The need for learning and development in America’s banks has never been more urgent than it is today. COVID-19 instigated global disruption, transformed economies, and changed the nature of work and the workforce. The need to address the critical social dynamics of diversity, equity, and inclusion while meeting the desire of younger generations for easy and immediate access to data has added an additional layer of stress and the need for training.

Organizations must look for ways to upskill and reskill their workforce to meet changing job requirements, rapidly onboard and train workers, develop leadership skills that utilize changing technologies, and manage remote workforces. In addition, banks must address the urgent social and cultural priorities of diversity, equity, and inclusion, answer the wants and needs of the younger generation, and ensure that employees keep up with changing regulatory requirements under a new administration while managing risk.

According to HR experts, employees increasingly need new skills – such as adapting to working remotely, along with
communication, adaptability, and resilience – the top skills needed in the post-COVID workplace. As organizations shift
to a more remote workforce, they must explore the critical competencies employees will need to collaborate digitally,
provide strong, remote leadership, and solid customer service.

The pandemic has shown how technology can be used to expand access, increase flexibility, and move away from rigidity.
There is now the opportunity for learning to become far more personalized, real-time, and life-long than we thought possible a few years ago.

Learning and development should be about creating the right environment and culture to enable personalized learning and learning in the flow of work.

It’s also important to consider which roles are critical to the success of essential workflows. Organizations need to focus
on the skills needed to drive the organization’s competitive advantage and the workflows fueling that advantage. Encourage employees to develop critical skills that potentially open multiple opportunities for their career development, rather than preparing for a specific next role.

A key factor to being successful post-pandemic is transitioning from designing for efficiency to designing for resilience.
To build a more responsive organization, design roles and structures around outcomes that increase agility and flexibility and formalize how processes can flex. Also, provide employees with varied, adaptive, and flexible roles to acquire cross-functional knowledge and training.

By fundamentally changing the role and focus of the learning and development function and typical growth ladders, banks can ensure they have the necessary skills to foster a lifelong culture of learning that helps their employees and the
organization to thrive.

The UBA and its partners provide access to exceptional instructors with years of industry insights and experience who facilitate interactive course sessions that focus on the important economic, regulatory, and competitive pressures
facing the industry today, as well as management and leadership essentials, diversity in the workplace, and more.