ll spread their enthusiasm and valuable knowledge wherever they go. “People who move around the company,” writes industry analyst Josh Bersin, “gain perspective, cultural insights, and can perform in unique and productive ways because of their relationships and knowledge of all parts of the company.”

2. Active career pathing and ongoing career growth 

Employees respond best to learning opportunities when they feel those opportunities were designed around their unique career interests and needs. More than three out of four employees surveyed (78%) expressed a strong need for course recommendations based on their personal career goals and skill gaps. Meanwhile, 73% of respondents indicated that they would spend more time learning if it would help them perform better in their current role. 

So, take the initiative to understand how each employee wants to advance in their individual careers. “Every person in HR, regardless of seniority, should be talking about learning with respect to career mobility within their organization,” says Jane Oates, president of WorkingNation and former assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

After you’ve had those conversations, work with each employee to design a customized training path aimed at helping them reach their career goals. The more your employees can understand how their on-the-job training will help them specifically, the more enthusiastically they’ll pursue it.

3. True manager buy-in and career path collaboration

Your employees are considerably more likely to take training seriously if it’s recommended to them by their manager directly. A vast majority (91%) of employees cite their managers as an important factor in being inspired to learn and experiment at work. Most employees (56%) say they would spend more time learning if their manager personally suggested a course or learning program they could take to improve their skills.

Managers and direct reports should work together to develop a customized training path to help employees reach their organizational and career goals. As employees continue their training, managers should regularly check in on progress and make sure their team members have all the learning resources they need to succeed.

4. Role-modeling from executives

The most effective workplace cultures are fostered from the top down: C-suite business leaders must believe in the importance of learning in the workplace and, most importantly, model it for the rest of the organization. 

The most effective way leaders can model learning is, of course, to commit to it themselves. L&D pros and the rest of the leadership team within an organization need to make time for their own skill building, and actively encourage the organization to join them on their learning journey. Not only will this model the possibility and importance of learning at work, but it will make for more effective L&D team members too.

Fortunately, if the most recent statistics are any indication, C-suite leaders understand the importance of building a learning culture within the organization: The number of L&D pros working with their organization’s top HR officer rose from 39% in 2022 to 44% in 2023, and the number of L&D pros working with other executive leadership rose from 43% to 50%.

“The bottom line is when leaders embrace learning as a critical piece to long-term business success and model it, people will follow,” says Naphtali Bryant in his LinkedIn Learning course Creating a Culture of Learning. “If your employees see your leaders prioritizing learning, then they will likely follow suit and capitalize on the organization’s investments in learning.”

5. Flexible learning opportunities

Now more than ever, professionals want options for how and when they learn workplace skills. Forty-three percent of Gen Z professionals say they prefer a flexible and independent approach to learning.

Traditional employee learning programs have typically have been built around online or in-person seminars, workshops, and courses. Another more flexible option: microlearning, which involves breaking down learning material into bite-size pieces of information so learners can, say, complete online training sessions during small pockets of time throughout the day and at their own pace.

6. Social learning opportunities 

L&D professionals overwhelmingly believe that:

• Learning is more effective when people learn together (86%)
• Employees who learn together are more successful (91%)
• Learning helps create a sense of belonging (92%)

LinkedIn data also shows that learners who join groups in the LinkedIn Learning Hub watch 29x more hours of learning content than those who don’t. Simply put: Employees learn better when they learn together. So, encourage employees from different teams to take the same training courses together and to discuss it in groups.