E-learning or online education has becoming quite popular in the corporate world, as more and more companies now offer online courses to train employees.
Despite the popularity, employees are often skeptical of the approach. They feel traditional methods of learning offer a one-on-one experience and can help grasp concepts better.
If you are trying to find the best training program for employees in the human resources department, we discuss some of the pros and cons of both learning methods:
Online Learning
Online training programs reduce the overall training cost for HR employees. The method involves the use of multimedia such as graphics, audio and video, to train new recruits or employees.
The online courses are specifically developed to help HR professionals with talent acquisition, relationship management, or communication.
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Pros
Online courses are more accessible to the workforce – which induces better understanding – on a topic. Unlike traditional methods, online courses can be accessed anytime and anywhere.
Online training material can also be customized to make sure only the relevant topics are covered in a session. Maybe the HR professionals at a company want to learn about evaluation of new employees or they want to improve the inter-department communication.
With online courses, managers can make sure that the skills and concepts taught in an online class are exactly what your employees need to learn.
It also allows more flexibility in terms of easy access and operates on a non-rigid schedule for continued learning.
Cons
The biggest drawback of online training is that the employees are often not able to engage in a dialogue with the trainer.
It also requires more motivation on part of the employees to complete assignments and go over the training material for effective learning.
Traditional Education
Traditional education methods have not lost the battle to online education as they are still more meaningful to many.
An overwhelming number of companies still believe traditional learning methods are more effective to train employees. It involves a trainer – who conducts the sessions – in an orthodox classroom setting.
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Pros
The biggest benefit of traditional learning is probably the direct human interaction between the instructor and employees. The process becomes more enjoyable — and group discussion allow employees to understand complex processes easily.
Employees can communicate and share relevant information with each other to foster an active learning environment.
It not only teaches skills to do one’s job properly, but also improves an employee’s overall productivity and collaboration with the team.
Cons
Traditional learning methods often cost more, as the employer has to pay for travel tickets, hotel accommodation, supplies and other material used in trainings.
If the training requires all employees to be present – it can halt production and all processes – at a company during the training.
Way Forward
Businesses should always be open to the idea of training employees to improve work processes and to enrich employees with the needed knowledge.
You may choose online training for HR employees or stick with a traditional training approach. All employees should be assessed and recommended for training periodically to ensure they play a role in the company’s success.
Traditional education and online courses both have their importance in training HR professionals. We suggest you choose something that works best at your company.