{"id":16922,"date":"2020-09-11T12:03:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T12:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/?p=16922"},"modified":"2021-02-09T11:04:02","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T11:04:02","slug":"how-innovative-companies-train-their-employees-google-amazon-uber-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.liquid-themes.com\/hownow\/blog\/how-innovative-companies-train-their-employees-google-amazon-uber-more\/","title":{"rendered":"How innovative companies train their employees (Google, Amazon, Uber & more)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wondered how Google share knowledge and create their own learning culture? Where the likes of Amazon and Microsoft are investing their training budgets to upskill and develop people? Or what the ethos is at companies that keep their training strategies under cloak and dagger?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re planning a wedding, holiday or your dream home, a little inspiration can go a long way. Looking at what others have done is the window shopping that helps you understand what might work for you. And the same should apply to your training and development strategy, whether you\u2019re the one leading it or hoping to share some tips with those higher up. So, where better to glance enviably through the glass than with a look at some of the most innovative companies?<\/span><\/p>\n

Google<\/a>
\nApple<\/a>
\nAmazon<\/a>
\nAirbnb<\/a>
\nUber<\/a>
\nMicrosoft<\/a>
\nNetflix<\/a>
\nBooking.com<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Google<\/span><\/h2>\n

Whispering sweet nudges into Googler\u2019s ears<\/b><\/h3>\n

Proving that you don\u2019t need to shout to get people to buy into your development ethos, Google began using Whisper Courses to drive microlearning in 2017. Recognising that the majority of information learnt in courses was lost within days, their idea was to provide managers with a series of weekly nudges in the right direction. In their soothing wisdom, Google opted for the term Whisper.<\/span><\/p>\n

“A whisper course is a series of emails, each with a simple suggestion, or ‘whisper’ for a manager to try in their one-on-ones or team meetings.\u201d<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Their trial run – which you can discover in greater detail <\/span>here<\/span><\/a> – was the concept of managers creating a psychologically safe team culture, by being given a 10-week Whisper Course.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Source: Google – A sample nudge email<\/p>\n

Googler-to-Googler learning leads the training way\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

This is just one half of the tale, but we bet you\u2019re wondering what Google does to encourage learning among colleagues? The answer is another simple one: give them the platform to become <\/span>both student and teacher<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA strong learning culture can better position your organization for future needed skill shifts and primes employees to think and act more like owners when it comes to their own development needs.\u201d<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

80% of Google\u2019s tracked learnings happen through their Googler-to-Googler employee network, where over 6,000 employees across the business have become volunteer teachers. They share their knowledge and skills in workshops, one-to-one sessions and beyond. Notice the word volunteers, there is no obligation to get involved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, Google encourages passionate teaches who are experts in that content to deliver training<\/a>, they\u2019re interviewed for the position and given feedback\/recognition throughout. Not only does this engage people, it cuts the costs associated with training and ensures the budget is only used for specialised training and niche content that\u2019s needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Google is not only a training innovator, they\u2019re completely transparent about how they do it! That means you can learn from the best in the business via <\/span>re:Work<\/span><\/a>. It also made our job a little easier in writing this. Thanks, Google!<\/span>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Apple<\/span><\/h2>\n

From Google\u2019s transparency to a training enigma. Have you ever Googled \u2018How Apple train their employees\u2019? Being honest, we hadn\u2019t either until it came to writing this. But what\u2019s interesting is that little is known for certain, and the search results paint an interesting picture of how Apple has evolved over time\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A short history of Apple training, according to Google search results<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"How
Google search results for ‘How Apple train their employees’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2012, <\/span>Gizmodo<\/span><\/a> published \u2018How To Be a Genius: This Is Apple’s Secret Employee Training Manual\u2019, a pretty negative take on how they were training people to get inside your head through language. Gizmodo claimed that Geniuses were trained to \u201cbecome strong while appearing compassionate; persuade while seeming passive, and empathize your way to a sale.\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward four years and <\/span>Shopify\u2019s 2016 article<\/span><\/a> on the tech giants indicated that the culture was instead about finding people already passionate about the brand and products. They also pipped us to the pun of \u2018picking the right apples\u2019. Although it referenced Gizmodo\u2019s take, Shopify gave the impression that the focus had shifted (or was possibly all along) to creating value over prioritising sales. By 2018, A <\/span>Guardian article<\/span><\/a> focussing on the physical stores and Ron Johnson (who developed the concept) revealed that Apple had been able to \u201cfoster a sense of commitment to a higher calling while flattering employees that they were the chosen few to represent it.\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the training reality at Apple\u2019s core?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

When it comes to training those outside their organisation, their ethos is that \u201cdesigning world-class technology is only part of our job. Teaching you how to master it is the other.\u201d But trying to discover their approach to employee development is like the iPhone X files! The truth is out there, kind of..\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the <\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/a>, employees are discouraged from sharing their experiences. However, they were able to interview three former Apple employees that remained anonymous in 2014.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It probably won\u2019t surprise you to learn that Apple\u2019s training takes place in-house and year-round. They have full-time academic staff that design and deliver their courses, with employees able to sign up for courses tailored to their position and background on an exclusive internal website. They\u2019re also assigned courses related to the product or part of the business they work in. All pretty standard so far, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, there is something interesting in the article, at least in terms of how Apple encourages people to think and develop. A course on \u2018Communicating at Apple\u2019 used Picasso\u2019s drawings of \u2018The Bull\u2019\u2014which demonstrate how something complex can be broken down into its essential, core components. If you look at how Apple\u2019s products have become increasingly more slick with a decreasing number of buttons, you get the impression that this ethos goes from training through to product launch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While a Steve-Jobs-inspired course named \u2018The Best Things\u2019 encourages \u201cemployees to surround themselves with the best things, like talented peers and high-quality materials.\u201d Despite their cards being kept close to their chests, this gives the impression that social learning<\/a> is happening behind the scenes.<\/span>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Amazon<\/span><\/h2>\n

What\u2019s Amazon\u2019s current training strategy and rationale?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

When you stop to think about it, Amazon\u2019s current approach to employee training seems so obvious. And yet, it\u2019s quite rare that companies apply these ideas on a large scale. Amazon analysed data on their workforce and US hiring to determine their fastest-growing highly-skilled jobs over the past five years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These were data mapping specialist (832% growth), data scientist (505%), solutions architect (454%), security engineer (229%) and business analyst (160%).\u00a0 In customer fulfillment, meanwhile, highly skilled roles increased by over 400%. Next, they put their money where their mouth was in 2019 and announced they would spend $700 million to upskill 100,000 of their US employees by 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This would enable people across the business to access platforms and resources that develop and move them into these higher-skilled positions. You can read the full list of new training opportunities and what they\u2019re doing to build upon existing courses<\/span> here<\/span><\/a>, but here are some of the important takeaways: knowledge sharing, learning in the flow of work and microlearning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How Amazon plans to upskill its people<\/b><\/h3>\n
\"Amazon's
Source: Amazon Upskilling 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amazon Technical Academy <\/b>equips people with the skill to transition into software engineering. Another proponent of peer-to-peer training, this was created by Amazon\u2019s software engineers and uses project-based learning to ensure trainees understand how they\u2019ll apply these skills in practice via tuition-free learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Associate2Tech program <\/b>is a 90-day course for IT support technician roles, in which they receive on-the-job training and Amazon pays for their A+ Certification test. With no degree required, there are little barriers to entry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Machine Learning University<\/b>, on the other hand, is open to those with a background in tech and coding. These six-week modules only require a half or full day of participation each week, during which Amazon Machine Learning scientists help them develop the skills needed to progress.<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea that Amazon are taking control of the supply for their in-demand positions is an interesting one, but it could be what primes them for success. With the company and machine learning\/tech growing at such rapid speeds, there\u2019s no guarantee that the talent will be available to plug those gaps in the coming years. And, if better engagement, morale and retention is a by-product of upskilling their people<\/a>, that $700 million could turn out to be a shrewd investment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t there a risk that upskilled employees will seek other opportunities?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Perhaps, but looking a little further back shows that Amazon\u2019s investment in people is selfless to an extent. Amazon Career Choice was designed to give hourly associates that had been with the company for more than a year the skills to move into four in-demand industries and occupations: Healthcare, IT and computer science, transportation, and mechanical and skilled trades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeff Bezos stated that \u201cwe pre-pay 95 percent of tuition, fees, and textbooks (up to $12,000) for certificates and associate degrees in high-demand occupations\u201d. <\/span>Inc.<\/span><\/a> summed it up excellently in their coverage of the announcement: \u201cAmazon has a lot of lower-wage, warehouse-type jobs that have higher turnover rates than much higher paying tech roles. Amazon effectively embraces this reality and figures: Why not make these important laborers as happy as they can be in the time they are going to give to Amazon?\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Airbnb<\/span><\/h2>\n

Becoming a superhost and driving employee staycations<\/b><\/h3>\n

Airbnb might have been founded in 2008, but by 2015 they\u2019d already had an epiphany: it wasn\u2019t just their customers that deserved a good host, their employees deserved a five-star experience too. Mark Levy, Global Head of Employee Experience, had only joined the company a couple years earlier, but he realised that:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf Airbnb had a Customer Experience Group, why not create an Employee Experience Group?\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s exactly what he did, putting employee experience at the core of what they do. If the headlines are anything to go by, it was a move that paid off. \u2018Airbnb, spearheading the employee experience\u2019, \u2018How Airbnb Became The World\u2019s Best Place To Work\u2019, \u2018How Airbnb is building its culture through belonging\u201d – these are just some of the articles you\u2019ll find if you search for their approach to employee training<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Glowing reviews from Airbnb employees<\/b><\/h3>\n

With such praise and glowing recommendations about their culture, it\u2019s no wonder employees are willing to share their experience at Airbnb. Which gives excellent insights into how they develop people. It\u2019s certainly a case of learning from each other and being encouraged to have the initiative to self-learn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take the first point. <\/span>Chip Conley wrote about his experience<\/span><\/a> of joining the company aged 52 and with 20-plus years in hospitality, giving a pretty funny account of how he relied on listening to his younger colleagues to settle in. In fact, the article does an excellent job of summarising Airbnb\u2019s philosophy at the time: <\/span>Create, Learn, Play<\/span><\/a>. The middle part of that sandwich involved looking \u201cinside and outside for inspiration and learning\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another employee, Mark Curtis, wrote about <\/span>his experiences in 2014<\/span><\/a>\u2014the year between Levy\u2019s arrival and the creation of the Employee Experience Group. It seems that the culture of learning in the flow of work already existed to an extent, and Curtis stated that: \u201cOur culture, tools, and processes all revolve around giving individual contributors accurate and timely information that they can use to make great decisions\u201d. He also added that \u201cwe default to information sharing\u201d in order to provide engineers with as much information as possible so that they can find it and work autonomously.<\/span><\/p>\n

Forget the culture trip, tell us about their training!<\/b><\/h3>\n

<\/b>Ready for the training-heavy, juicy part of the Airbnb rundown? If they think a course or platform isn\u2019t up to delivering what they need, they\u2019ll simply create their own. Which makes sense, given that it has to work in the culture as well achieve the goals. In 2016, they created Data University to improve data literacy among their staff, because existing courses just weren\u2019t tailored to their data and tools. This comprised of multiple courses tailored to different roles, technical literacy and departments across the business. For example, \u201c<\/span>more intensive courses on Python and machine learning have helped engineers brush up on necessary skills for projects<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n