A supportive online training culture encourages continual development and professional growth. But it also has a significant impact on your corporate eLearning ROI. In this article, I’ll discuss 7 benefits that a supportive online training culture can bring to your company’s bottom line.
How A Supportive Online Training Culture Improves ROI
Effective online training is an ongoing effort. Employees must be able to hone skills and talents throughout their entire career, not just during the onboarding process. One of the best ways to promote lifelong learning and build a thriving learning community is to cultivate an online training culture. This may take time, resources, and careful planning. However, there are many ways that a supportive online training culture can improve your corporate eLearning ROI.
1. Improves Employee Retention
Chances are, a high percentage of your eLearning budget goes toward onboarding training. Your new hires must be effective brand advocates from day one. This requires a well-executed online training strategy that caters to their specific needs. For example, raising awareness of company policy and compliance protocols. Thus, losing an employee who’s been with your organization for some time, leads to a financial loss. You then have to train a replacement, who may or may not stay with the company in the long run. Fortunately, a thriving online training culture improves employee satisfaction, thereby reducing turnover. Employees who are happy on the job tend to stay in their current positions or even strive for internal promotions.
2. Increases Employee Engagement And Participation
Human beings are social beings who like to feel supported and nurtured. As a general rule, we don’t care for isolation or alienation. A supportive online training culture gives employees the peer-based resources they need to succeed. This increases their motivation, engagement, and active participation. They get involved in the online training process because they know that help is always available. This may be in the form of peer-to-peer eLearning feedback, mentorship online training programs, online forums, and a variety of other online collaboration platforms.
3. Improves Workplace Productivity And Proficiency
A supportive online training culture promotes ongoing improvement. Employees are encouraged to use the online resources to improve their work practices and essential work skills. Therefore, they are more productive in the workplace and better equipped to handle everyday challenges. A supportive online training culture also improves task proficiency, as employees know that “moment of need” online trainning resources are readily available. An increase in productivity and proficiency results in fewer on-the-job mistakes and a boost in profits. Furthermore, employees are more likely to comply with local rules and regulations, as well as company policies. This means fewer violation fees and penalties that your organization must pay.
4. Raises Awareness Of Online Training Resources
Some of your employees may not even be aware of the online training tools and resources you provide. They already know about the mandatory online training courses and eLearning assessments. However, there is a variety of microlearning, moment of need, and supplemental online training materials that are there for the taking. A supportive online training culture raises awareness of these valuable online training resources and stresses the importance of proactive online training. Employees are encouraged to seek out online training tutorials when they need help with a task, or engage in online discussions to get input from their peers. More importantly, they know how to find the tools that can broaden their knowledge and fill personal performance gaps.
5. Fosters A Collaborative Work Environment
One of the standout benefits of a supportive online training culture is that they foster teamwork and collaboration. Every member of the team has the power to share their insights and get feedback from their co-workers. It’s a free flowing exchange of ideas, opinions, and advice. And this carries over the work environment. As a result of this, your employees have a network of peers that they can turn to when a problem arises. For example, if they have a customer service issue that must be handled immediately. Their co-workers can offer their skills and expertise to tackle the task. This is all thanks to the fact that everyone understands the mutual benefits of a collaborative online training community. You might also consider hosting monthly webinars to keep everyone updated and build a sense of community.
6. Encourages Lifelong Learning
Above all else, a supportive online training culture promotes and facilitates lifelong learning. As I mentioned earlier, employees have access to a wealth of resources. Therefore, they are able to identify their specific knowledge and skills gaps, then fill them autonomously. There is no need to wait until the next online training session. Every member of your organization understands and appreciates the importance of ongoing training. This has a far-reaching effect. It allows them to improve their personal and professional lives, which makes them more effective employees who never pass up the opportunity to learn and grow as individuals. However, they are also more adept team players who can nurture the talents of others within the organization.
7. Instills A Sense Of Employee Ownership
Employees are the face of your brand image. They deal with customers and clients on a daily basis. Therefore, they must be treated like an integral part of your organization, not outsiders who have no input in the online training process. A communicative and transparent online training culture makes them feel like they are part of something larger. As such, they take ownership of their own training path and the organization’s success, as a whole. They become loyal brand advocates who uphold standards, hit their sales goals, and provide superior service.
A supportive online training culture improves employee engagement, builds teamwork skills, and improves workplace productivity. All of this translates into a better corporate eLearning ROI for your organization and helps you achieve the desired outcomes. In fact, a supportive online training culture has a two-fold effect. It makes your online training initiatives even more effective, while it reduces overall costs so that you can broaden your profit margin.
Do you want to create a successful corporate eLearning culture that reinvigorates your employees? Read the article 8 Tips To Create A Corporate eLearning Culture to find out how to create a thriving online training culture within your organization.