Training trends for the 21st century

Whereas leadership, supervisory skills, and customer service continue to be  among the most popular employee training topics, new challenges in the workplace have increased the demand for training in areas that were less common just a  few years ago.

Workplace violence

The sudden increase in mass shootings—especially in  schools, churches, and offices—have caused many organizations to seek  training on safety, security, and the prevention of workplace violence. OSHA  receives more than 2 million reports of workplace violence a year, which it de-  fines as “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or  other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site.” Many of  these incidents are minor, but some are quite serious. The Bureau of Labor  Statistics, for example, reported 4,679 workplace injuries in 2014, and nearly  10 percent of these were homicides.

Bullying in the workplace

Even if it never reaches the stage of physical violence, bullying in the workplace has also become an increasingly widespread  and serious issue. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, bullying is  defined as “abusive conduct that is threatening, humiliating, or intimidating.” 

This includes such behaviors as falsely accusing an employee of making a  mistake, giving an employee the silent treatment, spreading malicious gossip  about an employee, taking credit for someone else’s work, or publicly humiliating an employee. The Institute says that nearly 54 million workers, or 35 percent of all employees, have been the target of workplace bullying at some  point in their careers. It’s important to help prevent this behavior with training, because such incidents are a leading cause of employee turnover. And if  they involve employees in a protected class—including racial or religious minorities, women, or older employees—they can also lead to legal action.    

Sexual harassment and gender/inclusion

Responsible organizations have  been conducting training on sexual harassment for many years now. But recent high-profile incidents involving Hollywood producers, movie stars, and  politicians have made the American public more sensitive to this issue and  more apt to speak out about it—which, in turn, makes it more likely you’ll  need to deal with problems of sexual harassment in your organization. The  same goes for issues of gender and inclusion, which could affect your organization’s policies on dress codes, restroom usage, family leave, and many other matters. Effective employee training in these fast changing areas can  help prevent serious legal problems before they occur. 

Big data analytics

If there’s one skill set that will become increasingly important in the years ahead, it will be the ability to analyze so-called “big data.” We  have become a society overloaded with information but sorely lacking in  understanding. That’s why the successful organizations of the 21st century  will train all employees—not just a handful of specialists—in dealing with  and understanding big data.    

The challenges of globalization

Another important development in training is  the trend toward globalization. As more and more American organizations  move jobs overseas—or do business with foreign organizations—your employees will need to be trained in such things as foreign-language skills, dealing with a remote workforce, and understanding local laws and customs.  Globalization also leads to the need for more retraining and the development of new skills back home.