E-learning Impact
How quality training impacts organizational growth
Traditional learningDespite record training budgets, a recent Deloitte survey found that only 5 percent of executives agree that their organization invests appropriately in skill building. The reasons for their disappointment are complicated. For one, the impact of passive learning is hard to track. Executives want to see training spending deliver more than clicks completed or warm bodies in a room. They want change that improves the bottom line in the long term in exchange for pulling teams from their daily work.
Additionally, passive classroom training is costly and typically exists in a vacuum—especially in a hybrid work model. Without frequent opportunities to practice and revisit skills, participants forget what they learned, even from the best workshops.
How e-learning stacks upBy contrast, active e-learning offers benefits that get measurable results and positively impact employee well-being and the bottom line. No awkward conversation at the bagel station required.
say learning improves their connection to work
say learning adds a senseof purpose to work5
5LinkedIn
Classroom learning means an instructor spends weeks preparing a course. Further expenses can include venue and lodging plus travel and hospitality costs—not to mention pulling groups from work for hours or days. By contrast, e-learning requires the software and systems to create and distribute the content. Create a course and use it once or repurpose it many times—the set-up cost is nearly the same.
Business change is faster than ever, with skills becoming irrelevant twice as fast. A critical update, workflow change, new technology tool, or product release shouldn’t require months of training preparation and coordination to skill the workforce. With the right e-learning tool, it’s possible to deliver training in hours, not months.
E-learning’s scaleability is appealing, especially for variable or distributed teams. Invest in building a course once and distribute it over and over to any location. It’s quick and easy to adjust and republish a course for new legal and compliance standards or release it in multiple languages. Create different versions for experience levels, job groups, or working styles.
E-learning means no one is tied to a desk for hours to participate in mandatory or skill-growth training. It’s available anywhere—on smartphones on the shop floor, laptops between patients, or a tablet while troubleshooting equipment. Easy access is especially compelling for frontline employees, who comprise 80 percent of the workforce but have traditionally had less access to and felt underserved by development opportunities. E-learning flattens access to training, especially as nearly 83 percent prefer digital learning delivery.
With e-learning, there’s no chasing down sign-in sheets and paper assessments when regulators want employees or vendors completed proof compliance training on time. A good tool includes tracking and results.
With a few clicks, get a report demonstrating who’s completed the work. A digital dashboard will typically offer metrics to learn how well participants performed.
Digital learning releases both instructors and learners from a compressed, limited timeline. E-learning offers the freedom to choose when and where to take lessons on a timeline that suits any schedule. Moreover, lessons can fit into the workflow, positively impacting skills retention. Learners can practice as they pick up new skills—or even reference a module while performing the new task.
Let’s face it. Training that’s a bore is training they’ll ignore. E-learning tools include opportunities to make learning active and fun to take. Learning that invites participation is more likely to stick. One Harvard study found that even students who say they prefer passive learning still performed better on tests after active learning sessions. Branching scenarios, 360 learning, and reflection questions are just some of the methods used in e-learning to invite engagement. Add media-rich images, illustrations, and images, and you have a beautiful and effective experience.
There's powerful evidence that access to quality, effective training is both good for employee well-being and correlated to better business performance overall. A culture of learning shows employees you care and increases satisfaction with the company. In one study, a strong learning culture led to up to 57 percent higher retention rates.
Not only does workplace learning improve performance and retention, but a Coursera report found that 95 percent of learners experienced personal benefits like improved confidence and increased likelihood they’d take on more responsibility. In fact, a new report found that more than three-quarters of global organizations surveyed are increasing their investment in skill-building and employee engagement.
That doesn’t mean e-learning is just good for employee retention and welfare. Multiple
studies have shown that access to training correlates positively with organizational performance. In short, a learning culture is good for the bottom line.
Get feedback. Ask what employees think of the current program. Ask what they need and deliver it.
Use data. Look at signups, quit rates, referrals, and test scores, and repeat referencing to learn what's working and what's not.
Showcase possibilities. Make learning a regular part of recruiting and retention conversations to keep opportunities top-of-mind and demonstrate you prioritize growth.
Check out these examples of digital learning
This simple guide helps frontline retail employees learn to process returns.
Try the course
This 360° visually interactive course reviews protocols for cleaning a doctor's office.
Sample only. Not intended to give professional or medical advice.
