” I think we have such an
incredibly great
collaboration!”
An education that inspires continuous learning
Karin Hallendal Skogh is a Leadership Developer at PostNord and is responsible for conducting and coordinating training, coaching, and education in leadership internally within PostNord, and coordinating external education providers’ efforts. Karin has a background in human resources and has previous experience as a manager in educational environments, such as within the Police Academy and Stockholm Labor Market Administration.
”I was not familiar with Effektiv Nu before I started working at PostNord, but I was aware of them when I entered the training myself because we discussed engaging them as a provider for future training initiatives in my unit. So I had more than just the participant’s perspective; I also had to evaluate and consider the way forward for us as an organization.”
”I would highly recommend this training initiative without hesitation. And I would do so from my perspective as a participant, personally, and as part of a course offering in a larger organization because there is tremendous value in it. Both in terms of self-confidence, efficiency, and time savings. So the warmest recommendation!”
How would you describe your challenges at PostNord before starting this training initiative?
”Much of it has been about the reactive aspect. About the relationship, especially with emails, not having a sense of control or being the one who sets priorities. Having tasks raining down on you, often in the form of emails, meeting invitations, and meetings. That’s the core of it, but also the concrete competence related to digital tools. Both the mindset regarding time, owning time, whose time, etc., but also the actual tools and maturity in, for example, Teams, Outlook, and OneNote.”
What was your experience of the training?
”My purely personal experience is almost a bit overwhelming if I’m honest. I belong to a group that has relatively low knowledge, maturity, and relationship with digital tools. And for a long time, it has limited me and also contributed to the feeling that I am a bit behind and foolish in an area where it’s easy to feel like everyone else knows more or that I should already know this. I’m not saying that the training has completely solved that problem for me, but definitely to a great extent. So for me, it has meant a lot. Especially the parts in Outlook, to mention something.”
What effects have you seen from implementing this training at PostNord?
”So far, I would say that the primary value is the personal gain for each individual. And that’s no small effect; we have almost 100 participants who have completed the training. On an organizational level, we have seen ripple effects in the sense that many of those who have taken one of your courses have also developed an appetite for competence development and then enrol in one of our management programs or another component of what we call the Leadership Academy. So, thanks to your training initiative, we have sparked the desire for learning on a broader front, and I think that’s fantastic! And then, we can also see from the report you have provided us how it can be translated into economic figures and how much benefit such an initiative brings.”
According to the preliminary study and evaluation sent by Effektiv Nu to all participants from PostNord, it could be seen, among other things, that on average, 1 hour per day per employee has been freed up, which can have a positive impact both economically and in terms of productivity. 60% of the participants stated that their stress has decreased as a result of the training, and 80% feel that they have better control over their tasks.
What would you say to someone who is considering if this might be something for them?
”Sometimes we have employees or colleagues who initially think they will sign up for one of the course sessions, and when they realize that it consists of several modules, their reaction is sometimes like, ‘Oh, was it that extensive!’ And I would like to emphasize that, although it requires some time, it’s still very little compared to what you will gain on the first day after the training. To those who think it’s a significant time investment, I would like to say that, yes, in the short term, perhaps, but I would rather say the opposite. Because it’s such an incredibly effective setup with instruction and the fact that you make adjustments during the course, so that you don’t just think it’s a good idea and that you’ll fix later. You get time to apply the work methods during the training, and I think that has incredible value.”
”As a final note, I would also like to highlight that I perceive you as a collaboration partner who is incredibly competent, caring, professional, and warm. Not only in the course but also in the discussions and evaluations we’ve had, or in course planning. I think we have such an incredibly great collaboration!”