Top 10 benefits of remote learning for employee training

In-person employee training can be both challenging and costly. Making sure policies are properly shared and understood, coordinating and scheduling employee participation days, finding a qualified trainer to teach the required materials, and securing a location – all of these things can take a significant amount of time, money, and effort. 

For many companies, remote training presents an easier and more effective path to employee learning. Remote learning, also known as virtual or online learning, is when the trainer and the learner are situated in different locations and conduct training over the Internet, or virtually. 

The trainer often teaches through videoconferencing, but remote training can also include asynchronous learning, where learners complete courses independently. Remote learning has a myriad of benefits when it comes to employee training. Below are the top ten.  

1. Saves time

Remote learning saves companies time in a variety of ways. It not only decreases training time but also learner time to value – both of which can add up to great money savings for organizations. 

A Brandon-Hall study revealed that remote learning reduces training time by as much as 40 to 60%. This is in part due to reducing the time it takes to create new materials through the use of digital tools. If a trainer wants to make changes, they can do so easily whereas traditional methods can be extremely time-intensive when making adjustments.

Remote learning also saves businesses time by decreasing the amount of time it takes for learners to understand and retain information. The Research Institute of America found that remote training increases knowledge retention rates by 25 to 60% while retention rates of face-to-face training are around 8% to 10%.

With virtual training, learners are able to understand information quicker and retain it for longer. That means employers can roll out new training quickly knowing that their workforce will get up to speed fast. 

With traditional efforts, it can take a lot of time for admins to put together courses, conduct them, and reach all of their employees. A policy change or new product can take months for employees to get up to speed. With virtual training, learners can get up to speed in a fraction of the time, and in some cases, nearly overnight. 

2. Convenience

Online learning can often be done anywhere, as long as you have a phone or laptop and an internet connection. Rather than taking a day off to partake in training, learners can fit it into their own schedule. Maybe it’s first thing in the morning on their phone, squeezing some training in between meetings, or for fifteen minutes before lunch because they finished a report early. 

There are many opportunities throughout the day where an employee could complete some training without breaking the flow of their work, leading to higher completion rates and higher employee satisfaction. 

3. Standardization

This depends on if you’re using some sort of digital tool to deliver virtual training. Things like a learning management system (LMS) centralize training, making course creation and delivery easy. It also makes training trackable and data-driven and ensures that employees receive standardized, reliable training. 

Traditional methods of training and even piecemeal virtual ones lack the ability to give employees standardized training due to the fluctuations in trainer styles and methods. When you use a digital tool like an LMS, you can rest assured that employees are all receiving quality training you can count on.  

4. Automation

This also depends on if you use a digital tool for remote training. But if you do, much of your training program can be automated. Things like due dates, notifications, analytics, and more can be automated in remote learning. 

This is a major benefit for managers in that it allows them to “set it and forget it” when it comes to due dates and notifications and enables them to track how well their employees are progressing and performing, taking the guesswork out of employee training. 

This is also a benefit for employees because it reminds them of any important dates and keeps them accountable for training, reducing stress and potential repercussions for missed deadlines. 

5. Common learning environment 

One of the great things about remote training is that it creates a familiar learning environment. With in-person or piecemeal training, environments and locations change. You may use different meeting locations and offices. Or you may use different platforms like Google Meet or Zoom. But these things are temporary and used for other purposes outside of learning. 

When you use a digital tool for remote learning, you create a space that’s designated for learning and one that’s common amongst all employees. Once employees enter into this realm, they’ll know it’s time for learning and can connect on the similarities of the platform and courses, especially when they have access to course catalogs and shared training materials. 

6. Morale boosting 

Remote learning is also a big morale booster for employees. When employees go through training together, they can connect on a familiar experience. And when you use things like gamification and leaderboards, it can build a sense of competition and camaraderie among employees by making learning fun and engaging. 

Additionally, remote learning boosts morale by helping employees build skills faster and improve comprehension. They can apply what they’ve learned faster and, as a result, become better at their jobs, which has a ripple effect on job satisfaction and employment longevity. Remote training also opens the door for things like social learning. Social learning happens when employees learn together through collaboration, brainstorming, and problem-solving. It leads to better employee engagement, more innovation, and stronger employee connections. 

7. Requires less supervision 

Remote training, by nature, fosters independent learning. This benefits managers because they don’t have to supervise their employees in the same way as more traditional training.

If they use a digital tool, managers can check the analytics on the administrative side to ensure employees are on track. If someone appears to be struggling with the content or falling behind, a manager can offer that employee coaching or support.

That means managers can focus more on their own work and give employees space to complete their training and support when they need it. It’s a win-win for managers and employees because it gives flexibility and ownership to employees while relieving managers of time-draining tasks. 

8. Higher employee productivity

Standardized, robust training has been proven to increase employee productivity. Numerous studies have shown a direct correlation between training and increased productivity. In one study, 92% of employees say employee training programs have a positive impact on their engagement. 

And another study reveals that engagement increases overall workplace productivity by an average of 21%. And since remote learning does more to increase training effectiveness than other training methods, you can expect higher employee productivity from online training. 

9. Reduced staff turnover

An investment in employee training is vital for retaining staff long-term. According to ThinkImpact, 94 percent of employees would stay at their company if provided with training. And organizations that offer employee development programs have retention rates that are 34% higher than those that don’t. 

Remote training makes employee development and training easier and more accessible to employees. When employees have access to training and development courses on their terms, they’re more likely to complete them. And if companies offer career development and upskilling courses, employees are even more likely to stay with a company for career mobility, further reducing churn. 

10. Decreased costs 

‍One of the biggest benefits of remote learning is the money that employers save. Travel, transportation, time away from work, and even printing costs all add up with in-person training. It’s estimated that remote training can decrease costs by as much as 70% or more compared to other traditional training methods. 

And that’s not all. Remote learning is easily scalable to thousands or hundreds of thousands of learners whereas traditional training is not. Traditional learning can require extensive costs to provide learning to more than a few people at a time. Conversely, with remote learning, administrators can easily add new learners to training, requiring little costs and leg work. 

A learning management system helps you deliver remote training without the hassle 

A learning management system streamlines and centralizes learning programs, making them manageable, trackable, and more effective. By leveraging an LMS for employee training, organizations can reduce admin burden and associated costs and create a learning experience that’s fun and engaging, increasing employee engagement and knowledge retention. 

With Tovuti’s LMS, administrators can host live events, foster engaging social learning experiences with virtual classrooms, distribute multimedia learning materials, provide learner feedback, use granular data insights to improve their program effectiveness, and more – all from one platform. 

And with the most robust gamified and interactive tools on the market, including over 40 plug-and-play gamified features, employees are sure to remember training and have fun doing it!