Within every growing business, a common challenge for employee development is simply getting the workforce to understand the importance of training and instilling motivation to complete it.

For many companies, working from home is here to stay, and even for those with a hybrid model, training isn’t as simple as pulling everyone into a conference room anymore. So motivating learners and promoting a personal investment in their training is crucial for information retention.

So how to do we get workers to buy in?

1. Make it Accessible

Much of the world has realized that productivity doesn’t actually require an office presence, so workers aren’t really incentivized to sit in a classroom. Training must exist in other mediums to make it easy for people. For example, mobile apps on smartphones and company intranet are great ways for people to access their learning modules. Essentially, the easier it is to do, the more likely it is to get done. Say goodbye to excuses like, “I lost my manual!”

2. Gamify it!

Another way to make e-learning more engaging is to make it fun! If you gamify your learning content, learners will feel more motivated to complete their training while also retaining more of it. Add badges, leaderboards, and incentives for extra productivity.

3. Personalize it

Have you ever taken a training course that’s loosely related to what you do…but not quite? Have you ever lost an unnecessary amount of time to it? You aren’t alone and it’s certainly preventable.

We’ve all seen our coworkers’ eyes glaze over in the meetings that exceeded their roles. Employees do the same when the content of a course is beyond their focus.

A simple way to achieve personalization is by surveying your audience and tailoring content accordingly, so it’s as relevant as possible.

4. Make it Goal-Oriented

Everyone loves that sense of achievement in completing something. And e-learning is no different. There’s no bigger incentive to training than it being a means to the next step. If workers understand that what they’re learning is a factor for progression, there is more chance they’ll be invested in doing it. Adding small incentives to training completion and proof of retention is a great way to motivate your employees.

5. Normalize it

Did you know that, on average, only 1% of the work week is dedicated to training and development in the workplace? If training is culturally implemented (a part of the day-to-day), it will become second nature as opposed to a one-off task that needs to be completed. People often get anxious about one-off tasks—most, however, don’t get anxious about breakfast, or coffee, or happy hours after work. When training becomes part of a standard job description, everyone who’s doing their job will simply get it done as part of their daily, weekly, or monthly routine. If it’s fixed in the culture, it’s much less likely to evoke stress. And new and improved e-learning provides fun and engaging ways for employees to learn effectively.

Training is necessary in almost every company to develop the skills of their workforce as well as maintain corporate standards and consistency. It may be crucial, but it can also be fun. And in a world full of distractions (did you see Tinder Swindler on Netflix??), maintaining the focus of your learners is vital for retention and effectiveness.

If you would like to discuss your e-learning strategy with one of our experts (or even just compare notes on the latest Netflix release…), get in touch today using the below form.