Today’s business world is going global and mobile, and firm owners need to be prepared for the changes that are expected to occur in the upcoming years. Small companies will hire employees located in different states, while employees will be often be left alone in the field, thanks to the advent of mobile technology.
These innovations make it important for small firm owners to get their new hires and remote employees up to speed with new processes and training initiatives. According to recent research from virtual communications platform provider ON24, 91 percent of human resources and training personnel are planning to increase the use of virtual training at their firms in 2013.
Training can be improved in a virtual environment
The days when new hires are placed in a classroom to learn how the firm does business are gone, and companies are shifting to virtualized environments in which new employees can learn at their own pace. The survey revealed 62 percent of respondents said a virtual environment is the right setting for new hire onboarding, while 48 percent believe online environments can be most beneficial for sales training.
“Our research also indicates that over 82 percent of learning professionals want to offer more engaging training materials,” said Tom Masotto, vice president of product management for ON24. “The need to train global workforces and desire for more engaging training are driving interest in virtual learning environments.”
What do employers value in virtual training?
Small-firm owners in many different business sectors will begin to shift their training infrastructure to virtual environment, and it takes certain employees to be able to flourish in this setting. When asked the most important aspects of their virtual trainer, 83 percent of respondents said facilitation skills, 74 percent valued voice inflection and 69 percent said the need to be good with technology.
Online learning will become a mainstay
Before the advent of online learning, a blog post for the Harvard Business Review said employers would value accreditation from core courses, but now, employers are able to train employees on their own. However, virtualized environment can open up firms to security threats, which is why it’s important to always stay protected with cyberliability insurance.
