Let’s think of a typical workplace. A sales executive wants to improve his communication skills and approach prospects with improved confidence. The first thing he does is search the web; he finds a few online modules on communication skills. But, these are not customized to his needs. This browsing turns out to be a waste of time and takes the Employee nowhere. So eventually, the desire of getting better and improving his skills fizzles out.

When organizations overlook the gaps in skills and neglect the importance of Training, it can make a big dent in productivity. If you can identify with this scenario, don’t wait for your employees to search for training programs; rather as a training manager, provide the right training with the help of e-learning.

So, let’s see how e-learning can enhance the productivity of corporate organizations.

Online learning:

• Allows employees to work and learn simultaneously
• Reaches employees when and where they need
• Can be used to train all employees in less time with minimum budgets
• Is highly customizable according to the skills needed
• Is Flexible in nature – Employees can learn during breaks or nights

All these factors propel the productivity of your employees at the workplace in one way or the other. Let’s explore the advantages of e-learning in detail.

It’s not just theoretical

Training and e-learning enhance workplace productivity; this is not just a theory. It’s proven by various researches and surveys.

Ashford University’s research survey revealed that 78% employees said e-learning leads to higher employee productivity.

According to the IBM Smarter Workforce Survey, 84% of employees in best performing organizations are receiving the training they need.

IBM Training Report said 75-80% managers believe effective training is critical to project success, skill levels linked to business value yield a 10% increase in productivity.

Engagement leads to empowerment

A survey by Salary.com showed that a majority of employees waste their time at the workplace for various reasons, such as boredom, getting distracted, and more. Forget all these reasons, most employees waste their time not knowing how to do their work better. They search Google for better tips, it helps sometimes, but you won’t have readymade answers for everything you need or want. Your employees lose much productive time in this searching business.

Your training, coupled with e-learning, can provide the necessary knowledge and skills to your employees. Famous footwear, fitness, and clothing brand, Nike used iPads to showcase its product features, benefits, and other details. This helped retail sales associates explain about their products to prospective buyers without having to search for brochures or documents. This improved their sales immensely. This is a classic example of how technology-enabled learning can improve productivity.

Customization and the learning curve

Customization eliminates irrelevant information. Online training is custom-made and teaches your employees what they really need at the workplace. .Since learning is customized to their needs, they better understand the courseware and it leads to a 60% faster learning curve, compared to classroom training. So the organization’s productivity goes up.

Knowledge retention – Videos & microlearning

We all have different learning styles, but I can say most of us are visual learners. According to comScore Video Metrix,197.5 million Americans watched online videos in November 2015. This trend won’t decrease and is her e to stay. Incorporating a video component in online training can be termed video-based learning. This approach increases employees’ engagement in the training. It is not always necessary to use videos in the e-learning course. You can use a combination of visuals to increase knowledge retention. Using infographics, diagrams instead of content, charts highlighted with colors – all these visual representations boost knowledge retention in e-learning.When you link this with microlearning, the knowledge retention rate will be high. These are very brief online learning resources, focused and easy to access. Microlearning modules are easy to absorb as they are bite-sized. Your employees can quickly refer them and apply the needed skills/knowledge to their work. In this way, videos, visuals, and microlearning act as boosters of employee productivity.

Self-efficacy –Game-based learning

Quizzes, unlocking levels, giving scores, badges – all these increase the motivation of employees to take up online training. Game-based learning enables employees to actively participate in the learning through interactive gaming elements. This approach in e-learning enables employees to remember concept sand develop strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities.Game-based learning with a proper strategy engages and involves employees in the course. Research by Traci Sitzmann professor at the University of Colorado, showed the self-efficacy of game-based learners is 20% higher than normal learners.

E-learning is not just for knowledge transfer. E-learning is born to transform workplaces. It acts as a catalyst by providing the necessary knowledge, skills, and expertise to employees so they can work better and contribute to increasing organizational productivity. Hope, these reasons convince you to take up online training to improve the productivity of your employees.

Need more clarity on how e-learning can benefit your organization? Check our free e-book: E-learning to Achieve Business Goals.