How Online Training Helps With Employee Retention

How Online Training Helps With Employee Retention
iStock.com/fizkes
Summary: Survey after survey shows that insufficient training is a major driving factor behind employee turnover. So, it’s not a question of whether you’ll offer employee training or not. It’s a question of how you’ll deliver training to further improve employee retention.

How Online Training Affects Employee Retention

A recent manager retention survey by TalentLMS revealed that 76% of respondents want more training and development opportunities. 47% of them are considering leaving their current employers for this very reason.

Employee turnover is an alarming issue that extends well beyond managerial positions. As unemployment rates go down in the US, turnover rates seem to go up. The cost of replacing a departing employee can amount to double their salary.

Many companies looking for ways to reduce employee turnover have invested in employee training. And they haven’t regretted doing so. Training existing employees is not only significantly cheaper than hiring new ones but reinforcing employee skills also improves their performance and enables them to take on new responsibilities.

With a clear path to success ahead of them, employees become more engaged and focused on advancing their careers within the company.

But, how do you retain employees with training? Are all methods equally effective? According to LinkedIn’s 2018 Workplace Learning Report, 58% of employees prefer to learn at their own pace. Self-paced learning points directly to online training.

There are many ways online training can reduce employee turnover. Without further ado, here are 4 compelling reasons you should use online training as a tool for retention:

1. It’s An Effective Way To Train New Hires

More than 40% of employee turnover takes place in the first month of employment. It hurts to hear it, right? But apparently, first impressions matter. Since modern employees have the luxury to be picky, you’d better make a good one.

It’s not just about receiving that warm welcome all new hires deserve. During onboarding, employees take a glimpse into the future and set their expectations, careerwise. Investing in employee education right from the start is an excellent way to tap into their ambition and nurture enthusiasm and loyalty.

There’s a lot to cover during onboarding. In fact, a comprehensive onboarding program can take anywhere between three months to one year. This can be overwhelming for new employees, and it’s counterproductive as well.

Online training helps you ease newcomers into their role and give them some time to breathe. For example, you can create an onboarding kit and upload it onto your LMS. Include basic compliance policies, instructions on work processes and tools, and employee information. Your new hires can go through the learning material gradually. Plus, they’ll know where to find essential information without asking around.

And, as far as those first impressions go? A formal online onboarding process speaks volumes for your company’s organizational skills and tech-savvy.

2. It Promotes Lifelong Learning

Continuous learning is an effective way to increase employee retention. Employees appreciate employers who invest in their careers and choose to stay with them.

With eLearning, employees integrate training into their everyday routine without it turning into a problem to their productivity. They can set their own pace according to their workload, so that it doesn’t interrupt their workflow. Or, they can study during unproductive hours, like commuting. To make it even easier for them, deliver training through microlearning videos and other short-form content.

When employees commit to lifelong learning, there’s a noticeable increase in productivity and performance. Employees feel valued and confident, as they shift to more interesting and challenging tasks. Which is a strong incentive to stay at their current job instead of looking elsewhere.

3. It Reaches Every Employee

Implementing classroom training is often easier said than done. Take deskless workers, for example. They are not office-based, and they don’t have access to a computer either. To attend classroom training, they’d have to cut their workday short or stay overtime. That’s why deskless workers rarely receive sufficient training. Unsurprisingly, industries with a deskless workforce have low employee engagement and high turnover rates.

Another group of employees that can’t be trained with on-site training is remote employees. Gathering your remote workforce for training is very costly and counterproductive. If your remote workers are located around the world, traditional training is not even an option.

eLearning overcomes the barriers of accessibility and distance. Employees access training on their own time, wherever they are. Mobile learning, in particular, can deliver training to employees who are on the move or don’t have a workspace. It’s also the perfect way to provide assistance at the point of need.

Online training boosts employee retention by giving everyone an equal chance to enhance their skills and competencies. Being so easily accessible, eLearning enables you to do more than offer training to everyone. You also offer the same, standardized training (with a few tweaks, as you’ll see right below). This eliminates disparities in both the quantity and the quality of training employees receive.

4. It Enables Self-Directed Learning

On-site training is not everyone’s favorite dish. Some find it hard to stay focused during long seminars. After a while, their mind starts to drift, and they miss most of what is being discussed. Others may simply not enjoy sitting through training.

So, how can you improve employee retention with training when short attention spans or learning preferences get in the way? Treat employees like the adults they are, and let them determine the when, where, and how.

A feature-rich LMS, like TalentLMS, enables both self-directed and self-paced learning. Employees create their own learning paths using the assets they enjoy the most and absorb the best. They can study at their own pace and time, from their home or while they’re on the move.

Self-paced learning requires discipline. A subtle way to check in with employees without being overbearing is to add a few ILT sessions. To keep them motivated, gamify your courses with points, levels, and other gamification elements.

Conclusion

There are no miraculous employee retention techniques. Still, the training impact on retention is undeniable. Make the most of it by delivering training your employees enjoy and can follow through without added stress—start building your course on an LMS today!

eBook Release: TalentLMS
TalentLMS
Easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to like, TalentLMS is designed to get a “yes” from everyone, including C-level execs, budget heads, and busy employees. Now, instead of checking out, your whole organization leans into training.