We have been working with Video Arts, the world’s leading producer of training films, since 1991. Since then, generations have grown up learning from their classic training films — distributed by us as well — and more recently from their short films known as Essentials.

Video Arts has always been building the future: the topics they highlight usually soon become trending subjects in Hungary within a short time. In our blog, you can now read fresh insights from them. The original article can be found here: Spring Clean Your Skills: L&D Checklist for the Modern Workplace.

It might not technically be spring yet, but if the sun is out for more than seven consecutive minutes in the UK, we’re calling it.

Spring cleaning usually means clearing out cupboards, rediscovering a mug you thought you’d lost in 2019, and asking yourself why you own seventeen tote bags.

For Learning and Development (L&D), though, a spring clean looks a little different. (Not that different, we certainly rake up our fair share of tote bags from events.)

Instead of clearing cupboards, the question becomes:

Are the skills we’re developing still fit for the modern workplace?

Because learning isn’t static. It’s built around people, behaviour and workplace culture, and those things are constantly shifting. What worked brilliantly five years ago may now need a refresh, a tweak, or a completely new lens.

So before planning the next quarter of programmes, here’s a Spring Skills Checklist for L&D teams to sense-check whether your learning strategy is keeping pace with the way people actually work in 2026.

1. Dusting off Hybrid and Remote Working Skills

Many organisations built hybrid earning programmes during the pandemic at impressive speed.

The question now is:

Have they evolved since then?

At the time, the focus was survival. Cameras on. Teams etiquette. Remember to unmute yourself before delivering a passionate monologue.

Today, hybrid work is the norm, but the challenges have shifted.

Ask yourself:

• Are managers equipped to lead distributed teams, not just host virtual meetings?
• Do employees know how to maintain visibility and collaboration when they’re not physically present?
• Are teams balancing flexibility with accountability and trust?

For example, imagine a team where half the members work remotely while the rest are office-based. Decisions start happening informally after meetings, hallway conversations replace structured collaboration, and remote employees can slowly drift out of the loop.

Nobody intends to exclude anyone. But the result is the same.

Hybrid working skills are no longer about tools. They’re about inclusion, communication, and leadership at a distance.

2. Refining Leadership Skills in the Age of the “Mega Manager”

With the rise of the “mega manager”, leaders are expected to support their teams in more ways than ever. AI has moved from novelty to an everyday tool, and wellbeing is finally being treated as a necessity rather than a nice-to-have (which we fully support). As newer generations enter the workplace, ideas, expectations and communication need to be managed.

Tweaking leadership training isn’t all about negative elements. Even progressive changes to the workplace can be a shift in the way we work after all.

Check your leadership skills:

• Are your managers equipped to support wellbeing while still delivering results?
• Do they understand how to integrate AI responsibly, using it to augment rather than replace human decision-making?
• Can they link everyday work to purpose, helping teams see impact beyond tasks and KPIs?
• Are multi-generational teams receiving guidance on outcomes, connection and inclusion?

Though we do not like to brag too much (we like to a little), Video Arts has been helping organisations navigate evolving leadership challenges for over 50 years. Our leadership modules in focus on practical skills managers can apply in real workplace scenarios.

3. Management & Talent: Polishing the People Pipeline

It’s fair to say that HR teams invest a lot of time and effort in developing talent. People are your most valuable asset in a business, so it makes sense. When roles evolve faster, career paths are less linear, and people expect development to happen continuously rather than once a year in a slightly awkward appraisal meeting, it’s important to sense-check whether methods need updating. In other words, the talent pipeline occasionally needs a bit of a polish.

Check your management and talent skills:

• Are managers confident in giving regular, constructive feedback?
  • Do employees clearly understand what development looks like in their role and where it could lead next?
  • Are managers equipped to coach people through challenges rather than simply solve problems for them?
  • Do your development conversations focus on long-term growth, not just immediate performance?

Video Arts’ Management & Talent learning focuses on the practical side of developing people: coaching conversations, meaningful feedback, and helping employees build confidence and capability over time.

A Spring Clean, Not a Clear-Out

A good spring clean in the case of learning isn’t about throwing everything away. It’s about evaluating what you have, noticing what you could do with a bit of attention and adjusting accordingly.

Organisations that value learning may think they have strong learning in place. But it’s good to question whether those skills still reflect the workplace as it is today.

Refreshing those skills doesn’t have to be a manic overhaul. With learning like ours, it can simply be an integration of behaviour-driven humorous content backed by subject matter experts.

Over the next few blogs in this series, we will take a closer look at each area of the checklist and explore the practical skills that help teams stay sharp, adaptable, and ready for whatever the workplace decides to do next.

For now, consider this your gentle reminder that sometimes the most valuable learning update is not a dramatic overhaul. It is simply a well-timed refresh.