VAIRKKO released a new feature in the Certification Cloud platform called QR Verify. The system helps employers to quickly check certification status for their employees while out in the field without access to their VAIRKKO platform.

By now, every L&D leader knows that data is crucial. But which data points are getting your attention and energy? Unfortunately, many training managers only measure learner attendance, completion, and maybe feedback scores for satisfaction if they have time. These numbers definitely tell a story, but not the whole story. This data can inform your communication and delivery of training initiatives at best, and send you on a dead-end treasure hunt that doesn't produce results at worst.

Video, gamification, good 'ol PowerPoint. Creating custom learning material is only growing more and more confusing as we acquire more tools and research. We want to take the guessing game out of content creation, and also give you the tools you need to prepare training material that abides by best practices. Here are a few commandments...er....suggestions for compiling outstanding custom content.

As Learning & Development professionals, there are phrases we hear often that spin us into a flurry of planning, executing, hoping and praying. But what's just as important as these sentences? The unspoken additional context that goes with it:

For Immediate Release - June 11, 2019

Software solutions are popping up everywhere, for almost every process imaginable. While sometimes software can get a bad rep, that it might replace a workers job, there’s a different way to look at it: it helps every worker accomplish more. Most software solutions are designed to aid a worker, not replace them. In the case of Human Resources software, these solutions are designed to handle tasks that are necessary while creating time for the human resources professional and managers to complete tasks that need human interaction and decision-making capabilities.

The next terminology in our tweetable series: Talent Management. We’ll sum this up in 140 characters or less so you can make a mental note and move on. Who has time for long blog posts on one concept?

When organizations first began the process of performance evaluations or appraisals, the feedback typically flows from the top-down and ends there. Supervisors provide feedback to their direct reports, often times individual contributors. This leaves a lot to be desired, not only is the expectation that the supervisor has a thorough grasp on the work that the subordinate does (and remembers it), but the supervisor is also left unchecked for how the working relationship is going from the viewpoint of the subordinate. The aforementioned type of feedback is typically referred to as “downward feedback” because the conversation stems from the top and flows downward.

Talent Management, as defined by Wikipedia, is “the anticipation of required human capital for an organization and the planning to meet those needs.” That sounds a lot like what Human Resources does in an organization. But understanding the nuances between these two functions is imperative to better understanding your employees and meeting their needs on the job.

Businesses create processes and standards by which their employees are measured against to ensure that employees understand their role and job function, are competent in that role, and ultimately are an asset to the organization. This process is typically referred to as performance management. The idea of performance management and a review process is theoretically a good one. The best way to measure an employee’s performance is by asking their managers, peers, and subordinates how exactly the employee is performing in their job, what they can improve upon, and what they have mastered. Performance reviews can sometimes go as far as to determine when someone is up for a promotion or a raise - although tying reviews with compensation can be tricky (more on that in another blog).