Why Use eLearning For Onboarding New Staff
Have you ever started a new job, and not having really anything to do during the first day because no one had the time to give you the rundown of the company? Sounds familiar?
Well, that’s one reason why it’s so important to get eLearning into the onboarding process. It’s horrible sitting there and twiddling your thumbs, feeling too anxious to nag your new boss about work you could be doing. In this article, it becomes clear that employers who don't give new employees a meaningful agenda upon arrival can lead to more serious issues later on down the line.
So, How Is eLearning Going To Help You—And Your Brilliant New Starters—Out?
Well, first of all, eLearning will enable you to be there when you can’t—if you see what I mean. This is just one benefit of video-based learning. You can set up all the training and courses in advance. So, when new employees arrive, you just get them to enroll at their onboarding school and join whichever courses suit their job-role. eLearning will mean you won’t have to spend the resources or the time to find a place to induct all your new staff and give them the same spiel you have given the last 20 new starters. Give yourself a break, and let the online school you built do the work for you. According to a study, employees who receive a structured orientation process are 69% more likely to continue working for your company for 3 years. With high turnovers of staff, onboarding staff could lead to a better and stronger connection among members and subsequently happier workforce as employees feel the need and desire to stay with the company they currently work for, for longer. Ultimately, this will also reduce the costs of new staff acquisition.
What Are The Benefits Of eLearning As A Method For Onboarding Staff?
eLearning not only benefits you in terms of time being saved and training management but it benefits your new starters too. They can go through the course at the speed that suits them, educating themselves on everything they need to know. Now, I know what you might be thinking—it’s cruel to leave them to sit there all day reading page after page! I completely agree with you—that is sooo boring and your brain can’t process all that information. eLearning has really come a long way from the traditional corporate training videos and text. You can now include lots of various content such as video, live broadcasting, text, images, audio, quizzes, and assessments. So, the learning format does not have to be dull. If you’re onboarding a lot of people at once, or over a period of time, a live broadcast training module provided to all your new starters across many offices could be really beneficial.
eLearning Should Be Drip Fed And The Content Of Training Varied
It’s also important to note that onboarding training does not have to be completed in just one day. It’s actually far better if you drip feed your lessons, so there is perhaps a new lesson every day or every week. This keeps the content fresh in learners' mind since they have the time and energy to absorb it. If you’re looking for other ways to reward staff for taking the time to complete their necessary or additional training units, then gamification can be a great tool. It is a great way of encouraging your learners to complete their weekly or daily lessons as they gain badges or certificates for completion/progress.
So, hopefully, eLearning is now a tool your HR department will consider for onboarding as it really does both you and your new starters a wealth of good. Move away from the stagnated learning videos and bulky books of training manuals and start moving towards a more engaged and interactive learning.
