Schedule time for upskilling to build a learning culture
Overview
What is DEAL Hour?
DEAL stands for “Drop Everything And Learn.” DEAL Hours are monthly, organization-wide dedicated learning sessions, set up by your company’s L&D or HR department. Employees take one hour out of their daily tasks to focus entirely on professional development using Udemy Business.
Why DEAL Hour Matters
It’s hard to find time to learn. Over half of employees globally say that lack of time is their top barrier to learning. Meanwhile, 73% of L&D leaders cite “finding time for workplace learning” as their top challenge.
By scheduling DEAL Hour, you help create a sustainable learning culture by providing protected time for employee development. DEAL Hour helps your people build consistent learning habits and focuses the company on priority topics that will drive real business outcomes.
Implementation Timeline
Day 1: Planning (30 minutes)
Review this guide and customize approach for your organization
Month 1: Foundation (1.5 hours total)
- Secure executive buy-in (1 hour prep + 30-minute meeting)
- Finalize monthly schedule and logistics
Month 2: Launch (2 hours total)
- Execute announcement campaign
- Schedule and hold first DEAL Hour
- Gather initial feedback
Month 3+: Grow (1 hour monthly)
- Continue monthly DEAL Hours
- Implement engagement initiatives
- Track and measure impact
Step-by-Step Implementation Guide
Step 1: Secure Executive Buy-In
Getting management to believe in the value of DEAL Hour is key to a successful rollout and making the program sustainable. Start from the top, and sell your executive staff and high level managers on the importance of learning. If your people managers see that their managers are supportive of DEAL Hour, then they will encourage their employees to participate. Use the pitch below about the benefits of workplace learning and the lack of time for learning to help your executive staff see the value and get behind DEAL Hour.
Key Talking Points for Executive Presentation: - Present the learning time crisis: 54% of employees need more learning time - Highlight skill disruption urgency: 44% of skills face disruption within 5 years - Position DEAL Hour as strategic culture initiative, not just training program - Request visible executive support and participation.
Executive Commitment Needed: - Public endorsement at company meetings - Personal participation in DEAL Hours - Support for employee time investment
Step 2: Design Your Announcement Strategy
The next step is to announce DEAL Hour so your employees know what it is. Use an executive sponsor to help make the announcement and generate excitement. You can create the announcement for them, but having the message come from them will show everyone in your organization that DEAL Hour is something the company is behind.
Include the announcement in a company all hands meeting or email. Don’t just announce it once, however. It’s important to keep people excited by announcing through multiple channels and reminding people it’s coming. Seek learning champions who can talk about the value of their learning on Udemy and the impact it had on their work or career.
Campaign Approach:
- Announcement: Company all-hands or organization-wide email from executive sponsor
- Visual Campaign: Posters, countdown graphics, branded Teams/Zoom backgrounds
- Social Proof: Learning champion videos, leadership testimonials
- Communication Timeline: - 2-3 weeks prior: Official announcement and program overview - 1 day prior: Reminder email with course selection guidance - Day of: “Today’s the day!” motivational message
Step 3: Schedule for Maximum Participation
Find a time that works well for DEAL Hour across your organization, and schedule one hour per month at the same time every month so people always have it on their schedule. When scheduling, keep in mind things that might keep people from participating, such as major recurring deadlines, month-end or end of quarter.
Use your User Activity Report in Udemy Business to see if you can spot any trends for when your employees are learning, and use that as a baseline for scheduling DEAL Hour.
For some organizations, it’s not practical, or possible, to have everyone stop what they’re doing and learn at the same time. If you have workers who are on-call, work on factory floors, or work in a customer-facing capacity that doesn’t allow them to take time away for learning in the middle of their shift, you can make DEAL Hour more flexible. Let the employee find a time that works well for them during that day or week, or alternate times with their colleagues so not everyone is learning at once.
Step 4: Provide Learning Direction
There are many great courses on Udemy Business, it can be hard to choose just one to watch for DEAL Hour! Consider recommending courses based on what you think works best for your organization. Alternatively, create a one-hour learning path with a mix of course portions, internal training and links to company presentations or videos.
Consider creating AI-powered learning paths aligned with strategic priorities, or address identified skill gaps. You could also have a monthly theme for inspiration focussed on events like wellness, diversity and inclusion or employee career development.
Use the course insights dashboard in Udemy Business to identify top content or courses, and consider employee-requested topics. Give your learners guidance on how to search and explore for topics of their choice that support their individual development goals.
Step 5: Optimize the Learning Environment
Sometimes, sitting at your desk can cause distraction--it’s much harder to drop everything and learn when you’re reminded of your work by papers at your desk, email notifications, and direct messages.
Distraction Reduction: - Encourage email and messaging system shutdown - Promote alternative learning locations (away from desks) - Suggest mobile app use for outdoor learning walks
Physical Space Enhancement: - Create dedicated learning zones with comfortable seating - Book conference rooms for group learning - Set up pop-up learning areas during DEAL Hour
Step 6: Facilitate Group Learning Experiences
Consider hosting one to three curated sessions for employees to attend virtually or in person in the office. In these sessions, employees get together to watch a course or part of a course, and take some time to discuss the content together!
Curated Session Setup: - Select 1-3 courses for facilitated group learning - Recruit diverse facilitators (executives, managers, employees) - Create sign-up system with course previews - Book appropriate spaces (physical and virtual)
Discussion Facilitation Best Practices: - Pre-Session: Prepare 3-5 discussion questions - During Session: Balance content consumption (30-45 min) with discussion (15-30 min) - Post-Session: Capture key insights and action items
Sample Discussion Questions: - What insights will you apply immediately? - How does this content address our organizational challenges? - What additional resources would enhance this learning?
Step 7: Maintain Engagement and Momentum
The best way to keep the DEAL Hour momentum going is by making it fun! Incentivize employees with treats or competitions to inspire them to learn every month. Use your User Activity report on Udemy Business to see which individual learned the most in a month, or which department had the most active learners to inspire a little friendly inter-office competition. Reward those individuals or teams with prizes such as chocolate, lunches, or company swag!
Another important factor in keeping the momentum going is maintaining executive buy-in. Ask your executives to continue to plug DEAL Hours at company All Hands meetings and by making announcements. Encourage them to share what they are learning during DEAL Hour with the rest of the organisation.
Step 8: Measure and Optimize Impact
Once you’ve successfully rolled out DEAL Hour, measure the impact it’s had on employees by using the Reporting & Insights tools within Udemy Business to track how much more people in your organization are learning every month. You can also send out surveys to get a sense for how people in your organization perceive workplace learning.
Quantitative Metrics: - Udemy Business User Activity reports - Month-over-month learning engagement increases - Course completion rates during DEAL Hours - Department participation comparisons
Qualitative Assessment: - Post-DEAL Hour feedback surveys - Learning culture perception changes - Employee satisfaction with professional development - Program improvement suggestions
Reporting Schedule: - Monthly engagement dashboards - Quarterly impact summaries - Annual program assessment and evolution planning
Communication Templates
Executive Announcement Email
Subject: Introducing DEAL Hours - Our Commitment to Your Growth
Message: “At [Company Name], we’re launching DEAL (Drop Everything And Learn) Hours to address the challenge we know you face: finding time for professional development.
Starting [Date], we’re dedicating one hour monthly for organization-wide learning using our Udemy Business platform. This isn’t just another initiative—it’s our commitment to your growth and our collective success.
Your Next Steps: - Mark your calendar: [Day/Time] monthly - Explore course recommendations: [Link] - Sign up for curated sessions: [Link]
We’re excited to learn alongside you. [Executive Team]”
Reminder Email
Subject: DEAL Hour Tomorrow - What Will You Learn?
“Tomorrow at [Time], we drop everything and learn together!
Quick Prep: - Browse our curated recommendations: [Link] - Join a facilitated session: [Link] - Or choose your own learning adventure
Ready to invest in yourself? [Executive Team]”
Day-Of Email
Subject: It’s DEAL Time!
“Right now, across all [Company] locations, we’re dropping everything to learn something new.
This Hour is Yours: - Turn off notifications - Find your learning space - Dive into growth
Let’s make this hour count. [Executive Team]”
Success Tips
Do’s:
- Start with strong executive sponsorship
- Maintain consistent monthly scheduling
- Celebrate participation and achievements
- Gather and act on feedback regularly
- Keep content fresh and relevant
Don’ts:
- Don’t skip months without communication
- Don’t ignore accessibility needs for all employees
- Don’t make participation feel mandatory rather than empowering
- Don’t forget to measure and share impact
Troubleshooting Common Challenges:
- Low Participation: Increase executive visibility and peer recognition
- Scheduling Conflicts: Survey for optimal timing and provide flexible alternatives
- Content Relevance: Regular employee input on learning priorities
Technical Issues: Ensure IT support and alternative access methods
This guide provides the framework for building a sustainable learning culture through DEAL Hours. Adapt these recommendations to fit your organization’s unique needs and culture.