E-learning and LMS blog articles

HR and L&D are vital components of any business, working symbiotically to improve the employee experience. The overlap between the two functions means that in many cases businesses don’t separate them into separate departments – for example, a smaller company may have an employee or team overseeing both HR and L&D activities. Regardless of the size or structure of a business or organisation, both functions must run smoothly side by side. This is why L&D or e-learning platforms play a crucial role in contributing to the smooth day-to-day operation of a strong HR department. Keep reading to find out how HR departments are strengthening their operations with e-learning platforms.

Improving the onboarding process

Once employees have been recruited and begin their employment, they need to be properly onboarded to effectively assimilate into the wider organisation. It’s often down to the HR department to oversee a smooth and efficient onboarding for each new starter.

Some businesses may employ multiple new starters each quarter and it can be difficult and time-consuming to ensure that each employee receives a personalised onboarding process. With an e-learning platform such as a learning management system (LMS), HR leaders can create comprehensive induction programmes specifically designed to fulfil the training needs of each employee. An LMS can be structured to reflect a company hierarchy, designating categorisation by job role, department, experience level, and so on. Using this data, appropriate training can be automatically assigned according to the required criteria. Not only does this save HR departments hours of manual administration in the long run, but it also allows them to tailor induction programmes to suit the needs of each individual new starter.

An e-learning platform will act as a centralised hub for onboarding, housing a wide range of essential training materials which can then be distributed in a structured and efficient manner. Having a proper induction programme put in place for new starters can significantly cut down onboarding time and ensure that new staff are operational as soon as possible.

Strengthening core company values

Whilst creating the right company culture begins with hiring the right people, the HR department is responsible for reinforcing company values and encouraging senior employees to do the same. With an LMS, HR departments can ensure that new starters gain a good understanding of the company’s core values via induction training modules in their e-learning programme. These values can be reinforced by encouraging employees to complete additional e-learning training featuring gamification elements. Many HR teams find light-hearted scenario-based learning extremely effective in strengthening core company values, for example presenting employees with a situation and asking them what they should or shouldn’t do in that scenario, ensuring that their decisions align with company values.

Tracking goals and objectives

HR departments also play a key role in ensuring wider business objectives are clearly communicated and understood. With the help of a performance management system, company-wide objectives can be included in the personal performance profiles of each team member – ensuring full visibility of goals, targets, and expectations.

Similarly, HR departments will often find themselves responsible for ensuring that employees are striving to achieve their own personal goals and objectives. Once again, with the help of a performance management system such as Totara Perform, employees and HR leaders can work together to create personal objectives; these can then be included in their digital competency profiles. Competency profiles also include progress markers, monitoring and clearly demonstrating how far employees have come along in achieving their goals.

Improving the outcome of staff appraisals

A huge part of the HR function within a business is to carry out or oversee regular staff appraisals. These appraisals need to be structured and consistent, adhering to an agreed format such as weekly one-to-one meetings or annual 360-degree feedback sessions. It can be difficult for HR departments to keep track of these appraisals and the outcomes they produce; however effective staff appraisals are easily achieved with the help of a performance management system.

A performance management system makes it straightforward for HR departments to get the most out of staff appraisals, ensuring they aren’t just mandatory tick-box exercises but instead well-informed and valuable feedback opportunities. Collected data from a range of sources is also available to analyse and refer to during appraisals – reducing the amount of time needed to prepare for these meetings.

Using an e-learning platform means HR departments will have immediate access to employee learning statistics, reports, and feedback from appraisals. Having full visibility of this data allows HR teams to gain better insights into how an employee is progressing or whether they appear to be struggling.

Focussing on employee well-being

Employee well-being has never been more important, with an employee survey showing that 75% of workers have experienced burnout. With appraisals and reporting tools, HR departments will find it easier to spot individual employees who are demonstrating symptoms of poor workplace well-being. However, preventative measures must be put in place to improve employee well-being across the board.

With an e-learning platform such as an LMS, employees have ongoing access to readily available well-being related documents, videos or infographics. These materials can be accessed anonymously and may include tips on how to reduce work stress or clear guidelines on what they should do if they need additional support. HR teams may look to implement formal wellness programmes, asking staff to complete mandatory formal online training – all of which can be monitored and managed on an e-learning platform.

Creating a supportive work environment is vital in improving well-being in the workplace; employees want to feel seen, heard and understood. An e-learning platform creates better opportunities for giving employees a voice via open discussions in forums or making suggestions via polls. HR departments can use this information to gain insights into what they need to do to support their staff.

Creating real change with a strong HR function

When a HR department is empowered by the support of e-learning technology, the impact is felt across the whole business. A strong HR function can transform the employee experience, tackling some of the major issues employers face around employee productivity and company loyalty. For further insights into how employers are leaning on HR and e-learning technology to tackle major issues in 2023, sign up to watch a recording of our HR focus webinar here. In this webinar, our expert panel members explored areas such as how HR and business leaders can help prepare their organisations for change and how to create the best environment for employees to flourish. If you liked the sound of Totara Perform, the performance management system discussed throughout this article, you’ll also be able to enjoy a brief demo in the latter part of the recording.