Training is an expensive activity for the majority of large organisations, but it’s also an extremely beneficial process when implemented effectively. Given it can be difficult to manage in a classroom environment - many organisations are turning to technology to help improve delivery of their training programs.
Government agencies and enterprise departments are often slow to respond to the latest technologies, although it’s safe to assume that all of them have an intranet already set up. However, many of these are basic and don’t take advantage of what a modern content management system (CMS) and learning management system (LMS) can offer.
With this in mind, today we’ll be looking at exactly how an enterprise or government organisation can benefit from deploying an e-learning program on their intranet.
Compliance Often Means Headaches
Due to the nature of the organisation, it’s often the case that government, healthcare, NFPs and other high compliant industries have to adhere to certain guidelines and be fully compliant with various regulations. It’s not always easy to make staff understand this, especially not in a rushed, classroom-based environment where there are plenty of distractions.
However, with an LMS, employees can take a range of modules that are better designed to suit their individual needs. This also allows senior staff to monitor employees’ understanding of what they are required to do when it comes to compliance and their jobs.
Employees can also:
- Work on training at their own pace
- Access a ‘scoreboard’ in order to see how others are doing
- If the LMS is accessible via the internet, complete training even when not in the office
- It’s also an ideal opportunity for the organisation to better engage employees with the intranet, something which allows for a lower level of employee turnover. We’ve talked about how engaging employees gives them a voice in the past and to the modern organisation, this is something that is invaluable.
Engaged employees have a voice within the organisation and this leads to a better sense of pride in their job, which in turn leads to better customer service and essentially, increased profits, something which according to the Temkin Group can be called the ‘virtuous circle’.
Investing in Employees is Investing in the Future
There continues to be a lot of discussion centred around the global issue of the skills gap and to some extent, this can be put down to a lack of investment into employees. All organisations can and should be leading the way then when it comes to furthering the training and knowledge of their employees, if they want to build a productive and efficient workforce.
However, this means that training has to be implemented in such a way as to ensure that the organisation benefits, both in monetary terms and in terms of knowledge. The beauty of an LMS is that it reduces the cost of training, as well as allowing learning to take place at a much more convenient pace than it would in a traditional classroom environment.
Further to this, in a large organisation, logistically speaking, training and its administration can be highly time-consuming and difficult. This is because there are so many different roles that require training across the organisation, often with staff based in various locations. An LMS can streamline this significantly, ensuring that the correct training is allocated to the right staff, that the right equipment (where applicable) is available and if necessary, an instructor is on hand on certain days in various offices.
For example, Forty Winks, the largest independently owned bedding retailer in Australia, uses an LMS to train employees working across their 103 franchise stores on their bedMATCH program, an in-store diagnostic system that defines the best mattress for a customer. As these are frontline workers, who interact directly with customers, it is important that they not only be able to effectively use the program to sell products, but provide accurate and reliable information to avoid misleading customers. Without a central system for training, it would be difficult to deliver a consistent and efficient training experience for new employees.
All of this and more can also be kept in a central location, so that admin staff can see at a glance how training is progressing for each department and individual, what qualifications have been met and more. An LMS does away with the need for a huge, confusing paper trail, putting all of the relevant information at the admin’s fingertips, anytime they need to access it.
It’s also possible to easily implement individual training courses, so when talent within the organisation is spotted, the organisation can quickly respond to it and ensure that the employee is given the correct training in a timely manner.
Collaboration and the LMS
Another benefit to using an LMS is that it allows for collaboration, which again gives employees the opportunity to engage both with the system and other employees. This ensures increased productivity, as well as further integrating the employee into the organisation.
The LMS can be branded too, so that employees are fully aware at all times that the organisation is investing in them, and therefore believes in them. Employees that experience this are much more likely to take pride in the organisation, as well as their own work and this leads to better staff retention and less time taken off sick.
There are no drawbacks to implementing an LMS for the large organisation, there are only benefits. The time saving aspects alone are enough to sway many away from traditional learning environments, so when you add the cash-saving benefits, as well as the more engaged employee, it’s a win-win scenario.
An LMS can be used for:
- Health and safety training – something that’s necessary in all large organisations
- Compliance training
- Customer service training
- Job-specific training
- Unconscious bias and equal opportunity training
- And much more.
Kia Motors, for example, launched a dealer portal to provide self-service information, communication and resources to their network of car dealers. The portal features an online learning component for employees working in dealerships, providing them with the necessary information to perform their jobs effectively, from day one.
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