5 Ways to Motivate Staff to Use Online Training

You know the eye rolls. The restlessness. They come just after you announce a training class. It’s training malaise! And it isn’t welcome in a training-intensive senior care environment. Developing a corporate attitude that welcomes training is just another type of change management. We’ve all had to learn new policies and procedures, and eventually they become second nature.

People will say they don’t have time. Eyes will roll. Management needs to take action. How?

Develop an eCulture

It’s great to roll out eLearning, but be sure that the organization’s culture is ready to support it. The most common mistake providers make is investing in eLearning and expecting the organization to adapt to it without priming, educating and demonstrating its application to the staff.  Roll out an eLearning program slowly using marketing and communications to promote its benefits and features.

Hold Managers Accountable

As with any training program, managers need to be held accountable for staff participation and course completion. eLearning further complicates the situation, with staff working independently on courses from their desks or other workspaces. This creates a situation in which managers are unaware of participation or course completions.  By holding managers accountable throughout the learning process, they will likely become more involved with creating and facilitating training schedules and encouraging staff to complete their online education. Essentially, managers should demonstrate the community’s culture for valuing eLearning.

Make eLearning Social

Many online courses simply require staff to log on and take a course. But some courses merit discussions or pre- or post-course collaboration with other course participants and even an instructor or coach. Not only does a social aspect encourage completion, but it also creates an opportunity for networking, sharing best practices and immediately addressing course content questions and concerns.

Reward and Certify

Establish training completion goals that lead to career or financial incentives.  Examine course needs and requirements and establish tracks or module clusters that encourage staff to complete coursework as a means to achieving a designated certification, goal or financial incentive.  Ultimately, ensure that completing training leads to a level of recognition.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

The best online training and record-keeping systems are not worth much if no one knows about them. Even developing an eCulture won’t last if you don’t continue to promote the courses, the rewards, and track the accountability.  Create marketing and communications materials that make staff want to log in and take courses; do this by demonstrating the benefits of consistent training and the community’s investment in its employees.