Workforce of the Future

In response to the number of generations in the workforce and the changing nature of work, we expanded the Workforce of the Future strategy to build an organization of people who are continuously learning and refining their skills for success.

With the pace of change accelerating technologies, automation, and the skills required to succeed at work, Workforce of the Future is focused on embedding a culture of continuous learning and balancing the need for building digital and technology skills with emotional and human skills.

Our approach to learning and development is guided by our belief that the business must serve the employee in order to succeed. We must deliver resources and opportunities to develop the latest skills so that every employee is continuously learning. To accomplish this most effectively, we’re focusing on how people learn at work and exploring the role of technologies such as artificial intelligence in making learning more personalized and aligned with employees’ needs and aspirations.

The Distribution Academy

We launched Distribution Academy, a digital learning experience to help sales agents build their skills and knowledge when and where needed. They can then, in turn, deliver more nuanced and customized solutions to customers. Since its launch, the Academy has won 20 industry awards for innovation and technology — a clear indicator of how learning has evolved in recent years. Currently, we are rolling out the Distribution Academy across U.S., LATAM, EMEA and APAC.

New tools and campaigns

In 2019, we launched the #BeCurious campaign to continue embedding a culture of constant learning across MetLife. Along with this campaign we launched a new learning platform that provides employees with an integrated and localized suite of blended and digital learning programming. Accessible through smartphones anywhere at any time, the platform essentially opens up when and how employees want to access learning, whether that’s during their commute, at home, or elsewhere.

Workforce engagement: Next Horizon Days

In 2019, we took time to assess the capabilities of our workforce and align them to our forward-looking strategy, called Next Horizon. We dug deeper into how we can best help our employees transfer their current skills into future opportunities — and what types of resources we can provide to help them do that efficiently. During 2020, we are turning these insights into Next Horizon Days, interactive learning and team-building sessions for every MetLife employee to learn about MetLife’s new strategy, goals, and priorities. During these events, employees will be encouraged to share their perspectives on MetLife’s Next Horizon strategy and ideas for the company to simplify efforts, identify efficiencies, and differentiate our products and services for our customers.

Rising up with Generation

One of the primary goals of MetLife Foundation’s work is to ensure that low- and moderate-income people are equipped not only with the financial tools and resources but also with the right skills necessary to capitalize on opportunities and be prepared for working in the future. That often requires early intervention and specialized training. In 2019, MetLife Foundation partnered with Generation, a youth employment nonprofit, to equip 3,000 young people in India with the right skills to gain meaningful employment. These skills will help set them on the path to earning a steady income and taking actionable steps toward improving their long-term financial health. The program delivers a high placement ratio with more than 80% of graduates being placed within three months of their training with double their pre-training earnings.