Businesses don’t exist without their employees, which is why it’s important to provide them with all the training they need to be confident in their roles and responsibilities.

In this new age of digitisation and remote working, many companies are choosing to upskill and train their employees through e-learning, instead of via in-person meetings, to meet them where they are. This less traditional training method allows employees to learn anywhere at any time, on whatever devices they like, giving them more control over their professional development. It also brings about many benefits for the business itself.

In this blog, we discuss the key benefits of e-learning in the workplace.

What is E-learning?

Before we get into the benefits of e-learning for business, let’s first clarify what e-learning is.

E-learning is a structured course or experience delivered electronically, for both educational and performance purposes. Instead of being in a physical environment, participants can learn from wherever they are, at their own pace. They can work both synchronously and asynchronously with their trainers to meet the outcomes of the intended training.

Benefits of E-learning for Businesses

E-learning is a powerful tool for employee development and business growth. Here are the intrinsic benefits that introducing e-learning into your workplace can bring.

Providing equal opportunity to employees

By delivering learning through digital means, you give your employees equal access to educational opportunities. Instead of confining training to a specific date and place, which not everyone may be able to make, e-learning ensures no one misses out.

Custom learning solutions

There’s a world of opportunity when it comes to e-learning. No matter what type of business you operate, or how many employees you have, there’s a variety of learning resources you can choose from, spanning micro-credentials and short courses to hard skills training.

Once you’ve found the sort of e-learning resource you’re after, you can tailor and customise it to your business needs, allowing you to create a meaningful business resource.

Keeps costs down

One of the other benefits of e-learning for employee training and development is that it’s very cost-effective compared to other modes of education. The reason it’s a lot cheaper is that it removes the overhead costs of training. You don’t need to hire a venue to conduct the training in, freeing up funds that can be better spent on more effective, engaging and interesting content that will be more beneficial for your employees (and business as a whole).

Flexibility

Online courses offer 24/7 access, allowing employees to access it whenever it suits them. Most e-learning resources also record live webinars, so even if an employee misses it because they were busy picking up the kids, they can revisit it later on.

E-learning ultimately lets your employees learn at their own pace – giving them free reign to learn when they want to (and how much they want to) at a time and place they choose.

Boosts productivity

Giving your team the option to learn when they want can ultimately make their learning more effective because they’re doing it when they’re ready rather than when they’ve been told to. Being able to tackle the content when they’re in the right headspace means they’re that much more likely to absorb and retain the information they’re reading/watching/listening to.

Not subjecting your employees to confined hours of teaching in the traditional sense also saves time for employers. This is because you don’t have to release employees for day- or weekend-long training sessions. Rather the employee can complete the e-learning in a structured environment at work or at home and not have to waste time traveling to and from classrooms.

Improved staff outcomes

Mercer’s 2022 Global Talent Trends study revealed three factors that employees and job candidates look for in a company, with one of them being working with a purpose.

Working with a purpose can include ongoing learning. Giving employees opportunities to continually learn, and expand their skills and knowledge, can only lead to good things, including greater satisfaction in their role, improved performance, and higher employee retention rates – all big wins for business!

It’s a solid business investment

When you invest in e-learning, you’re simultaneously investing in your business. E-learning resources can create more efficient internal processes, increased compliance, and a universal understanding of business values and goals, boosting both operations and culture.

Picking an E-learning Platform For Your Business

There are many e-learning platforms you can use for employee training and development purposes, from the learning content management systems (LCMS) and straightforward authoring tools to the all-encompassing learning management system (LMS).

When making your selection, it’s important to understand what your people need to be effective employees in your business. That way, you choose a solution that counts.

Here are the steps you should take to implement the right solution for your team:

• Analyse the skills gap in your business
• Define learning objectives (i.e. the purpose of the resource)
• Choose the platform that supports your goals
• Create an air-tight action plan
• Run a test cohort before you go live

Ultimately, the e-learning platform you opt for comes down to knowing your team and knowing how they learn best. You can then start looking into the best options for e-learning courses and content that fit their needs.

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