A successful employee training program is the foundation of any business; without well-trained employees, you cannot expect your business to excel. One of the greatest benefits to online training is the flexibility it offers, but success isn’t always guaranteed. In order for your online training program to succeed, you’ll want to avoid these five pitfalls that lead to online training failure.
Why Online Training Fails
- Lack of engagement: Everyone struggles with learning content that might not excite them – even worse when that material is presented in a manner that makes it even more dull and boring. Learners need content that will keep them engaged, even if the subject isn’t one they would normally be drawn to.
- Need for human interaction: Online training is easy, convenient, and affordable. It’s a perfect option for making sure all employees are trained consistently. However, spending too much time online without human interaction can also be detrimental to the learning process. Learners still need the occasional break and human interaction – whether it’s with managers, coworkers, or clients and customers.
- Length of training: When designing an employee training program, it’s important to keep in mind the number of training modules assigned per day as well as their duration. The longer a learner sits watching training modules, the less engaged and more distracted they are likely to become.
- Skill reinforcement: Your online training program is an excellent way to introduce employees to the skills necessary for them to perform their jobs well – but being told how to do their jobs and actually doing them are two different things. As part of your training curriculum, be sure to include ample time for the employee to get hands-on experience putting what they’ve learned into practice is the best way to reinforce any training program.
- Technological issues: When technology fails, so does online training – whether it’s hardware issues, internet connection, or a learning platform that doesn’t properly support your training needs. If you’re planning to invest in an online training program for your employees, you want to make sure you have a technological infrastructure prepared to handle the workload. You also want to be sure the learning management system (LMS) you’re choosing will include any features and reporting you may require – your LMS should make your job easier, not harder.
Increase Success with Blended Learning
A truly successful employee training program is the combination of online learning and hands-on learning often referred to as blended learning. With blended learning, the online portion is broken up into digestible chunks combined with on-the-job training that reinforces the skills they just learned in the training modules. A blended learning method gives employees the diversity they need to remain engaged, while also being able to process and apply what they’ve learned. When paired with the right LMS, blended learning is an important way to reinforce training and increase knowledge retention.
