It’s human nature to fear change.
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, many organizations had doubts about the efficacy of the shift to remote work. They feared it would eat into company culture, employee productivity levels, and employee engagement. Fast forward over two years into the pandemic, and remote work has become the normal — if not the preferred — method of business for many organizations. Most employees expect some kind of remote or hybrid work option from employers, and research shows that hybrid work environments actually yield increased worker satisfaction and productivity.
The shift to remote work also sparked a surge in the use of online training programs. And, just like there were about remote work, there are many negative perceptions associated with online training for some employees and employers. Granted, most people who have been surveyed about their experiences with online training cite its benefits, but online training does have the potential to spark some doubt in organizations.
In this article, we’ll break down some of the negative notions that employers and employees might have about e-learning and offer a positive perspective on those issues.
Debunking The Negative Perceptions Of E-Learning Solutions
Not everything about e-learning is a walk in the park, but that doesn’t mean organizations should balk at the idea of creating an online training program.
Here are some common fears shared by employees and employers alike surrounding online learning:
- Online training doesn’t respect employees’ time and will only serve as a distraction to their work.
We get it: with hundreds of browser tabs already open, employees might be less than thrilled to open one more for their online training. However, online training is actually an incredibly flexible option. It allows for employees to work at their own pace and on their own time, which means they won’t have to carve space out from their schedules unless they want to. Furthermore, the best training programs are broken into small chunks of five minutes maximum so employees aren’t completely derailed.
- Employees are worried that they won’t be able to receive real-time feedback throughout training.
A key benefit of in-person training is that learners can receive immediate feedback from their instructors. This is arguably more difficult to accomplish with online training, but employers can assuage these fears by creating a culture of giving swift, real-time feedback. This can also be accomplished by offering one-on-one meetings to go over the material directly after they’ve completed it. Furthermore, employers can add prompts in the LMS as the course progresses to encourage those kinds of offline interactions.
- Online training won’t be as engaging as in-person learning.
There’s a common misconception that online training is boring. However, there are several ways that employers can make their online training content engaging — and even entertaining — for their employees.
The digital format of online learning allows for employers to get creative with their lessons. They’re able to create programs including interactive quizzes, videos, and games to spark and retain learners’ attention. Online training can also be more engaging because it’s able to be tailored specifically towards employees and their individual roles.
- Online learning is isolating and will disconnect employees from their peers.
Working and training entirely remotely can feel isolating. If learners don’t have the ability to form a solid relationship with their peers, their ability to concentrate and retain information could take a nosedive.
As a result, employers may consider offering hybrid learning methods and conducting in-person or remote team building activities so employees get the chance to engage with each other. Learners can also join virtual classroom sessions — live group learning sessions with their instructors — that allow for higher levels of collaboration than purely asynchronous learning. This will also promote peer learning, contributing to a more engaged and highly skilled workforce.
- Online learning is isolating and will disconnect employees from their peers.
Working and training entirely remotely can feel isolating. If learners don’t have the ability to form a solid relationship with their peers, their ability to concentrate and retain information could take a nosedive.
As a result, employers may consider offering hybrid learning methods and conducting in-person or remote team building activities so employees get the chance to engage with each other. Learners can also join virtual classroom sessions — live group learning sessions with their instructors — that allow for higher levels of collaboration than purely asynchronous learning. This will also promote peer learning, contributing to a more engaged and highly skilled workforce.
- Online learning won’t cater to employees’ learning preferences.
Every learner has a learning preference — a particular way in which they prefer to receive information. The four most prevalent types of learning preferences you’ll run into are visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic learners. While it may seem easiest to cater to various learning styles in a classroom setting, it’s possible to do so online as well.
For instance, employers can try their hand at creating videos for visual learners. Auditory learners can be given audio clips or podcast episodes to listen to, while reading/writing learners will fare best with blog-style articles (and a method for taking notes). For any kinesthetic learners out there, employers can create interactive quizzes that allow for more hands-on, interactive engagement.
- Training can be perceived as a disciplinary action instead of an opportunity to grow.
Hopefully this isn’t the case, but in some instances, employees might take the need to complete online training as a sign that they’re underperforming. Employers should ensure their employees know that training is an opportunity for them to develop their skills — not a punishment. This is possible by fostering a company culture that prioritizes continuous learning and education.
Employers can also make a point to work in training achievements as part of their employees’ career trajectories and reward them when they hit certain milestones. That way, employees’ newfound expertise isn’t just used on the job, but it’s fairly compensated. It’s a great motivator and also helps keep the value of developed skill sets transparent: an important understanding for employees and employers alike.
- Online training will be too much of a time and money commitment.
Resource-strapped companies might be wary of investing too much time or money in a new online training program. However, online training usually ends up costing less than in-person training in the long run. Once you’ve created your online training program, you can essentially leave it alone and let it work its magic. This isn’t the case with in-person learning, which requires employers to continuously spend funds on full-time instructors and other costs associated with training people in a physical space.
- It’s easy to skip or tune out lessons in an online learning environment.
Employers might fear that their employees will be tempted to hit the “next video” button and tune out on their lessons altogether. However, most LMS softwares include robust tracking and reporting functions that provide visibility into employees’ progress and performance. That means employers can gain insights into how long employees spent on a certain lesson or question, as well as the questions they got right or wrong. This added layer of visibility enables employers to fine-tune their training objectives.
Final Thoughts
As the work paradigm continues to shift from in-person to remote and hybrid models, organizations would be wise to invest in a solid online training program to support employees in their learning and development endeavors. Online learning may still have some negative connotations, but we hope these gentle reminders will enable organizations to welcome online training with a positive attitude. After all, change doesn’t have to be scary — and the companies who adapt to change are those poised to succeed.
Cecilia Seiter is a content marketer, copywriter, and author at Alloy. She is passionate about the creation of meaningful, fulfilling, and sustainable work cultures.
