Welcome to our regular HR advice column, Ask a Resourceful Human. Here to answer all of your burning questions is Massella Dukuly, the head of workplace strategy and innovation at Charter, a media services company that aims to transform the workplace. Dukuly has trained over 10,000 leaders at startups and global enterprises, including Squarespace and the New York Times. Sign up for Charter’s free salary transparency playbook here.
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Employees have expressed interest in more learning and development, but we’re not sure how to evaluate providers. Do you have any suggestions?
Learning and development programs can be an investment with priceless benefits. But if done badly, L&D can be a big investment that goes down the drain.
Evaluating a provider has what I’ll call an “inside-outside” approach, which means focusing on your needs (the inside), while also focusing on the provider (the outside). I recommend starting from the inside so that your provider’s success criteria are clearer from the beginning.
You’ll want to do a listening tour, or survey your employees to understand their preferences. Ask about learning styles, scheduling preferences, and areas of interest. This is an opportunity to bring your team into the process. The more bought-in they are and the more they see the offering as a solution to a problem they’re having, the more satisfied they’ll be with your efforts.
Once you’ve determined what you need, you’ll want to learn more about the product offering. I’d recommend asking providers questions like:
- What’s your learning philosophy?
- Is the program asynchronous or synchronous?
- Can you tell me more about the trainers?
- What follow-up support do you have available?
- How long is the training?
- How do you measure the success of a learning program?
- How relevant is the training to (my industry, global context, specific team)?”
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This will create a great baseline for you to compare providers and match their offerings to your needs.
Further, don’t be afraid to go deeper to understand the logistics of programming.
This is something that is easily missed, but truly important to a successful learning and development program because it ensures that you are thinking systematically and not treating it as a one-off, which isn’t likely to provide meaningful value.
Here are more questions to ask potential providers:
- How long does it take to set up to be a client? Any implementation? (This is more relevant if there’s software involved.)
- Are there any integrations? For example: Does the program integrate with a learning management system (LMS)?
- How does scheduling work?
With all of this in mind, I’d look for a way to experience the product. Many providers offer free workshops and trial access to portals and systems. At my previous organization, LifeLabs Learning, we held a monthly series called “Culture Club.” This was an opportunity for potential clients to experience the offering and get a taste of the company. It remained an ongoing resource for current clients who enjoyed the HR community and wanted a space to deepen their knowledge.—MD
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