5 Employee Training Trends and Why Companies Should Focus on Engagement and Collaboration

By Ramesh Ramani, CEO, ExpertusONE

This goes without saying, but we have changed our learning habits significantly in the last year. Whether you schooled your children from home during the pandemic or spent your quarantined downtime learning a new skill from your cell phone or computer, we learn differently now than ever before.

This is true for employee training.

We learn differently at a corporate level. Part of this change is due to new styles of working, but another part is that we have seen an increase in the value of employee well-being. Companies are looking to prioritize workplace communication, collaboration, and strategy so that people can achieve a healthy work-life balance.

It’s imperative that companies acknowledge these changes and reevaluate the tools that they use in everyday office life. The trends in corporate learning that we watched develop in 2021—like accessible tools and video-based content—will give way to a future of adaptability, collaboration, and engagement in employee training.

LMS Platforms Will Offer Streamlined Communication & Systems 

In 2021, we’ve watched companies juggle the unique challenges of remote, hybrid, and in-office work. For some, employees are split between multiple locations and have access to varying types of technological systems. Just like at the height of the pandemic, we relied on digital tools to communicate with our team members, we are still relying on those same tools in 2021. Regardless of the workplace environment, we need digital tools that work with our lives.

Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Salesforce are the most commonly used digital tools, according to statistics. They’re used across industries, across geographic locations, and by teams that work in offices or remotely (or both). As it applies to training, it’s essential that companies invest in training tools that correspond with their company’s existing workplace software. One of the biggest trends we’ve witnessed this year, and one that will continue to grow, is the need for integrated workplace systems. Employees are overrun with applications, forced to switch from context to context to complete a single task. This negatively affects productivity and can add to employee stress.

As we look to the future, we will see a greater need for streamlined training tools and systems that prevent workplace challenges like context switching. With ExpertusONE’s extended enterprise LMS, companies can provide training materials through multiple apps that employees are already using, like Salesforce, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. With extensible app-based training tools, employees can take part in courses within the apps that they already use every day. This way, they are more engaged, are able to manage deadlines and due dates more effectively, and can interact with content without having to switch from platform to platform.

Related post: The Future of Corporate Learning Rests on This Type of Tool: App-based LMS

As we move into the future of learning, we will see a move toward integrative technology tools that promote accessibility and reduce the need for context-switching.

Corporate learning software must offer video-based training tools

In the world of digital content, video has reigned supreme in 2021 and will continue to reign beyond this year. Across industries and platforms, video content has become the preferred way to disburse and consume information. Whether on social media or in digital learning, consumers prefer video. Employee training has long been considered an unengaging responsibility, usually limited to slideshow-based content or procedural reference guides.

Companies can and should create more engaging learning experiences by taking advantage of video content opportunities and by using interactive elements. Video content can be optimized in multiple ways, from pre-made videos in training courses to live video conferencing options as learners work through the content. With ExpertusONE’s Interaction Studio, course creators can add interactive quizzes, polls, or activities that help employees stay engaged and increase rates of retention. Employee training of the future will be more engaging than it’s ever been before, and we already have the tools to put this into action.

Collaborative training environments will be central to LMS learning

After a year-plus of remote work, we learned that we can still collaborate with our team members when we are not in the same geographic location. This is another trend we will see play out in the world of LMS training this year and into the future. Collaborative training environments will be central to the success of corporate learning initiatives because they keep employees engaged even from a distance.

A recent study from McKinsey showed that many employees are leaving their jobs, even without other positions lined up, because they don’t feel like they belong to a team or have a community at work. Employee training can remedy this issue if companies choose to cultivate collaborative learning environments. Where a lack of connection can make employees feel isolated from team members and the overall company mission, an increase of shared activities and interactions can create a sense of belonging.

The future of employee training will rely on a company’s ability to facilitate collaboration across teams and departments. With the right LMS system, companies can easily make this change for the better.

ExpertusONE’s platform lets employees engage with each other, with their managers, and with the content while they are working their way through the course. Not only does this encourage overall retention of information, but it also gives employees an opportunity to engage with coworkers. As we are all working to adapt to the new normal of work-life, these opportunities for connection are essential for creating a connected company culture.

Healthy competition is vital in corporate learning and development strategy

ExpertusONE’s gamification LMS makes it possible for companies to foster healthy competition among employees. The platform has an integrated leaderboard that showcases top employees who have met or exceeded training requirements. For companies looking to implement new training initiatives across departments, gamification is a useful tool to facilitate engagement.

Friendly competition is healthy for company culture and can encourage people to engage with bonus learning content to “get ahead” in the game. As we move into the future of employee training, LMS tools will become more interactive and more collaborative so that they can facilitate interaction between employees.

The rise of AI in corporate learning development

In 2021, we learned that artificial intelligence has a significant role to play in corporate training. As companies look to create more engaging content, artificial intelligence can help training directors customize learning initiatives to each employee’s unique interests and needs. Artificial intelligence can also free up a training director’s valuable time by automating things like course tracking or monitoring course completion.

Related post: Employees Not Completing Training Courses? AI Is the Next-Gen Solution Boosting Engagement

In ExpertusONE’s LMS platform, artificial intelligence automatically recommends courses that may interest a learner. These recommendations are based on the learner’s unique profile, their job description, which courses others in their department have taken, and the learner’s personal interests. These recommendations facilitate further learning automatically, which reduces the time that training managers spend assigning courses to employees. This can encourage a more engaged workforce and give employees opportunities to upskill.

The future of learning will be more engaging and collaborative. We already have LMS tools in our hands that can support modern training initiatives and balance the complexities of remote, hybrid, and in-office workplaces. As we prepare for the conclusion of the year, companies should consider how they can boost their learning initiatives by investing in the best learning management system for their teams. This investment will prove invaluable in the months and years to come as employers look for ways to keep their team members engaged and promote a positive workplace culture.