Albert Galarza is the Global Vice President of Human Resources at TELUS International.
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Workplaces have undergone significant changes in recent years as the rise of remote and hybrid opportunities has impacted employee priorities. Some constants remain, however, including employees’ desire to feel valued, respected and appreciated by their organizations, regardless of where and how they work.
Effectively addressing this priority means paying careful attention to what matters most to individual employees, whether that’s opportunities for career advancement, better work-life balance or investing in their learning and development (L&D). In a study by the American Psychological Association, 91% of workers said that having opportunities to learn was an important element of the workplace. Furthermore, there’s a direct connection between high-quality L&D opportunities and job satisfaction: 96% of workers satisfied with their organization’s L&D programming reported high job satisfaction as well.
What’s more, we’re also operating in a time where generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) hasn’t just changed the game, it’s created a new game with a different set of directions on how employees can work and learn. From creating intelligent and comprehensive courses tailored to individual preferences at scale to designing and translating content into dozens of languages to support a diverse global workforce, GenAI has and will continue to help companies reinvigorate their L&D programs, address the skills gap, boost employee engagement and retention, and more.
In my role at TELUS International, I’ve seen firsthand how GenAI has enabled our L&D team to streamline our e-learning programs and create, personalize and publish high-quality content in a number of languages more efficiently and easily.
A Renewed Focus On L&D In The GenAI Era
Between early 2021 and mid-2023, we experienced a phenomenon known as the "great resignation," where nearly 100 million workers voluntarily quit their jobs over a two-year span. Now the tide has turned, and experts say we have entered a new era known as the "big stay," where economic uncertainties are making employees more averse to job changes. However, employers shouldn’t view increased employee retention as a signal to dial back on L&D; despite the changing job market, employers must still strive to meet and exceed their employees’ expectations. In addition to offering raises or other financial benefits, L&D opportunities are a valuable benefit that will engage workers and uplevel their experience.
In fact, according to a recent Gartner survey, the top five priorities for HR leaders in 2024 include assessing and integrating new HR technologies like GenAI, as well as a reimagined focus on career management and internal mobility.
Leveraging GenAI To Support And Enhance L&D
Specifically in L&D, to effectively develop a curriculum that is beneficial to employees, I believe organizations should leverage GenAI to create impactful (and scalable) training opportunities. This may include:
Personalized Training Content
GenAI can analyze individual learning patterns and preferences to create customized training materials. Tailored programming ensures employees receive content in formats and styles that resonate with their learning style, optimizing engagement and retention.
Every employee learns differently, and each department has unique training needs. A call center employee, for instance, might study new communication techniques to better interact with customers, while a back-end software developer might focus on enhancing proficiency with specific coding languages.
Simulated Learning Environments
GenAI generates realistic training simulations, providing immersive and risk-free environments to practice complex tasks. This hands-on experience accelerates skills development and confidence. Dynamic training programs that react in real time to user decisions translate practice into successful outcomes when it matters. Additionally, GenAI can translate training materials with laser precision to match the cultural and language differences of the modern, dispersed and diverse workforce.
Adaptive Learning Paths
AI-driven adaptive learning platforms can dynamically adjust learning paths based on individual progress, strengths and areas for improvement. This ensures that employees focus on relevant and current content, making the learning journey more efficient and effective. Rapid digital transformation can quickly make training programs outdated, but GenAI continuously updates to ensure training materials distribute the latest developments.
Automated Assessment And Feedback
GenAI automates assessments by grading results and providing instant and detailed feedback so employees can improve in real time. Employee training can be arduous and expensive, and in today’s environment, where cost-cutting is a priority, using GenAI to reduce time and expenses is crucial.
For example, my firm, TELUS International, used a cloud-based AI language translation tool to create engaging and informative content for our Integrity training and Security and Privacy course, translating these modules into 11 different languages accurately and efficiently.
Predictive Analytics For Skill Gaps
GenAI can predict potential skills gaps in the workforce by analyzing employee performance data. This information allows organizations to proactively design targeted learning programs to address these gaps, enabling a continuously evolving workforce.
Traditionally, organizations have used annual performance evaluations to identify skills gaps, but that’s contingent on a once-a-year assessment that may be outdated by the time leaders are able to analyze the data. A just-in-time approach helps optimize training and direct resources to the most critical places at the right time to ensure the organization is future-proof.
More Impactful Training With GenAI
From the smallest shop to the largest enterprise, engaged and motivated employees form the backbone of any successful business, and it’s crucial that organizations continually find new ways to keep their teams learning, growing and feeling supported. As it has already shown, GenAI has myriad positive applications for enhancing and enabling work for employees and employers alike.
Leveraging its usefulness for L&D programming holds tremendous potential as a competitive differentiator, and organizations would be remiss if they didn’t take advantage of its accuracy, speed and effectiveness as a professional development tool in 2024 and beyond.
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