Should your business hire candidates with a strong drive to learn, or should you try to nurture curiosity in all your employees? According to Barb Mason, CHRO, Scotiabank, a business needs to do a bit of both to create an effective – and satisfied – workforce.
But unfortunately, this kind of employee development is rare. Employees aren’t often afforded the opportunity to learn on the job and grow their skill set. Or even make mistakes.
“Seventy percent of learning happens on the job. And so, that means giving them job opportunities,” Mason says. “For us, it is all about ensuring that we have systemically equitable processes in the bank to allow everyone to have the same opportunities and understand what they need to do to be able to get these opportunities.”
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Educated, empowered, and fulfilled, these employees are providing better experiences for customers.
I spoke with my friend Laurie Ruettimann, an HR writer, speaker, and podcaster, after we listened to the interview. On LinkedIn Live, I asked her what it takes to have a curious workforce.
“There’s something innately human about being curious, and I think it exists within all of us. Even if you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not present in your workforce,” Ruettimann says.
She explained that it’s a company’s responsibility to foster a culture of curiosity and to allow employees to make mistakes – and learn from them. For employees to grow and live up to their potential, they need their employer to encourage them to embrace their curiosity.
“Once you create an environment where people feel comfortable being learners, they can move out of that fixed mindset and go into that growth mindset. If you create the right environment, that human quality comes out and that’s where the magic happens,” she adds.
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During interviews, HR leaders welcome potential employees to the world of on-the-job learning, which is especially important for marginalized groups who may be unfamiliar with the concept. It teaches them that a high-quality employer should provide learning experiences and opportunities for skill building.
Mason explained that, during hypothetical business scenarios, employees at Scotiabank can tackle new tasks set at a level above their current role. For instance, a midlevel bank officer may have to resolve a simulated customer challenge that’s usually handled by a senior officer. Employees gain new skills on the fly, and the company sees employees’ aptitude for performing in a new role.
“It’s not a pass or fail. It’s an experience,” Mason says.
Scotiabank’s experiential learning strategy relies largely on these hypothetical scenarios, but Ruettimann said many businesses can benefit from allowing real business opportunities day to day in their employee development.
She recalled a boss who encouraged her to take on new tasks and find chances to showcase her greatness. Even if Ruettimann failed, she still learned from the experience and applied that knowledge to create success the next time.
Women traditionally perform the kind of “office housekeeping” that doesn’t actually have anything to do with their role. When a woman takes time out of her day to organize an office potluck, she loses time that she could spend learning a new skill relevant to her job title, putting her at risk of stagnating. Meanwhile, it’s likely that her male colleagues have experiences that bring them closer to a promotion.
It’s time for leaders to concentrate on connecting everyday employee experiences to drive organizational value, purpose, and accomplishment.
Ruettimann says that people of color are often tasked with the office party planning to “help” them feel like they’re part of the team. But this has the opposite effect, further alienating them and keeping them away from value-added work.
The best way to make anyone feel like part of the team is to treat them like part of the team – and provide them with equitable opportunities for learning.
“Recognize them for their contributions. Recognize us all for our contributions, and not because we plan a great potluck,” Ruettimann says.
Mason says that Scotiabank currently has the highest caliber of performing women in the company’s history. And thanks to equitable experiential learning opportunities and robust mentorship programs that help women connect with these opportunities, she doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.
