HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE

Transcription

1 HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE

2 Chapter 1 The changing nature of the workforce»» Staring down the preconceptions about an older workforce»» Managing the challenges of a contingent workforce Chapter 2 Training an ageing workforce»» elearning overcomes in-class obstacles Chapter 3 Training the contingent workforce»» More efficient compliance and onboarding»» Plan ahead, create relationships and customise your onboarding Chapter 4 Australian Red Cross a case study in elearning Chapter 5 Implementing elearning for the contingent and ageing workforce About E3 e3learning: The first choice for elearning

3 The Australian workforce is changing. We re living and working longer, and many of us young and old want more flexibility when it comes to our workplace arrangements. These shifts are being felt by human resources departments across the country, especially in the health, social services and education sectors. Accommodating these changes is crucial to futureproofing your organisation not only in regards to its profitability and productivity, but also in ensuring your business upholds its commitment to diversity and employee satisfaction. One way you can brace yourself for the change is by using your elearning system. You might have an active learning management system (LMS) already in place. Now it s time to discover the effectiveness of online education when it comes to training older employees and your contingent workforce. Learn how to refine your elearning system and discover how adaptable and efficient your workplace can be. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 2

4 Chapter 1 The changing nature of the workforce According to the Department of Employment s Australian Jobs 2016 report 1, the next decade will see our workforce becoming older and more culturally diverse than ever. In 2035, nearly 20 per cent of Australians are expected to be over 65. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 3

5 At the same time, the population of contingent workers increases. In 2015, Edelman, a global communications marketing firm, surveyed 1000 Australian workers to assess the extent of, and attitudes towards, freelancing in Australia 2. From the results, it estimated 4.1 million Australians freelanced in 2015 about 32 per cent of the total workforce. Of those, 58 per cent said they would not quit freelancing for a traditional job no matter how much it paid. Edelman defined freelancers as: Individuals who have engaged in supplemental, temporary, project- or contract-based work within the past 12 months. Such a description aligns well with our definition of a contingent workforce. The survey results suggest contingent workers account for an increasing percentage of the workforce. Edelman estimated a 2 per cent rise in the contingent workforce from 2014 to As many as 60 per cent of respondents, in the age group, indicated they freelanced by choice; 65 per cent of respondents aged 55 and older said the same. Embracing an older and increasingly contingent workforce may seem like a necessity rather than a choice. But an ageing workforce brings with it specialised knowledge and expertise that can benefit an organisation in unexpected ways other/australianjobs2016_0.pdf 2. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 4

6 Staring down the preconceptions about an older workforce Older workers face many barriers to participation and progression in the workforce. One of the biggest is the perception that they are not receptive to the training needed to keep their skills current documents/contingent_workforce_management_ guidelines.pdf Like many preconceptions about older workers, this one is misplaced. HR company Chandler Macleod surveyed 480 senior businesspeople and 672 Australian jobseekers on the advantages and challenges of increased mature-worker participation 3. It found the appetite of mature-aged workers for training and new skills acquisition to be significant: 68 per cent of respondents aged 50 and over indicated this was important to them, while 75 per cent prefer to work in a challenging role. Managing the challenges of a contingent workforce For compliance purposes, contingent workers require a certain amount of training in workplace policies and procedures. But they don t always receive it as organisations may baulk at the cost and logistics involved. As the NSW Government s Contingent Workforce Management Guidelines 4 note : It is important from an engagement, efficiency and risk management perspective that agencies provide a formal on-boarding program to induct contingent workers. Elements of this can be automated by appropriate systems. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 5

7 An elearning system can provide that automation, helping HR managers meet the challenges of training both older and contingent workers alongside the employees working with them. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 6

8 Chapter 2 Training an ageing workforce HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 7

9 Training and retraining are essential, and not just for older workers whose skills might be considered obsolete. Digital disruption is transforming entire industries and the systems they rely on. A Productivity Commission report released earlier this year Digital Disruption: What do governments need to do? 5 warned that digital disruption has the potential to threaten nearly 40 per cent of jobs over the next 10 to 15 years, as automation and machine learning shake up the economy. elearning overcomes in-class obstacles Older workers definitely face challenges in traditional classroom situations: a sense of inadequacy or inferiority in the presence of their younger colleagues; inhibitions about asking questions; and fear of displaying ignorance about a subject in which younger, digitally native colleagues may be proficient. A comprehensively designed elearning strategy will overcome such problems. It enables employees to study at their own pace and in their own environment, to repeat and review coursework as necessary, and it allows the growing army of contingent workers to study in a place and at a time of their choosing. Older workers, in particular, may not have undertaken training of any kind for years, or they may be unfamiliar with digital learning. For best results, elearning material for older workers should be designed with their needs in mind, and backed up with strong contact centre support capable of operating outside standard business hours digital-disruption HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 8

10 Chapter 3 Training the contingent workforce A contingent workforce can be highly beneficial to your organisation. For example, it can provide access to specialists for ongoing work when you can t necessarily budget for it at a full-time rate. Expanding your freelance or off-site employee base can also help expand your services into different parts of the country or world. But managing a contingent workforce is not without its challenges. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 9

11 More efficient compliance and onboarding Onboarding and managing contingent workers is a real challenge due to their partial and sometimes unpredictable participation in their employer s operations. In a recent blog post, Australian HR management company Pendragon 6 listed some of these challenges as: The lack of an integrated workforce management strategy, (at times high-risk) managerial behaviour, poor data management, inadequate technology and compliance. It added: These shortcomings can expose companies to significant business, financial and public relations risks. Organisations of all kinds can put in place various processes and procedures to mitigate these risks and ensure new workers understand their compliancerelated responsibilities and are familiar with the workplace they re being employed in HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 10

12 Plan ahead, create relationships and customise your onboarding Onboarding is perhaps even more critical for contingent workers than full-time employees, and it should start before the employees do. When planning the onboarding program, the workers situation should be uppermost in your mind. An icims article 7 notes that Along with the standard elements of onboarding process such as overviews of the company s values, mission statement, organisational chart and new hire paperwork, there are also more individualised elements that should be incorporated into a contingent onboarding process. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 11

13 For example, while they need to understand policies, procedures and any compliance requirements, contingent workers are unlikely to need, or want, the amount of onboarding that might be appropriate for a full-time employee, for example education on company background and culture. To receive maximum benefits from contingent workers, you must more closely align the onboarding practices used for regular and contingent employees while still delivering a unique experience suitable for the individual circumstance, states the article. And even before the workers commence employment, organisations can mitigate potential problems with engagement and loyalty, if they cultivate relationships and deliver personalised experiences before the contingent employees even start. This means, for example, supplying important documentation to workers ahead of time, and making direct contact (by phone or ) to welcome them to the organisation Online learning is the achievable solution to many of these problems it allows contingent workers to train when and where they choose, it enables training material to be tailored to the specific needs of each role or individual, and it records your employees training and results, ensuring mandatory training is delivered and completed to a satisfactory end. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 12

14 Chapter 4 Australian Red Cross a case study in elearning HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 13

15 The Red Cross is the world s largest provider of first aid training. The organisation has had a presence in Australia for over 100 years, and today its training arm, Red Cross Training Services, offers a wide range of first aid and workplace health and safety courses, which help fund the organisation s humanitarian work. In the past, these courses were delivered face to face, which was costly and logistically complex. Then, in 2011, the Red Cross turned to e3learning to develop its online training. It uses e3learning s LearnForce learning management system and ecommerce facilities to manage the delivery of its online courses. Over 2000 people annually take Red Cross online courses. Students register through the ecommerce facility and pay for the course they want to do. Then they are taken through a workflow that either enables them to complete the course entirely online, or to do the online component and then book a face-toface session, all via LearnForce. The move to offering online training was the Red Cross s first foray into elearning. It was a big step for the organisation, but a necessary one in a competitive market. Many organisations deliver first aid courses, leaving the market saturated with competitors and turning cost into a sore point for consumers. The need for competitive pricing left the Red Cross with a real conundrum the training was a crucial resource for funding its humanitarian work, but the face-to-face sessions had staff off the job for lengthy periods of time. Making the training available online allowed the charity to greatly reduce the in-person time required. Converting face-to-face training to elearning is not a trivial exercise. In elearning, instructors cannot rely on the interactions they get in real-life training, so they have to look at the content in an entirely different way, and they need to understand the demographics of the audience. It s a task best undertaken by instructional designers with experience in creating online training materials based on user experience (UX) design. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 14

16 Chapter 5 Implementing elearning for the contingent and ageing workforce HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 15

17 Engaging a contingent workforce greatly increases the HR team s workload. Each such worker might make as great a demand on HR resources as a full-time employee for staff induction, training, management, compliance with WHS requirements even though they might work for only a few hours each week. At the same time, many organisations are not positioned to take advantage of our ageing workforce. Ask yourself: are you ready to train older workers, ensuring they are confident operating all your platforms and software? Do your staff members understand the implications of age discrimination and the processes involved with identifying and reporting it? A comprehensive learning and workforce management system, delivered via elearning software, can help you prepare. It can ease the HR workload and deliver personalised training to ensure all employees have the skills and knowledge they need. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 16

18 Step one For any organisation employing or contemplating a significant contingent or older workforce is to find a comprehensive learning management system that is tightly integrated with a workforce management system. Step two Ensure the chosen learning management system includes:»» A comprehensive range of generic course material needed to ensure the contingent workers are compliant with WHS regulations.»» The flexibility to incorporate bespoke material to cater for the requirements of contingent workers who need to be trained only on topics specific to their roles. Most contingent and older workers will want to undertake training away from the workplace, so opting for a hosted or cloud-based elearning system frees the organisation from any issues around providing outsiders with access to corporate IT systems. A contingent and ageing workforce will include a wide range of backgrounds, skills and abilities. So an elearning system must be user-friendly, designed with the user in mind and supported by a range of contact options to assist the learning process. HOW TO REFINE ELEARNING FOR THE CHANGING WORKFORCE 17

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20 e3learning: Online training and compliance solutions for your business Ready to help your business thrive? Get your free elearning program trial. Call