3 ways online learning boosts employee engagement

This guide explores three ways that investing in online learning can help you boost engagement, cultivate positive relationships, and build productive teams... “Organizations with an ave

3 W AY S

Online Learning Boosts Employee Engagement

By Todd Dewett, PhD

What is employee engagement?

Attracting and retaining the best talent isn’t all about spending money or offering perks These matter, but the key to building a long-term pool of amazing talent is employee engagement Attracting and retaining talent frequently hinges on employee engagement Research shows that engaged employees

believe in their work, their supervisors, and their organizations

DISENGAGED EMPLOYEES

show up because they agreed

to a transaction They do the work You provide compensation.

ENGAGED EMPLOYEES

feel purpose They want to make a difference The pay is simply a useful benefit.

It’s entirely possible for employees to be happy and satisfied yet

unproductive and willing to look for new opportunities But engaged

employees are more than happy or satisfied They are productive,

committed, and loyal

A startling 23 percent of employees voluntarily leave their jobs due to

lack of development and training, according to the National Research

Business Institute As the workforce skews younger in the next 20 years,

this trend will continue

Here’s the good news: creating employee engagement isn’t as

difficult as you might think This guide explores three ways

that investing in online learning can help you boost engagement,

cultivate positive relationships, and build productive teams

Why is engagement important?

Disengaged employees cost an organization approximately $3,400 for every $10,000 in

annual salary—and the American economy up to $350 billion per year due to lost productivity,

according to McLean & Company research

“Organizations with an average of 9.3 engaged employees for every actively disengaged

employee in 2010-2011 experienced 147 percent higher earnings per share (EPS) compared with their competition in 2011-2012,” the 2013 Gallup “State of the American Workplace”

survey noted “In contrast, those with an average of 2.6 engaged employees for every actively disengaged employee experienced 2 percent lower EPS compared with their competition

during that same time period.”

organizations with engaged employees make more money than others, have less turnover, and experience less absenteeism, according to gallup.

The Tell-Tale Signs of Disengagement

Keep your finger on the pulse of employee moods Be wary of increased absenteeism, a rise in unproductive conflict, or a new tendency toward risk aversion

When you see these, it’s time to take action Through observation, developmental conversations with your team, and formal study, identify major impediments to healthy engagement Then adjust resources to address the opportunities you’ve uncovered

3 Ways Online Learning Boosts Engagement

Online learning available on demand is one of the greatest developments

in employee engagement in the last decade

Online learning can deliver huge impacts in three key ways

NO 1

Building professional relationships

Trust, fair treatment, and recognition of contributions are pillars of professional relationships

Providing access to online learning proactively demonstrates trust and fairness And it enables recognition You trust employees to log in as needed without the oversight of a traditional instructor hovering nearby You demonstrate fairness because a quality tool is available to everyone And you provide recognition when you congratulate employees for course completions or training accomplishments

In addition, effective online learning supports managers as well as employees who aspire to leadership roles It’s widely accepted that a top factor influencing employee engagement is an employee’s

relationship with their direct manager Leading online training providers cover new manager skills,

team-based skills, and executive level topics

trust

supports positive risk taking.

fairness

maintains a level playing field.

recognition

of work reinforces the value of work.

NO 2

Creating strong culture

Managerial transparency, leaders who model the way, and intrinsic employee motivation are pillars of a strong organizational

culture In addition, a strong work culture is built on transparency When every employee is well informed with access to information, trust is maintained

To build a strong culture, share all strategic plans as well as revenue and profit information in a timely manner Informed employees are more engaged Include employees in the decision-making process Employees want their voices to be heard Use surveys

or focus groups to represent an employee base

Provide access to the leadership team Hold town hall meetings Take questions And be held accountable Prepare managers to answer tough questions and address employee concerns

Offering online training demonstrates support for intrinsic motivation—the tools meet

individual learner needs—and allows leaders at all levels to transparently broadcast their course completions, which models productive behaviors Specific course content helps practicing managers understand culture and how to shape it in ways that support employee engagement

transparency:

widespread knowledge of what is happening in the organization and why it is happening.

NO 3

Enhancing career opportunities

Research shows professionals want career development instruction and resources One of the primary reasons employees stay

with an organization is opportunity for growth and advancement Employees want to understand what is available in their organization

to help them develop their career, and the best way to provide this understanding is through formal career planning

When employees believe you are invested in their careers,

they become more personally invested in your organization and are more likely to embrace a long-term future there

Effective online training helps employees develop their goals

and career paths, and it provides supervisors with the coaching insights needed to help employees with career development

Online learning originally was sold as a quality, cost-effective way to teach skills Today, we know it’s that plus much more We have a greater understanding of the deep relationship between online learning and employee engagement Offering quality

online instruction tells employees you’re serious Serious about learning

Serious about their development Serious about retaining them and their talents Employees are paying attention and falling in love with online learning

When you can offer high-quality expert instruction 24/7 on any device, tailored to specific learner interests and needs, why wouldn’t you?

That’s how your up-and-coming workforce sees it They expect access

to online learning like they do a desk and computer

Take a deeper dive, and see for yourself Check out the lynda.com course,

Motivating and Engaging Employees www.lynda.com/motivating-engaging-employees

Todd Dewett, PhD Lynda.com Author, Professional Speaker, Coach

Todd Dewett is a popular speaker who inspires leaders and helps them build stronger teams He is

an author, coach, consultant, and Harley Davidson nut After beginning his career with Andersen Consulting and Ernst & Young, Todd spent a decade as a professor of management until performing and coaching became full-time pursuits He advises thousands of professionals around the world

at government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, major conferences, and nonprofit organizations

Todd is the author of the popular guide Show Your Ink: Stories About Leadership and Life

His unique rock-star take on leadership has resulted in quotes in the New York Times, BusinessWeek,

Forbes, CNN, Investors Business Daily, Entrepreneur, MSNBC, and hundreds of other outlets.

For 20 years, Lynda.com has helped students, leaders, IT and

design pros, project managers—anyone in any role—build

software, creative, and business skills We work with the best

instructors Our production standards are second to none

And with training that is quick to market, we’ve grown our

online video-based content library to include thousands

of engaging courses

Now a LinkedIn company, Lynda.com serves more than 10,000

organizations With offices on four continents and tutorials

in five languages, lynda.com is a global platform for success

About Lynda.com

Contact us for Lynda.com Enterprise Learning Solutions pricing.

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