International companies use social networks, e-learning technology to retain talent

With attrition becoming a critical issue, many multi-nationals are now using social networks, blogs, online communities, gaming and other collaborative learning technologies to create a learning and comfortable work atmosphere and retain talent.

“Companies now encourage their workforce to share and create knowledge through social media, which results in better productivity and a positive mood in the work place,” Global Talent Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited Director and Chief Learning Officer Nick Van Dam, told PTI.Social media like tablets, smartphones, wikis, blogs, performance support, online communities and gaming are adopted as learning and development tools by many organisations, he said.It is also used by many companies as an incentive for attracting and retaining talent, he added.“Usually,” he said, “controls and restrictions dissuade employees from staying in an organisation and about 65 per cent of people intend on leaving a company within two years, due to lack of learning and leadership development.”

In emerging nations, especially in India, China and Brazil, where there is a huge talent gap, attrition has become a critical issue.These technologies are now becoming cost-affective and affordable, enabling many firms to adopt them, he said.The Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region globally, in terms of adoption of technology-based learning, witnessing 20 per cent annual growth, Van Dam added.“Looking at this growth, the total e-learning market globally is expected to be worth around USD 107 billion by 2015”, he added.

Global organisations are now looking at technologies to accelerate learning, build leadership positions to help meet strategic business goals and continuously motivate employees as business requirements shift, Van Dam said.

E-learning also explores building knowledge bases and connecting people to on-demand, real-time expertise or information, which helps in capturing, tagging and promoting knowledge shared in each learning activity.

Companies also use gaming to experiment with diverse and competing models to see what works best for the organisation, he said.

“Gaming is a fun way and engaging method that helps organisations experiment with various methods to reach their desired goal before even starting a project,” Van Dam added.

Courtesy : The Hindu