Caso di studio
Industria
Technology Services
Sede aziendale
Pune, India
Numero di dipendenti
750
Sedi uffici
Centers of Excellence in India and United States
Harbinger Group: Accelerates Speed-to-market and Boosts Employee Satisfaction Through Online L&D
Udemy promuove i risultati aziendali
Dettagli del caso di studio
Boasting three centers of excellence in India and two offices in the United States, Harbinger Group provides software development to companies in the HR Tech, Ed Tech, Content / eLearning and Health Tech domains. The company has a key commitment to developing its people — one of Harbinger’s core values — using its learner-centric ecosystem to provide an end-to-end, self-directed learning experience.
But with its learning and development (L&D) courses outsourced in the past to external trainers, Harbinger needed a cost-effective solution that would give its people immediate access to the wide-ranging skills training courses they needed — helping it reduce course completion times from months to just hours.
Outsourced learning creating missed opportunities
In the fast-paced world of software and new product development, the ability to react in real-time from a L&D perspective can offer a significant competitive advantage. For example, if a customer comes with a project proposal that needs your people to learn new technology skills, having an L&D program that supports quick upskilling can make all the difference.
With its L&D program somewhat reliant on external course trainers, the company found it difficult to react quickly to customer demands with the latest technical skills. “In the earlier days, our learning and upskilling program were largely in-person and instructor-led,” says Neville Postwalla, Associate Vice President – Talent Management at Harbinger Group. “And while we had our own internally developed learning management system (LMS), we found it challenging at times to respond to developing skills needs effectively — such as niche tech skills that require specialist courses.”
What’s more, the cost of outsourcing learning, combined with the time it took to complete individual courses (anything up to a day), meant that a significant proportion of Harbinger’s L&D budget wasn’t being used to its full potential.
To meet the speed-to-market expectations of its industry, and offer its people a truly employee-driven L&D experience, Harbinger needed an online L&D solution that could help it offer on-demand, access anywhere courses across a broad spectrum of legacy and latest skills.
Associate Vice President - Talent Management
A wide-ranging online learning platform with scope for integration
With Harbinger’s experience developing HR Tech solutions for its customers, its selection process for an online learning solution was thorough. “The right solution had to tick all the boxes for us, from wideranging courses, user experience, easy to administer and monitor, and cost,” says Neville. “Amongst leading providers, Udemy Business immediately stood out to us as a front-runner. The company’s account managers filled us with confidence from the start, and the platform did everything we wanted it to do — in particular, providing the right courses for our employees’ needs.”
While tech and IT related courses on the platform are naturally most popular among Harbinger’s employees, the company’s L&D team also noticed a strong demand for soft skills due to the pandemic. “Home and hybrid working mean our people are increasingly interested in softer courses such as change management, how to lead hybrid teams, how to contribute effectively in the Hybrid environment, managing your digital presence, and more,” says Ruby Baksi, Sr. Manager People Engagement at Harbinger Group. “Udemy Business has also helped our managers get to grips with remote teams, equipping them with the skills, empathy and confidence to better support their people.”
Where third-party software integrations and Learning Paths combine
In addition to the wide range of courses, Learning Paths for individual L&D goals, and dashboard metrics available in Udemy Business, Harbinger also uses the platform’s integration capabilities in combination with its internal micro learning portal Sprinkle Zone — its LMS, and its continuous performance management and engagement tool – Polestar.
“Udemy Business has become an integral part of our L&D journey, and we see Udemy more as a partner than just a vendor,” says Neville. “The platform gives us the data to refine our program and lets us create Learning Paths to help nurture our talent. So, rather than us pushing courses at our people, we’ve empowered them to drive their own learning.”
Associate Vice President - Talent Management
Employee satisfaction abounds
While the global talent market has never been more competitive — particularly for technical skills — Harbinger has found its employees to be extremely satisfied with Udemy Business. What’s more, the company has noticed several prospective employees attracted to roles because it now lists Udemy Business as a benefit.
“In the months following the first COVID-19 lockdowns, we were worried our productivity would take a hit,” says Neville. “In fact, our employee satisfaction survey shows productivity has risen. We’ve also found that people are attracted to roles because of Harbinger’s commitment to L&D and Developing its people”.
It’s a sentiment echoed by the newest addition to Harbinger’s L&D team, Harleen Kaur, Senior Executive of People Engagement at Harbinger Group. “One of the main reasons I applied for a job at Harbinger was because of the company’s reputation on Glassdoor. Knowing the company offers a Udemy Business license to employees played a part in my decision to accept the job.”
High platform adoption and lower costs
The numbers speak for themselves. On an average, Harbinger employees spend around 3 hours per month on Udemy Business courses. What’s more is that the platform adoption and engagement has been very high, close to 95%. Little wonder why Harbinger has grown its use of Udemy Business by 50% in just two years.
“Udemy Business has had a huge impact on our company, and it’s played a big role in our success,” says Neville. “Not only has it slashed our Tech Learning costs significantly — thereby allowing us to re-invest the savings into more strategic people activities— but it’s also given us the agility to take on new projects that needed a very short ramp up time. The platform has put us at a significant advantage over our competitors.”
Sr. Manager People Engagement
Real-time access to the latest skillsets
Looking to the future, Harbinger remains committed to maintaining the latest skills among its team, helping it stay one step ahead of the competition. “Udemy Business gives us the confidence to take on client projects that require advanced technical skills,” says Neville. “The platform’s wide-ranging courses allow our people to upskill in a matter of hours rather than months. It makes for a much better end result.”
Associate Vice President - Talent Management
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