Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021 - 48

CASEBOOK
USING LEARNING INITIATIVES TO
DRIVE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
BY SARI DAISEY AND MARIA MEJIA
If you've never heard of The Bancorp,
that's by design. We offer private-label
banking and technology solutions to
non-bank companies ranging from
entrepreneurial start-ups to those on
the Fortune 500. However, chances
are that The Bancorp is already in your
wallet or phone.
Over the past year, The Bancorp -
like many other companies - has
experienced sweeping change. Our
employees have adapted to new
modes of working. We've faced
many challenges head-on because
of the workforce's collective ability
to navigate change. As a result, The
Bancorp finished a challenging year
with double-digit revenue growth,
increased lending and expanded
service offerings.
Breakthrough success doesn't
just happen. Even under the best
circumstances, exceptional performance
is only possible because of employee
resilience and the ability to evolve in a
changing landscape.
How does any company, especially one
in a heavily regulated industry, promote
an environment where individuals are
motivated to perform well? At The
Bancorp, the effort to boost employee
engagement is years in the making
(since 2018). Our story begins by
reimagining the learning experience for
all employees - individual contributors
and people leaders alike.
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This article shares the three talent
management strategies we applied to
rebuild our learning programs from the
ground up while fulfilling regulatory
requirements.
HOW DOES L&D TRANSFORM
OUTDATED PERCEPTIONS OF
LEARNING?
Our first step was to take a hard
look at what we - the learning and
development team (L&D) - were
doing. We examined three questions
through the prism of talent acquisition,
employee experience, learner needs
and business objectives:
* What strategic value does L&D
provide for the organization?
* How can L&D drive strategic
opportunity and move beyond
necessary functions?
* How else can L&D encourage
employees to invest in their
professional development?
We crafted a vision that captures
the spectrum of work: To maintain
regulatory standards while cultivating
an environment that educates and
inspires all employees to reach their
full potential. The team identified
ways to embed learning throughout
the organization at all levels - from
the C-suite to front-line staff. Three
approaches guide our work:
1. Weave our vision into established
processes and secure executive
buy-in.
2. Engage managers and highperforming
employees as
learning advocates.
3. Co-create new experiences with our
audience to gain a fresh perspective.
STRATEGY #1: PUT VISION INTO
PRACTICE THROUGH SELFDIRECTED
LEARNING
We focused on overcoming our most
significant barrier to learning - time. To
start, we worked on creating frictionless
experiences across several platforms.
As a result, employees can now access
relevant learning content in their moment
of need. We also removed administrative
hurdles such as course approvals. This
change provides employees greater
control over their development path.
Next, we concentrated on communicating
learning as " part of " work, not " apart
from " work. We seized an opportunity
to augment The Bancorp's performance
management process.
Our
Take8
program helps bridge any knowledge
or skill gaps identified by employees or
managers throughout the year.
Take8 encourages employees to
complete at least eight hours of elective
professional development annually. To
be clear, L&D is not asking employees
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