It is a foregone conclusion that every business, no matter how big or small, needs at least one human resources professional to oversee the operation. Human resources (HR) has become a cornerstone position in every ethical business; the job has evolved into much more than it used to be. Years ago, an HR professional was tasked with the duties of administering payroll, insurance, and retirement plans. Today, that same individual is asked to do so much more. HR has become a “catch-all” position that all ethical companies rely heavily upon to not only take care of employees, but to keep them in line at all times.

Human Resources is an Important, Rewarding, But Often Challenging Job

In the past, many companies considered their HR people to be an off-shoot of their accounting departments. After all, there are many numbers and equations involved. Accounting and HR can be the most challenging departments to work in, but they are often the most rewarding positions in any company. These jobs are always valued and necessary, in every type of business or organization.

HR Professionals Can Withstand Economic Downturns

Our rapidly changing economy has left many workers displaced, but HR has become a stalwart when it comes to job security. Regardless of attrition or rapid innovation that requires new skill sets on an almost daily basis, there is always a need for an informed HR professional to steer the ship. Why? Because when you amass a company filled with diverse cultures and personalities, situations are bound to crop up that will need the attention of a person trained to handle them. As we embrace and celebrate diversity, we need to ensure that there is someone along for the ride who is capable of maintaining the harmony we all crave.

HR Provides a Wealth of Information

In today’s often complicated workplace, there is one word that is spoken more than others. That word is “compliance”. There are so many things we must comply with, it has become difficult to keep track of what those things are. Federal, state, and local regulations, along with evolving standards in many industries make compliance a full-time job. It is the duty of an HR person or department to ensure that all employees understand what they must comply with. The information must be disseminated in a way that can be accessed and understood by all, from the entry level all the way up to management. Compliance is often the most important ball HR must juggle, and keeping apprised of everything involved can be quite a challenge.

HR Professionals Work Diligently to Protect Employees

Some employees tend to be leery of their company’s HR people, especially when they are on-site. Employees might feel that the HR department is there specifically to spy on them, and report their transgressions to management. Actually, HR is there to protect employees from the pitfalls of corporate culture. Discrimination, harassment, and other unsavory situations tend to crop up with alarming regularity in today’s workplace, and HR professionals perform the formidable job of having to put out all those fires. 

An Informed Workforce Makes Life Easier

Constantly putting out fires is not a job HR the professional relishes. Playing firefighter is often time-consuming, and takes time away from more important tasks. There are ways to prevent fires, but it isn’t always easy to get employees to listen to those messages. Employees can be resistant to change, in addition to feeling overworked and underappreciated themselves. Yet, sufficient education can work wonders to prevent many of the scenarios that can be a monumental time-suck for HR. Technology has made great strides in education, and nowhere are those strides more evident than in the workplace. Antiquated training practices are being eschewed in favor of the technological breakthrough of online training. In fact, online training has become the HR professional’s best friend.

Online Training is an HR Game Changer

The quickest way to get employees groaning and eye-rolling at HR is to tell them that they must participate in mandatory training. That training could involve traveling to an off-site venue to attend countless hours of boring seminars, or it could involve hours spent held hostage in a conference room listening to someone drone on about compliance and policy updates. Either way, it has become quite difficult to make these scenarios palatable to anyone. So many employees are juggling jobs, families, and other commitments that the last thing they want to hear is that they have to attend training sessions that will derail their schedules and put them behind the 8-ball when they already have so much to do.

Online training solves the dilemma of trying to motivate employees to squeeze mandatory training into an already overstuffed schedule. Moreover, it is one of the most effective, efficient methods of delivering training to employees in any commercial sector.

Online Training Leverages Technology

Over the past two decades, every business has had to embrace technology in order to remain competitive. Every workstation is now computerized, and employees have had to acquire many new skill sets in order to adapt to this new landscape. That same technology can make life much easier for HR because it provides access to the necessary education employees need without creating more strife in the organization.

Online training liberates HR and employees by providing convenient access to educational materials. Gone are the days when hiring expensive consultants and facilitators was the only option. Now, those same individuals are disseminating their knowledge through webinars and training modules that are available online.

High-Speed Internet and Electronic Devices Have Become Our Best Friends

The conference room, classroom, and multipurpose room were once the bastions of professional development and education. Now, it’s the laptop, PC, tablet and smart phone. Nearly every home and business is now in possession of high-speed Internet capabilities which make it possible for anyone to access online training anywhere, at any time.

Here are the top reasons why online training is highly beneficial in the workplace:

• Online training is more affordable than offsite seminars and professional development meetings.
• In-house online training takes place at employees’ convenience. There are no meetings to rush to, no travel, and no stress involved. The majority of online training courses are available on-demand.
• Online training helps businesses keep track of the latest industry and government regulations.
• Online training does not sacrifice productivity, which helps motivate employees to take part in mandatory coursework.
• A better-educated workforce will work smarter, not harder. Management and workers will both gain valuable new perspectives on how to deal with the most common HR issues.
• Training that is accomplished on employees’ individual timetables will be more effective, because employees will not be worrying about compromising deadlines.

What Forms of Online Training Are Available?

The beauty of online training is that it can be whatever a specific company needs it to be. Courses can be downloaded individually, or they can be compiled on what is known as a Learning Management System (LMS).

Learning Management Systems are often adopted by larger businesses that have chosen to make online training a permanent part of the corporate culture. Employees are able to access courses through a proprietary platform that will allow them to partake in as few or as many courses as needed. Management is able to track employees’ progress, as well as access quizzes and other retention exercises to ensure that everyone is engaged in the learning process. LMSs can either be added to existing IT systems, or accessed through third parties.

For smaller companies, individual online training courses can be purchased for any number of employees, often at discounts for bulk purchases. There are thousands of topics available, especially in the HR sector, where subjects like sexual harassment prevention, workplace diversity, substance abuse, and other important issues can be found.

Overall, online training is a win-win for any company looking to raise the bar when it comes to education. Knowledge is power, and with technology at our disposal, access to that knowledge has never been easier.

About Tod Browndorf

Tod Browndorf is the founder and CEO of Coggno. Tod attended Monash University and began his career in finance in Melbourne and New York City. After several years, Tod started exploring other industries, which brought him to the consulting business and instructor lead training and development. Envisioning an environment where trainers could create and distribute curriculum, he began to develop the concept for Coggno in 2007.