As businesses around the world postpone and Set up a COVID-19 learning- cancel in-person meetings in response to the novel response team coronavirus (or SARS-CoV-2), which causes the To create a comprehensive picture of learning COVID-19 disease, workplace learning is emerging offerings and how to adapt them to this new as one of the earliest and hardest-hit business environment, build a cross-functional response activities. Based on our observations as of early team composed of members from all relevant March, roughly one-half of in-person programs stakeholder groups. These include HR business through June 30, 2020, have been postponed or partners, learning-delivery personnel, IT and canceled in North America; in parts of Asia and platform technologists, and vendors. Establish a Europe, the figure is closer to 100 percent. regular operating cadence, and coordinate work with the company’s broader COVID-19-response However, businesses can’t afford to put capability effort. Define clear decision points and be trans- building on hold. Whether the effort is reskilling parent about the criteria for canceling or deferring at the business-unit level or a company-wide a program, including who will make the calls. aspirational transformation, companies can’t Line up the entire team on how communication of simply push the pause button on critical workplace these decisions will happen—for example, centrally learning, even as they move rapidly to put employee or locally. safety first. Conduct a rapid triage of the entire portfolio of To continue enabling and delivering value-creating learning offerings, and set priorities for what will be efforts, learning leaders have a number of tactical necessary to adapt to a virtual or digital-only format. steps they can consider to protect employees, Once you have a clear view of the entire portfolio, adapt programs and delivery, and establish and prioritize what to build. This is important because expand virtual live learning. Digital and virtual you can’t create digital versions of everything, and learning programs were already on the rise before you need to be strategic about the allocation of COVID-19 struck, and we already see a marked scarce design resources. Set triage criteria around increase in such learning programs, which many a combination of impact metrics (How critical is the younger employees embrace. topic? How soon will effects be felt? How many will be affected?) and feasibility (How suitable is the Beyond tactical steps, there are strategic measures, topic for digital delivery?). Right out of the gate, give such as exploring alternative digital learning priority to must-have programs (such as employee strategies, that managers can develop during this onboarding), and then roll out topical programs time of physical distancing. The stronger learning (such as teaching remote-working skills, remote- capabilities that emerge could stand as a positive management skills, and leadership skills in time 1 long-term outcome from this sobering period. of crisis). Six best-practice actions, ranging from the Good decision making in this initial period requires immediate and tactical to the strategic, can help appropriate information and data. We recommend maintain the momentum and benefits of workplace- developing several minimum viable products: a learning programs and help build a new foundation rolling six-week calendar of upcoming programs for effective virtual learning. These actions are and milestones, an exposure heat map (for example, establishing a learning-response team, protecting the number of affected participants by region or employees in in-person programs, adapting delivery, program type), a prioritized list of programs for promoting digital learning, exploring alternative redesigning, and a dashboard showing progress, digital strategies, and practicing and preparing for key indicators, and decision triggers. multiple outcomes. 1 This article reflects a contemporaneous perspective on how COVID-19 could and should impact workplace learning. It is based on McKinsey’s experience in delivering learning programs to our global workforce, as in well as our work supporting clients through McKinsey Academy, which is our entity for client-facing leadership development and functional capability building. 38 What now? Ten actions to emerge stronger in the next normal September 2020