Learning Management Systems 101 is a weekly blog series exploring how employers can rethink traditional employee training and move toward e-learning solutions, which are faster, easier to access, and more cost effective. “4 Ways to Boost Employee Engagement with a Learning Management System” is the fourth post of the series.
Are your employees engaged? You can safely answer yes if your staff is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and consistently take positive action to further the company’s mission and welfare.
Chances are, only 30 percent of your workforce is truly engaged, according to a recent Gallup survey. While this statistic isn’t the best of news, there is a fail-safe way to quickly implement and increase your employees’ engagement, from the reception desk to the c-suite.
A recent International Journal of Management Education study concludes eLearning systems, such as learning management systems (LMS), significantly improve employee engagement and buy-in. This type of employee commitment is achieved through independent learning, mobile learning, diverse presentation tools and employee-specific training.
1. Independent Learning
An LMS is a software application that enables 24/7 access to online learning. All managers can set a time frame for learners to complete training materials and courses, but your employees have full control over when they choose to learn. For example, team members may choose to spread sessions out over a few hours or days, instead of missing an entire day of regular duties to complete a six-hour certification.
As any seasoned supervisor will tell you, employees seek a sense of control over their career goals. When allowed that control, they will become more motivated and work harder. By enabling employees to learn and engage at their own speed, an LMS delivers the control that employees need, encouraging them to take responsibility for their individual development.
2. Mobile Learning
Approximately half of all U.S. businesses understand the importance of providing mobile learning options to their employees, according to eLearningindustry.com. The mobile workforce is expected to double and possibly triple in size by 2018, as remote workers, such as wind turbine mechanics, increasingly rely on mobile devices to broaden their professional knowledge base.
An LMS enables mobile learning, which enhances engagement through features not available with desktop usage. Such mobile features include push notifications that alert or update your workforce about newly available training programs. Also, touching the screen and navigating buttons on a mobile device feels more direct than moving and clicking a desktop mouse.
3. Diverse Presentation Tools
High-impact presentations can be created in the form of videos, podcasts, PowerPoint slides, spreadsheets, quizzes, surveys, and downloadable exercises. An LMS not only allows employees to learn at their own pace and a time convenient for them, but also it allows employees to learn in their preferred format, helping to engage employees across all generations. To keep employees interested and engaged, consider breaking down key learning points into small lessons between one to five minutes. By presenting the data in brief, easily digestible segments, you can avoid information overload, making it easier for employees to retain the lesson.
4. Employee-Specific Training
Your employees are more likely to engage in training if the lesson applies directly to their role. Likewise, they may be less engaged if the topic is too broad or does not relate to their scope of work. The right LMS lets you customize courses based on an employee’s specific role and daily tasks. Employees regularly can test their progress throughout training sessions, which improves knowledge retention and improves focus of their educational goals.
To learn more about the evolution of corporate learning, how to refine your approach to employee training, and why technology is crucial to onboarding, be sure to check out the first three posts of this series.
- LMS 101: Rethinking Your Approach to Employee Training
- LMS 101: Why Technology is Crucial to Onboarding