How To Tell If Your Company Needs An eLearning Program
It’s important for your employees to know you support them in their personal and professional growth. Especially given that, nowadays, they need to embrace continuous learning to advance their careers instead of relying solely on their initial education. eLearning programs are powerful tools for this purpose and can benefit your workforce and business alike. However, how can you know if your current training methods aren’t helping your employees? Below, all the signs indicate that your workforce needs an eLearning program.
6 Tell-Tale Signs That You Should Invest In An eLearning Program
1. Inefficient Training Methods
Traditional training methods, such as workshops or lessons in classrooms, aren’t as flexible, making them inconvenient for employees with busy schedules. This can lead to lower participation rates and engagement, which hinder the training process. eLearning programs allow employees to access the learning material remotely and whenever they see fit. They’ll also have access to immediate feedback, so they can know which areas to improve to make the learning journey as effective as possible. Additionally, online modules can be shorter and thus easier to follow, allowing learners to focus and retain the information they learn.
2. High Employee Turnover
We live in the era of the Great Resignation, during which companies suffer from high turnover rates. This disrupts the workflow and reduces productivity, seriously impacting business operations. When seasoned employees quit, a skills and knowledge gap arises that new additions need to fill. However, this process requires time and resources. eLearning programs can reduce the time needed to train new hires since they impart knowledge quickly through personalized training paths and other resources. In addition, this easy access to learning materials promotes lifelong learning.
3. Lack Of Skills
If employees struggle to complete tasks and finish projects, or the work they produce is of low quality, then it may be a sign that there’s a lack of skills that you need to address. An online training program can help your business navigate this challenge by providing targeted training sessions that fill specific skills gaps. Similarly, personalized training can adjust to a staff member’s personal career goals and learning preferences and create courses that meet their needs. For more immediate action, there’s always the solution of on-demand training, which equips employees with the necessary knowledge whenever needed.
4. Inconsistent Training Delivery
When training is delivered inconsistently across different departments or company branches, gaps in knowledge and performance can occur. People who work for the same organization need to receive the same training to avoid a lack of competencies across the company. eLearning platforms offer standardized training that can be accessed by the whole workforce, regardless of their department or branch location. You can provide modules that are designed with a consistent format and approach, and administrators can monitor everyone’s performance through the platform. Your company can even adjust the learning material to support a wider or smaller range of employees according to organizational needs.
5. Need For Compliance Training
Every organization must comply with regulatory requirements and other industry-related laws. Therefore, employees must be trained on legal obligations, risk management, customer trust, data protection, and other sensitive matters. An eLearning solution can provide you with updated training materials regarding regulatory compliance. These can be accessed remotely and at any time, ensuring company-wide participation. Employees can also earn certifications that validate their knowledge on the matter after they complete the training and assessments.
6. Cost And Time Limitations
You shouldn’t compromise your workforce’s personal and professional development just because you struggle with budget or time constraints. Traditional training methods are costly, lengthy, and require careful scheduling, which can be challenging. Avoiding them can solve these problems, but you shouldn’t skip training altogether. Instead, turn to eLearning programs, which don’t require travel and accommodation costs, venues, materials, and instructors. The modules can also be quick; employees are able to complete them from home during a busy workday.
How To Successfully Implement The Program
Needs Analysis
To provide the best learning experience to your staffers, you need to identify their training needs. Keep in mind that every department has different requirements, so you should assess them separately. Research your employees’ current skills and knowledge gaps and ask them about their preferences. Depending on their job roles and professional goals, you may notice patterns that will help you shape the perfect training program. However, throughout the needs analysis, ensure that the program also aligns with your organizational goals.
Choose An eLearning Platform
When choosing an LMS, you need to consider many factors. The platform needs to be easy to use and adjustable according to your company’s shifting needs. For example, your workforce may expand, so you’ll need software that can support delivering content to a large audience. You’ll also need to evaluate the platform’s features and security policy, as well as their technical support. Consult with your IT department and let them help you make the best decision for the business and the staff.
Engaging And Interactive Content
If the learning content doesn’t spark your employees’ interest, then there’s a high possibility that the training process won’t be successful. Engaging content can go a long way in enhancing learning outcomes and helping learners commit to the process. The courses should consist of videos, simulations, animations, quizzes, and gamification elements to capture your employees’ attention and increase knowledge retention rates.
Provide Support
Before giving your employees access to the LMS, you should train them to use it effectively. Offer them instructions via email that they can refer to whenever they encounter issues. Additionally, you can choose a platform that offers on-screen instructions and tutorials for first-time users. Also, have a seasoned employee be responsible for the training process and help their peers overcome potential challenges.
Track Progress
Your eLearning platform should come with tracking and reporting features to help you monitor employee progress during training sessions. This will allow you to gather data such as completion and engagement rates, scores on quizzes and assessments, log-in info, and more. If you review this data regularly, you’re able to easily make changes to your training strategy when necessary and take immediate action when problems arise.
Continuous Improvement
It’s essential to gather feedback from your workforce regarding their experience with the eLearning program. Include surveys into the platform that can pop up as soon as they finish their lessons. The survey can include questions about the content, the delivery of the courses, and their overall experience. Then, analyze this information and identify areas of improvement in order to update the content and constantly include fresh ideas.
Foster A Learning Culture
To make sure that your workforce is genuinely invested in the eLearning program, you should create a learning culture within your business. Promote your new training initiatives through a company-wide meeting and highlight how valuable it is for everyone’s growth. Mention that this is a chance for them to learn new things and develop their skills while advancing their careers. You can also encourage them to collaborate throughout the process and share their thoughts and experiences.
Conclusion
If your company still trains its employees the “traditional” way without visible results, it’s time to ponder an online training program. Through that, your people will have direct access to relevant learning materials that meet their needs and help them achieve their professional goals, especially if you choose the right LMS. Learn how to read the signs about your organizational training needs and use our tips to implement a new eLearning program for your workforce successfully.
Christopher Pappas
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