E-learning and LMS blog articles

Company culture refers to the shared values and attitudes that shape and influence the day-to-day working environment of a business or organisation. Creating a strong company culture is an essential contributing factor to overall employee satisfaction, and it can have a positive effect on elements such as productivity levels, company loyalty, engagement, and the success of a company’s operational efficiency. With company culture being such an integral component of any organisation, it's essential to find ways to strengthen its potency and ensure all employees have a firm understanding of the values and attitudes they are expected to uphold. E-learning is the solution, with the power to build a strong company culture in numerous ways. Keep reading to find out more.

Training on company values

One of the most impactful ways e-learning can strengthen the culture of a company is by asking employees to complete training which reinforces company values. Using an e-learning platform such as a learning management system (LMS), training can be automatically assigned to employees to be completed as a mandatory L&D exercise. L&D managers may wish to make company culture training an essential part of the onboarding process by including it in induction training programmes.

Training may include information on an organisation’s values and goals, along with a clear understanding of how employees are expected to behave and perform in their roles. More often than not, training around company culture can be perceived as a monotonous tick-box exercise. As a result, engagement levels are often low when employees complete this portion of their training. However, with an LMS, training on company culture can be diverse, interactive and engaging as a result. For example, scenario-based learning using an e-learning platform presents real-life situations in a virtual teaching environment and asks learners to work their way through a problem. With branching scenarios, the choices a learner makes will determine the content they see next – this can be great for training employees on how they should behave in a situation, in accordance with the company culture, and demonstrating clear examples of why they should do so.

Employee wellbeing

A study by Mind found that 60% of employees say they’d feel more motivated and more likely to recommend their organisation as a good place to work if their employer took action to support mental wellbeing. The focus on improving employee wellbeing is at an all-time high and creating a safe space for employees to feel that their wellbeing is supported is now an integral part of ensuring a strong company culture.

Using an e-learning platform, organisations can create a rich library of wellbeing information and content which is readily available and easily accessible to any employee who needs it. Once again, a business may choose to implement mandatory training on wellbeing initiatives – ensuring consistency for all employees and departments so that everyone receives the same support and information.

With an LMS or a learning experience platform (LXP), L&D managers can create forums or polls where employees can share anonymous feedback or advice on their personal experience with improving wellbeing. Using these tools creates a supportive, open, and safe environment for employees, a major contributing factor towards building the best company culture.

Offering flexibility for employees

L&D programmes and initiatives are vital for a company wishing to see clear steps towards progression. However, some organisations will choose to deliver training sessions in a traditional classroom setting or via video call, with a strict timetable in place. Employees with busy schedules may be forced to miss out on learning and development opportunities as they can’t make training sessions set at a specific time. Additionally, when mandatory training sessions are delivered at a specific time, asking employees to take several hours out of their day to complete training can be overwhelming and result in poor employee satisfaction levels.

With an LMS, employees have the flexibility to complete learning when it suits them. They may choose to fit in short micro-learning sessions throughout their working day, with the opportunity to go over training as many times as they need to. With an LMS that offers mobile learning, employees can learn anywhere and at any time that suits them.

Most importantly, employees have free reign over the L&D programmes they would like to enrol themselves in, allowing them the freedom to upskill in new areas that they otherwise may not have the opportunity to explore.

Promoting continuous learning

Creating a culture that promotes continuous learning can have a significant impact on overall staff satisfaction as employees want to work for a company that is invested in their future and ongoing development. Using an e-learning platform, employers can provide ample opportunities for employees to develop their skills and expand their knowledge base – resulting in better employee loyalty and a well-rounded, highly skilled workforce.

Using an e-learning platform such as a talent experience platform (TXP), L&D managers can create a bespoke personal development plan (PDP), to ensure ongoing development. Find out more about how to create a PDP with a TXP here.

Better opportunities for communication

A strong company culture should empower employees and encourage them to use their voices to improve daily operations and outcomes. This isn’t always easy when facilitated in an offline environment as some will have better opportunities to voice their thoughts than others, and ideas or suggestions can get lost when an audit trail isn’t created.

With an LXP such as Totara Engage, employees can have their say via forums, discussion boards, wikis and polls, and they can create their own content and share it with fellow employees. Regardless of location, whether remote or in the office, employees can enjoy a company culture that encourages them to have their say. With multi-tenancy, employees can be separated into groups such as departments or job roles, so that ideas or discussions don’t get lost in a larger company-wide setting. With Totara Engage, employees can also collaborate with each other on content in real-time - creating a culture of teamwork.

Feedback and appraisals

The best company culture is cultivated in a transparent environment, employees want to know what is expected of them and employers want to know what they should be doing to support staff. Additionally, employees perform better when they receive frequent, honest feedback on their job performance.

With a performance management system such as Totara Perform, dynamic goal-focused dashboards provide full visibility (to both employees and managers) of progression markers, skills gaps, goals, and a development plan. Employee progression and performance can easily be monitored and managed with comprehensive smart reporting tools and feedback tools – ensuring achievements don’t go unnoticed and uncelebrated.

Building a strong company culture with the right e-learning platform

A strong, supportive and positive company culture can have a transformative effect on the success and development of any organisation. In today’s working world, the right company culture is non-negotiable for many employees, so putting initiatives in place to curate the right environment for staff to thrive is a must. If after reading this article you are ready to harness the power of the right e-learning platform and implement these initiatives, get in touch with one of our e-learning experts today or book a demo to see first-hand how an LMS, LXP, performance management system or TXP can build a strong company culture for your organisation.