
Employee training and development is essential for maintaining and scaling a successful business, but training everyone in person can be a challenge. Not only do you have to bring a trainer out for every new hire, but just getting someone familiar with their role can disrupt operations. In-person training has a place, but it’s not always necessary for every training session.
Online training helps businesses scale from a small team to hundreds or even thousands of employees with consistency and minimal costs. In fact, studies show that companies using online training see a 40-60% reduction in training time and up to $30 productivity gain per dollar spent. If you’re still trying to conduct all of your training and development in person, here’s why you should consider moving some of it online.
1. Compliance management
Best practices in any industry evolve, and regulations change. If you’re training thousands of people across multiple sites, it won’t be easy to keep your trainers up-to-date with new standards. It’s expensive and cumbersome to gather your trainers to update them every time something changes. Unfortunately, if your new hires don’t learn current laws and regulations, it could put their safety at risk and cost your business thousands in fines for non-compliance.
The simple solution is to use online training for things that require regulatory knowledge and certification. When you use an online training program, they’ll deliver the most up-to-date information and train your new hires accordingly. You won’t have to wonder if the rules have changed since your last training session.
2. Compliance audit protection
Online training can protect you in case of a compliance audit. For instance, while you can deem any employee competent to operate equipment, your word might not be enough for OSHA. A certification from an online training course will serve as proof that your operators were trained and passed their exams.
Online certifications are easy and affordable, and they avoid disrupted operations. For example, you can get a team of warehouse workers OSHA forklift certified online in about an hour. Even when you have a warehouse full of forklifts available for hands-on training, getting certified online is ideal for compliance.
3. Easy scalability
Online training allows you to train 10-10,000 employees without spending any extra time or money on training. Whether you’re using a third-party course or running your own trainings, you only need to create your training materials once and they can be delivered to anyone, anywhere, anytime. You don’t need to book a conference room, pay for flights, or schedule training weekends.
4. Lower training costs
Virtual learning is estimated to be 44% cheaper than traditional in-person training sessions. And since online learning has been shown to be more effective in many cases, it’s no surprise that many businesses find a corresponding increase in revenue when they make use of online training.
5. Faster, better onboarding
Businesses that rely on in-person training often struggle to onboard quickly. Not every trainer is efficient and fast, despite having vast knowledge. By implementing online training, businesses can deliver a consistent message regarding company culture, compliance requirements, and performance expectations. They can also track progress to see how each employee is progressing and make adjustments if anyone is struggling.
Online training ensures every employee receives exactly the same training, down to every detail. And compared to traditional classroom settings, online learning helps people absorb more material in a shorter period of time.
6. Flexible access for remote teams
When teams are spread out across states, countries, and continents, training needs to be easily and immediately accessible, regardless of a person’s time zone. Since online training can be accessed on demand from anywhere, remote teams benefit extensively. Team members can take training courses from their smartphones, tablets, or desktop computers whenever it’s convenient for them.
7. Easy ongoing development
For companies that focus on employee development, online learning is ideal. Even though in-person seminars and training sessions are typically paid, they can be an inconvenience. When employees can update their knowledge from the comfort of their own home, they’re more likely to absorb and fully understand the material, which directly leads to an increase in productivity.
The best training is a mix of virtual and in-person learning
Traditional in-person training takes more time and resources, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. There are many situations that require hands-on, live training. However, a lot of training can be done more effectively online, especially when it involves knowledge that needs to be tested. At the end of the day, a mobile-friendly, updatable learning platform is the fastest way to train effectively and scale your business more profitably.