Workplace Skill Development & Employee Well-being Strategies

Informal Training: Boosting Workplace Skills

Informal training is unstructured, unplanned learning that takes place in the workplace. Most informal training involves employees helping each other out, sharing information, and solving work-related problems collaboratively. This type of training is highly adaptable to situations and individuals, making it effective for teaching skills and keeping employees current.

Examples of Informal Training

Technical Skills Development

An example of informal training for improving technical skills could be a factory line worker assisting a colleague with a machine problem. This involves explaining the machine's operation and demonstrating how to resolve the issue for future occurrences. Through this informal learning, the new line worker gains independence and, by understanding the machine's mechanics, can troubleshoot various problems effectively.

Problem-Solving Skills Enhancement

An example of informal training for problem-solving skills might involve an impromptu gathering in a cubicle to discuss a challenging coding problem a programmer is facing. Collaboratively, various programmers can work to solve the issue, effectively training each other in the process.

Achieving Work-Life Balance in the Workplace

Time pressures are not the primary problem underlying work-life conflicts. Instead, it's the psychological incursion of work into the family domain—and vice versa—when individuals worry about personal problems at work or think about work problems at home. This suggests organizations should focus less on time-management issues and more on helping employees clearly segment their lives. Practices such as keeping workloads reasonable, reducing work-related travel, and offering onsite quality childcare can significantly aid in this endeavor.

Organizational Strategies for Work-Life Balance

Individuals differ in their preferences for scheduling options and benefits. Some prefer organizational initiatives that better segment work from their personal lives, such as:

• Flextime: Allowing employees to adjust their start and end times.
• Job Sharing: Two part-time employees sharing the responsibilities of one full-time position.
• Part-time Hours: Reduced work schedules.

These options enable employees to schedule work hours that are less likely to conflict with personal responsibilities.

Others prefer ways to integrate work and personal life, including:

• Onsite Childcare: Convenient care for children at the workplace.
• Gym Facilities: Access to fitness amenities.
• Company-Sponsored Family Picnics: Events that involve employees' families.

On average, however, most people prefer an organization that provides robust support for work-life balance.