Technology is becoming increasingly entwined with the day to day processes of businesses across all sectors. No matter what industry they operate within, almost every organisation has come to appreciate the value that digital transformation and the leveraging of technology can have for their businesses.
With organisations focusing their minds firmly on driving future successes, the question of how new systems and processes can be utilised to revitalise outmoded or sluggish procedures is at the forefront for many business owners and HR professionals. Employee training is an area which certainly seems rife for technological rejuvenation and as organisations fix their eyes on the horizon and on the successes that lay beyond, effective processes for training and guiding staff will be critical in attaining these goals.
We thought we should take a look at employee training through the lens of new technology and how leveraging new systems can help transform the way in which you allow your employees to grow and develop. With the ability to effectively foster and hone the talents of your people being one of the most effective ways to drive forward engagement and productivity, how can leaning on new technology help?
Why is Employee Training important?
Employee training ensures that you encourage the growth and development of your people, making sure that they have the tools and knowledge to empower them to achieve the most in their roles. Rather than cutting loose underperforming staff members and constantly returning to the recruitment pool, an effective framework of training and development can help you foster the skills and talent that you have within your existing workforce, a talent pipeline.
Whilst also vital in driving forward success, employee training also plays a vital role in an employee’s wellbeing and job satisfaction-Research by MHS found that 96% of employees felt they would be more likely to stay with their current organisation if they offered a clear and well defined programme of training and development. Every person within your organisation will undoubtedly want to understand where the potential for growth is within their place of work and by fostering this desire for learning and development, it can go a long way towards ensuring the long term engagement and overall job satisfaction of an employee. A clear and well defined policy of training and development can be the factor which determines whether employees choose to stay with an organisation or move elsewhere.
What does Employee Training involve?
What specifically defines an effective training process will differ from role to role and sector to sector. Certain industries will have greater levels of requirements when it comes to employee skill sets and certification and the shape which any training process will take will inevitably be dictated by the demands of the sector.
Despite this, there are some universal factors which are applicable to employee training regardless of industry. Typically, training and development will take several forms to suit the role and employee, including: Conferences or E-learning events, Group training sessions, quizzes or lectures all form part of the tapestry of employee training and development.
Employee training defies a singular definition in terms of technique and the businesses who utilise any initiatives designed to help their people learn and grow, will do well to look inwards at their business and consider their future goals and what methods will best help their people align with any strategies moving forwards.
What are the benefits of employee training?
As mentioned previously, a clear, well defined set of processes for helping your employees grow and develop is one of the most effective ways to help align your people with your ongoing business goals. There are also a myriad number of benefits to be reaped by both employee and organisation alike, including:
- Increased engagement and motivation
- Aligning your people with your ongoing goals and strategy
- Accountability
- Increased employee retention
- A more transparent and open company culture
Employee training is the key to unlocking the potential of your people and to foster their skillsets, talent and hunger for growth in ways which will enrich and enhance your organisation.
How can technology help empower your employee training?
As with many aspects of work, leveraging new systems and technology is one of the most effective ways for organisations to get the most out of any employee training initiatives they wish to introduce. HR systems in particular offer a framework wherein businesses can effectively monitor and maintain the learning and development profiles of their employees, accurately charting each person’s journey and keeping on top of any certification or qualifications.
In addition to handling the heavily admin-based elements of employee training, technology should also be utilised to transform your learning and development programmes and make them as inclusive and engaging as possible. Over the past year, businesses across all sectors have heavily leveraged virtual platforms to assist them in matters of learning, development and general communication. With these assets and systems growing in complexity and functionality, organisations should consider folding them more permanently into their training programmes, in order to create a visually engaging experience for their people.
Research by Forbes has found that the uptake in digital learning platforms by organisations over the course of the pandemic has been sustained into 2021, with businesses now leveraging such technology to form a more permanent element of their ongoing employee training. A report by Stanford Medicine has found that three quarters of medical students and almost half of current physicians are making use of emerging virtual platforms in order to hone their skills.
Some of the ways new systems and technology can help transform your employee training include:
- Reduced admin- Allow your HR system to take the strain of tracking the progression of employee training. Chart the learning and development of each of your people with a dedicated profile which maps their progression. Free your HR teams from the drudgery of manual input and chasing up out of date certification.
- Microlearning- In a fast paced business environment, committing the time to lengthy training modules can often mean compromising business critical elements of work. No organisation will want to make a trade off between training and productivity and this is where microlearning steps in- virtual platforms can allow employees to condense training programmes into daily, bite sized chunks with trainer assisted modules and quizzes designed to impart the information, without the demands on time.
- Performance rewards- Recent research has found that reward based systems in video games have a profound impact in driving player motivation. More and more virtual learning platforms are adopting similar systems of performance induced rewards, designed to motivate employees to engage with programmes on a daily basis.
- Create a universal experience- With remote working now a more permanent element of everyday working culture, organisations are faced with unique challenges when it comes to creating a universal training and development experience for all employees. As effective as face to face sessions can be, with workforces increasingly more widespread, businesses who rely on older methods of development can find themselves alienating a large portion of their workforce. By leveraging virtual platforms to create their training programmes, organisations can ensure an inclusive, universal development system for their people.
How OneAdvanced can help Transform your Employee Training
Right now, the focus of every business will be firmly placed on driving productivity and profitability. Success within an organisation cannot be attained without the commitment of its people and therefore, having a robust and dedicated framework for employee training and development will be crucial in helping align employees with ongoing business goals and strategy.
Retaining talent will also be a critical component in driving success and it is a proven element that by nurturing the growth and development of your people, you are more likely to be safeguarding their wellbeing as well as instilling a greater sense of confidence and motivation. By leveraging the talents of your existing workforce, you can get the most out of your people without returning needlessly to the recruitment pool in order to cover gaps in your organisation.
At OneAdvanced, we believe in the potential of technology to help empower your people and allow your business to reach the heights that it deserves. Our cloud HR software solution, offers a comprehensive framework to help free your people teams and support your business in crafting an effective training and development programme.
If you would like to find out how OneAdvanced can help your organisation foster the talents of your people, Get in touch with one of our friendly team members today.