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How Employees Can Benefit from Online Training

Whether it’s deemed essential or not, employee training offers many benefits for your growing small business.


Today’s workforce is like a living, breathing organism. It’s comprised of many different parts which operate both independently of (and in cohesion with) the rest of company. Each part has its own essential role to play in making your company strong.

Therefore, it is essential that each employee within your company is able to perform their role well. To do this they will (at some point or another) require training and knowledge, both about their personal role and responsibilities and about the roles and responsibilities of the business.

 

Benefits of Employee Training

Employee training comes in many forms. Some types of job training are mandated by law, such as for people using certain equipment and machinery, whilst others are non-essential, but still useful for the company to grow.

Whether it’s deemed essential or not, employee training offers many benefits. The most obvious benefit is that it enables your staff to operate more efficiently. However there are many benefits which are not so readily apparent, and they generally reveal themselves as training is implemented.

One such benefit is that job training will encourage the growth of your workforce. One of the factors which many prospective employees take into account, when applying for a position, is whether or not the company in question offers career advancement and training opportunities. This is particularly relevant now, since the cost of education has risen exponentially and increasing numbers of people are turning to work-based training to continue their education.

Offering training as part of your recruitment package is a primary way to encourage job applicants, and ensure that both prospective and existing employees remain happy, productive and skilled.

 

Considering Online Training for Employees

Growing your business is naturally going to be much easier if all of your employees remain productive at their tasks 24/7. But all employees have the right to request time-off from work for training, as long as the training will benefit their job performance in some way.

To qualify for this time-off the employee will also have to meet two basic criteria – they need to have been employed at their present company for a minimum of 6 ½ months, and the company needs to employ at least 250 people. Despite the fact that this type of time off is usually unpaid, it can still present a problem for the employer.

Depending on the employee’s particular duties, their hours will need to be covered by a temporary replacement who is qualified and experienced enough to perform the job to a minimum standard. However, one way around this problem is to consider online training courses.

These days most employee training programs can be achieved, independently and successfully, online and from the comfort of an employee’s home or office. Because online learning can be undertaken at any time, in any location, this offers a greater deal of flexibility to both employees and employers who wish encourage training, but are concerned about the amount of time-off that would result from doing so.

 

Legal Aspects of Online Training

It’s not always a legal requirement for an employee to have undergone training before stepping into their role. However, in the cases where it is – such as in medicine, pharmaceuticals and teaching – it’s of paramount importance that training is offered.

Legal issues can arise out of easily avoidable mistake. Meanwhile the prevalence of costly (and sometimes litigious) errors can be diminished through training. In addition, some forms of in-house training are required by law as they promote and foster a safer, more positive and non-discriminatory atmosphere for your staff. Equality and diversity training is just one example, as is health and safety training.

If your industry requires (or is best served by) employee training, make matters easier by searching out providers whose training can be accessed online. For these reasons, and many others, online training will always be the preferred option for today’s small businesses.

 

Sam Butterworth is a business writer with entrepreneurial aspirations, writing on behalf of Whitehall Training, an online pharmaceutical training provider. Sam also writes for various online and print publications.

 

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