Why a company should promote continuous learning and development
At Enteractive, we care about the professional development and continuous learning of our team members. Enteractive’s Learning & Development Manager, Katsiaryna Karliuk, takes care of all the company’s learning activities. Read more about learning and development at Enteractive and why it’s so crucial for any organisation.
Could you tell us more about yourself?
I originally come from Belarus, I’ve lived in Estonia, Belgium, and Malta, and I’m currently residing in the Netherlands. I tend to like change, including changing the places and countries I live in. At the same time I’m quite consistent in certain aspects. I like to live and work in fast-paced and innovative environments, I respect professionalism and high standards of quality, love learning new things, and like to challenge the status quo.
I’ve always wanted to bring some positive change to people and their lives, so I studied international relations and business, innovation management, and have a Master’s degree in diplomacy. When I moved to the Netherlands, I started my career almost from scratch, stepping into the HR profession. I joined the Talent Acquisition team, and then moved into L&D specialisation which gave me a good insight into the way people and organisations function and develop, and what can be done to facilitate positive change. Currently, I’m shifting more towards projects and change management fields, both on corporate and individual levels.
What is Learning & Development (L&D)?
L&D is one of the key elements of organisational development and success. It’s people-centric, and if you do not cater for L&D within your organisation, you fail – because you neglect the needs of your key asset, your people.
It starts with acquiring the right talent, getting them trained and set up for success. This is done through coaching, timely feedback and tailored performance management. The development of employees is an important part of L&D by tapping into their potential and enabling them to grow within the organisation. But also supporting them when they decide to grow outside of the organisation, which is completely normal.
Each stage of the employee lifecycle and experience within an organisation is closely linked with L&D. While many organisations understand the importance of L&D, they underestimate the need for proper investment in it. We’re not necessarily talking about money investment here, but the consistent efforts and determination to build and maintain the culture of continuous learning, and empowering people to learn and grow.
What does Enteractive offer to employees when it comes to L&D?
Instructor-led training at Enteractive HQ
At Enteractive we believe that personal and professional development go hand in hand. Everything you learn can be used for career and self-development. So we offer both.
From the moment an employee starts at Enteractive, they have a tailored onboarding journey that, depending on their role, takes 2 to 6 months. Once they are confident in their role, they can benefit from extra learning & development opportunities depending on their needs and career aspirations. They can opt for coaching and learning activities offered in-house on a one-on-one and group basis, or request to follow a course with an external provider, both instructor-led and self-directed. If certain certifications are required for specific roles, we look into it together on a case-by-case basis.
We strive for our L&D approach to be learner-centric, and tailored to the needs of the team. That’s what our employees ask for, and we’re very happy about that. It proves that modern employees want to own their development, while having support when they need it and how they want it, rather than for it to be imposed on them.
When they feel ready, they can start thinking of growing further in their career at Enteractive as early as 9-12 months into their new role.
How would you describe Enteractive’s learning culture?
It’s accessible, proactive, agile, and challenging. We’re hungry for learning and we learn something new every day. That’s how the Enteractive team described it in our 2021 L&D survey.
For the last two years we worked on developing our learning culture, shifting it towards a continuous learning and coaching culture. We encourage our employees to be open to new ways of thinking and doing things, while respecting best practices.
To support such a learning culture, we adopted the 70-20-10 principle; 70% of the learning process occurs on the job through experience, 20% comes from sharing knowledge and learning from others, and 10% through formal learning experiences. This means that our employees do not just sit there and wait for someone to come in and tell them what to do, but they are actively learning on the go, immersing in practical learning, and learning from each other.
Which tools is Enteractive using to make learning more accessible?
Virtual expert talks at Enteractive
Every employee can request coaching sessions and learning courses they want to follow, for example in Udemy. However, we’re not limiting ourselves to specific learning providers. We often choose a new provider and ask for feedback from the learners. This has proved to work very well, as we discover our learners’ preferences, likes and dislikes.
We’re also encouraging employees to dedicate at least one hour to learning, every second week. This is the time within working hours that employees can use for learning in addition to the organised activities for the entire team.
Last but not least, our managers have frequent one-on-one meetings with their team members, where they discuss and assess the learning needs for each one of them, individually and as a team. And that’s how managers, together with the employee, take proactive steps to learning and development.
All our learning resources and offers are collected and communicated via the Enteractive Academy, which is our one-stop-shop for Learning & Development at Enteractive, available for all current employees.
What training does Enteractive provide for employees?
Enteractive offers in-house training depending on the role. We have Playbooks developed specifically for B2C and B2B sales, covering a number of topics, from sales techniques and gambling psychology, to social selling and LinkedIn usage. Our managers and sales coaches also have tailored playbooks and training offered based on their needs.
All employees undergo in-depth instructor-led training with our Responsible Gambling Manager, covering all matters related to responsible gambling, with monthly Q&A and role play sessions. We also conduct expert talks on a monthly basis, covering various topics, depending on the team’s needs and wishes.
What’s the benefit of Enteractive’s learning environment on our employees and clients?
A good learning environment, as we have at Enteractive, helps employees in building their confidence and expertise, developing a positive and solutions-oriented mindset, not being afraid to fall, but being eager to actually learn from lessons learned. It also encourages both critical and creative thinking, and ownership.
This contributes to a professional attitude, responsible and accountable service providers, who are invested to learn and stay knowledgable about our products and services, and those of our partners.
Would you like to work in a company with the opportunity for professional development and personal growth? Check out careers.enteractive.com for the available positions and talk to our Talent Acquisition team!
