Greystar is a global leader in real estate management and development. Originally based in the US, it expanded so fast through Europe that company values hadn't yet taken root. As a result, there was a round of rapid promotions and the need for leadership development. An overarching learning and development strategy was required.
Greystar has ambitious business growth targets - a global professional rental housing platform with expert local presence. However one of the challenges it faced was low staff engagement with only ad hoc learning taking place. Technically excellent specialists were promoted fast into senior roles and found themselves running functions without management experience or professional training. For Greystar to achieve its upwards trajectory it needed to focus on management and leadership trajectory.
A direct customer of our partner, Hemsley Fraser, Greystar planned to build a simple learning library to support its overarching L&D strategy. But working with Hemsley Fraser and 5app it realised that rolling out the 5app platform would enable Greystar to power a new learning culture.
The Greystar Business School launched successfully with high levels of engagement at the outset, but as the novelty wore off so did the engagement. The lightbulb moment came when the company decided to look at it not just as a corporate university, but as a learning and communications hub.
The L&D team began curating and creating playlists, combining current news items with related learning modules that encouraged users into the Business School. This contextual approach of blending topical assets, learning resources, fun social content and corporate messaging, sparked a month on month increase in user engagement and learning assets being opened and undertaken.
Employees are now empowered to lead their own development, in their own time and language and have more than 2,100 learning assets to choose from.
Through the Business School, Greystar has demonstrated that an L&D strategy can achieve far more than just improving capability and performance. It has built a truly holistic platform that combines L&D and communication to not only increase interest in, and engagement with, learning, but help to further reinforce its values and create a collaborative culture.
In Europe, Greystar has moved from previously low levels of engagement with both L&D and its values, to the current culture where everyone feels they have the opportunity to develop and have a clear understanding of the company's purpose and goals.
One year after the launch of the Greystar Business School an employee survey found:
Use a platform that supports your way of working and learning. The 5app learning platform can help in supporting your your L&D strategy, creating a learning culture and in aligning learning with your business needs and objectives.
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