Plante Moran: 2022 BEST Award Winner, #15

How can talent development teams sustain or even increase learner engagement levels during rapid changes in business, technology, and society? Just ask the TD team at Plante Moran, an audit, tax, consulting, and wealth management firm. Through a strategic approach to navigating the pandemic and remote training, the team has been able to maintain high-quality learning experiences and enhance learning programs without sacrificing company culture or skills development.

The company's talent strategy focuses on obtaining, retaining, and developing staff so its more than 3,500 employees can have the "opportunity to strive to become trusted advisors to their clients." In 2020, Plante Moran used TD efforts to address critical business issues, including enhancing a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion; transitioning to a new enterprise resource management tool; and pivoting to a fully remote training environment.

"Our L&D team has a constant focus on designing learning strategy to drive desired performance outcomes and creating long-lasting, engaging learning experiences," says Monica Bordner, L&D leader. Staying true to that focus in 2021 proved more challenging, when stress and Zoom fatigue from the pandemic's second full year put staff and participant engagement at risk. However, with an emphasis on quality over quantity, the team became more strategic in its approach to its work and the L&D programs it provides to maximize the value of participants' time in the classroom.

More specifically, team members concentrated on expanding internal resources and expertise and improving overall team efficiency. They also worked with leadership to create and fill a new education manager position. "This full-time role remains seated within the practice but primarily works as a dedicated subject matter expert to determine, design, and deliver—with support of TD—the proprietary content needed," Bordner explains.

When the pandemic fast-tracked the migration of the company's communications platform, team members prioritized learning and vetting the software and designated a staffer to develop best practices and troubleshoot problems. In doing so, the team could more promptly react to participants' needs for an improved online learning experience.

The TD team also realized significant operational efficiency when it delegated tasks to the HR shared services administrative team. "This initiative freed up time for L&D to concentrate on strategic items important to our clients and heightened the sophistication of consultation provided across service areas," Bordner notes.

The streamlining saved more than 11,000 hours among the TD team, netting approximately 4,000 total hours saved as result of the HR shared services team's efficiencies.

Those tactical approaches facilitated a massive behavior shift among staff that supports the team's long-term goal of increasing blended learning offerings. Training completion rates increased, while the number of no-shows decreased. The team also reduced the number of learning hours by 18 percent, allowing participants to spend more time applying their new skills with clients.

"We recognize there's no turning back to the way things were," Bordner acknowledges, "and our intentional approach has ensured that learning and development stays ahead of the curve."

View the entire list of 2022 BEST Award winners.