Using Blended and Hybrid Learning to Create a Culture That Attracts Talent

In recent years, thousands of U.S. studies have explored how companies recruit, develop, and retain their top talent. Researchers found that while much of what we thought about workforce capacities collapsed when the pandemic hit last year, businesses also came to recognize how critical resilient employees are to the very livelihood of their organizations.

Since then, we’ve restructured where we conduct business, reexamined how we connect with our teams and clients, and reimagined ways to drive learning solutions home—literally and figuratively.

It’s been a bumpy road, certainly. What we initially hoped would be short-term shut‑downs and temporary solutions hung over us. Weeks turned into months, bleeding from one year into the next, an ever-elusive “back to normal” on the horizon that never quite came.

Humans adapt quickly though. We’ve witnessed astonishing shifts in our personal and professional priorities; our cultural relationship with work itself continues to evolve, and the changes might bring exactly what we didn’t know we needed to reach new heights together. 

Attract Top Talent

As the job market recovers and companies redesign their infrastructure, Harvard Business Review echoes widespread predictions that organizations will need to expand their pool of talented, dedicated employees to keep up with emerging business model trends.

Interestingly, much of what reportedly attracts top talent dovetails with the blended and hybrid learning models clients already seek from technological companies like AllenComm, namely: increased flexibility and accessibility, meaningful connection, and effective communication built right into the company culture.

Apply Blended and Hybrid Learning Tactics

When it comes to working, learning, and living in general, restrictive binary lenses of having one “right” solution have blossomed into the richer, more creative, and more comprehensive understanding that there are many ways to accomplish or enjoy something. Study after study is reporting that employees value variety in how, when, and where they work, too.

Imagine that you are looking at a spectrum representing different training strategies. On one end lies traditional, synchronous classroom training, which we can liken to working in the office pre-pandemic style. On the other is asynchronous online video training, which can represent 100% remote work.

We know that each method has its perks. If you were allowed (as a learner or employee) to choose only one option to complete a task, you could likely do it. Indeed, there are benefits to each method. But how long would your interest hold before zoning out or growing restless if you had to do every task only that way, day after day, year after year?

Now consider how applicable your initial selection might be for someone in a radically different environment or without access to the same resources. What would need to change? 

Just as the best modules are designed with enough flex and robustness to meet varying customer needs and capacities, the best companies will build enough flexibility into their business models to meet varying employee needs and capacities.

By doing so you’ll open your workplace up to a wider pool of talent through less restriction in geography and place, and more dynamic working conditions.

A Culture of Creative Energy

Exceptional managers and teachers know that mixing and matching the preferences of their people stimulates intellectual and creative energy. They recognize that refusal to innovate or adapt utterly suffocates a culture of learning and growth—for learners, as well as for the content creators themselves.

Not sure where to start? No one will understand what is working well and where the productivity bottlenecks more than the employees who use the systems every day. 

Check in with your team; they want to take pride in, and feel connected to, where they work, too. 

Creating space for honest feedback may improve your workplace and processes. Plus, it builds trust, makes people feel heard and appreciated, and promotes employee loyalty.

Finally, if needed, don’t hesitate to consult with a learning expert for a performance consultation or other resources from experienced instructional designers. The investment you make will pay big returns as you design more effective, impactful resources that improve the performance of your team and support the success of your organization.