In the Spotlight: Learning and Development

Learning and development programs create a strong foundation for the continuing growth of employees and overall business performance. Angela Griffiths, Director of Learning and Development, speaks to the importance of BGRS’s program and its ongoing evolution In the Spotlight.

Why is Learning and Development (L&D) an essential part of the BGRS employee experience?

Angela Griffiths: We want to ensure that employees feel valued, motivated and are able to grow and develop throughout their careers at BGRS. We encourage continuing professional education, particularly for industry certifications.

Building leadership capabilities at all levels is imperative for future success. We designed many of our programs to follow distinct learning paths that support our employees in their development and becoming future leaders in our organization. We provide our people with the tools they need to be successful and continue to grow.

How does BGRS develop innovative and new learning opportunities for its employees?

Angela: The entire L&D team holds professional memberships with a number of talent development organizations, of which the largest one is the Association for Talent Development (ATD). Holding these memberships, in addition to attending industry related conferences or chapter meetings, keeps us abreast of learning innovations and marketplace trends to ensure our offering stays competitive. We also evaluate our courses annually and lend significant focus to providing a range of courses and educational experiences which support the diverse needs of our employees.

We aim to provide BGRS employees the opportunity to learn anytime and anywhere. Within our L&D portal, employees can access thousands of business-skills courses, and they can access it from any mobile device or computer. In addition to these courses, we offer in-house, instructor-led learning opportunities that are interactive. We incorporate polling tools and pop-quizzes which enhance engagement and the learning experience.

How does the team develop the topics and content for course offerings?

Angela: On an annual basis we survey our employees; we seek out feedback and input with a needs-assessment. This channel offers us insight into what our employees want to learn, and we can better assess skill gaps and learning requirements. The survey is an important part of the data we gather and provide to senior leadership on a monthly basis. We always want to accurately evidence the effectiveness of the training delivery, and this also highlights areas where we need to evolve and continue to grow with our employees. We strive to provide the right content to ensure our people have the tools to deliver service excellence.

Additionally, our Training Advisory Council (TAC), with representation from leadership across the organization, provides strategic guidance to align with our long-term talent development strategy.

How do you gauge the success of topics/offerings?

Angela: Good question! Directly following the training, employees will receive a short survey to provide their feedback on the course content and delivery. A number of trainings also include a post evaluation survey to assess whether the learner has applied the learning and whether the training is effective. In addition to surveys, there are regular focus and peer groups which discuss training initiatives and determine if existing training continues to meet the learning needs or whether new content creation is required.

What makes the BGRS Learning and Development team unique?

Angela: Team spirit and passion! Those are the two that immediately spring to mind. Each person within the L&D team takes great pride in the work we do, and we support each other to ensure the team is successful. We offer regularly scheduled courses around the world and across various timezones in the Americas, EMEA and APAC region so it essential that we are flexible and collaborative.

Much of the team has operational talent mobility experience. They use this knowledge to ensure our learning is truly customized to our employees’ learning needs, so they can thrive professionally and provide excellent service. Each person on the team brings unique abilities and strong views on matters related to learning, stemming from the passion we have for providing great learning experiences.