The increase in e-learning since the pandemic means that staff have access to more training than ever before, says Natasha Kearslake.
Yet employees have never felt more demotivated. Workplace training has seen a huge transformation in recent years.
Few employees will miss the week-long, in-person training events they were once expected to attend. In a post-Covid world, the vast majority of these have been replaced with online training.
Learning via our screens offers a much cheaper alternative to in-person events for companies. It also benefits employees as it offers more flexibility and convenience. The shift to online also means that employees today have access to more training than ever before.
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All of which might sound like a win-win…
But while online modules offer many positives, leaders should be careful about viewing them as the answer to all their training needs. They may appear to have a cheaper price tag, but they also have limitations in terms of their effectiveness and the true value they provide. A lack of proper training is becoming a widespread issue, and companies are already experiencing the knock-on effects. We’re seeing an increase in frontline managers struggling to make quality decisions, and also to engage and motivate their teams.
So, has the pendulum swung too far? By moving all of our training online, are we failing to equip managers with the essential skills they need to do their jobs?
The drawbacks
Many businesses once invested huge amounts in in-person training. But that investment hasn’t returned after Covid due to employers not effectively measuring the outcomes and so they miss understanding the value it brought, or the difference it made.
I’m not suggesting we should go back to that. But is online-only training really up to the job? There are many disadvantages and if leaders are not evaluating online training to determine what’s working well and what’s not effective, they may not make effective training interventions – and will miss out on the many rewards they’re attempting to gain.
For example, learning via a screen can be isolating for employees as they don’t get to interact with the trainer and any people learning alongside them. Plus, they need a reliable internet connection and to understand the tech.
Also, the sheer abundance of online training options is overwhelming. How do you choose the right training course?
You can’t expect frontline managers to lead their teams successfully if you don’t equip them to do so. That means that a blend of online and in-person – done well – can deliver effectiveness in costs as well as learning transfer to the workplace.
Quality over quantity
The risk is seeing cost saving and flexibility as the main benefits of online training.
If moving all your face-to-face training online has saved you £500,000 this year, then that’s great. But has it also done what you need it to do – has it created managers with the right skills? We need to ask the right questions of our training delivery. And we need to look at how we evaluate what we’re doing is working.
Impact on productivity
Your managers play a crucial role in the success of your business. Putting people in senior roles but not training them properly to do their job means they’ll find it difficult to make quality decisions and engage teams.
This means you’ll often see uncoordinated or unproductive work, lower staff morale, and employees not feeling that their personal development is being invested in.
How to make your training work harder
While morale is at an all-time low for many workers, training options are at an all-time high. This shows there’s a disconnect. Here are some ways to close the gap.
• Think quality over quantity: Ditch the one-size-fits-all approach with training.
• Evaluate: Measure how effective your training really is – what’s working well and what isn’t.
• Ask employees what training they want: Use surveys or ask directly at meetings, appraisals and events.
• Pick ‘n’ mix: Use a combination of in-person training and online modules.
• Don’t forget other training opportunities: Mentoring can be extremely effective for more personalised coaching and guidance. It’s also highly effective for building relationships within your organisation.
Leaders need to change their approach to training – it’s no longer just about a tick-box exercise. It’s essential to evaluate your training to make sure it’s giving your future leaders the right skills.
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Natasha Kearslake is a qualified HR professional (MCIPD). As the founder of Organic P&O Solutions, she specialises in Learning & Development and recruitment.
