How Honeywell, State Street, and Kaiser Permanente incorporate L&D in their talent strategy

Ever feel like your learning and development (L&D) programs aren’t resonating with employees?

While there’s no golden ticket, one-size-fits-all L&D approach, HR pros can start by mixing virtual and in-person offerings and take ownership over their employees’ L&D journeys.

During a panel at From Day One’s conference in Atlanta, Georgia on Jan. 28, HR leaders from Honeywell, State Street, and Kaiser Permanente shared how they’re deploying L&D in their organizations.

Managing up and taking control. At financial services company State Street, Monica Green, global head of early careers and talent pipelines, said she’s adopted a “philosophy of managing up,” and encourages new employees to do the same. Managing up means taking control of your own L&D and career advancement, she said.

“Don’t wait for someone else to tell you, ‘Hey, you need to work on this,’” she said. “[Employees] should be taking that for [themselves.] We encourage our team members to hold their managers accountable to having the discussions [and] making sure that [they’re] talking about, ‘What can I do better? Or how can I continue to grow?’”

To that end, Green said she also encourages employees to seek out mentorship and sponsorship opportunities.

“I tell every new person that joins the organization, you’re going to have to meet at least 50 people…within your first six months,” she said. “That is absolutely a part of your growth and your development.”

Designate time. Global conglomerate Honeywell offers its employees a day each month when they can “clear their calendars and focus on their own development,” said Melanie Moore, head of global talent acquisition for the building automation division. Employees can spend the day taking courses through the company’s learning management system, attending webinars, or pursuing external learning opportunities that can be subsidized through tuition reimbursement, she said.

“We’ll also have sessions on inclusion and diversity, career management skills…and it’s always fun on those days to ensure that everyone is available to participate,” she said.

Lateral moves can spark growth. Not all career growth comes from advancing up the corporate ladder, said Eldridge Banks, VP of HR at Kaiser Permanente. Encourage employees to seek skill development through lateral opportunities, he said, whether working on a project in a different department, or taking a similarly titled job in a different industry.

“Your career is a journey,” Banks said. “I really try to stress how important it is to get critical skills across many levels, because that’s the thing that will give you the opportunity to grow and take advantage.”