There’s no doubt that mobile is playing a significant role amongst businesses, as more organisations continue to offer new technology to their employees. Today, it’s how staff collaborate, communicate and learn, and with more organisations than ever catering to their mobile-orientated workforce, workplace mobility is now viewed as an essential. Article by Paul Jarrett – managing director and founder of Sonin App Development, a leading UK app development agency specialising in enterprise and consumer solutions.

Staff training is vital for all businesses, it’s how employees acquire new skills, feel engaged and ultimately add value to their respective employer. However, despite over half of HR Managers now considering training as an essential business enabler, many feel that they aren’t doing enough to increase personal development opportunities. This, in turn, is contributing to low staff retention rates, high costs, frustrated employees and below-par work standards. By going mobile, HR teams will be able to directly address and solve the most common issues surrounding employee training, including:

Flexibility
Staff training can sometimes be difficult to organise, as businesses face the task of training multiple employees who are based in various locations regionally, nationally and even globally. This also coincides with the fact that businesses are now at a flexible working ‘tipping point’, as more employees continue to work away from the office setup. As organisations continue to expand, the need to reach employees becomes even greater. Mobile training, most commonly through apps, can reach and engage all employees without jeopardising business expansion. Employees can simply undergo training on their mobiles when they’re ready, and at their own pace on a 24/7 basis, regardless of their location. Going mobile will also replace the need for employees to use intranet platforms to undergo training and access documents, in which only 13% of employees have previously reported in actively using. Today, many employees view intranets as outdated and unable to adapt to their flexible work patterns.

What if…
In the Warehouse & logistics sector, a training app could simulate the daily challenges faced by a warehouse dispatch team (such as mechanical failure, sickness and stock outs), which would train users on how to approach the challenge and plan their next steps. Using their mobile devices, employees would need to order each challenge from priority to least priority and outline why these have been chosen. Ultimately, users would be assessed on their use of initiative and forward thinking.

Expense
Employee training can be an expensive necessity for businesses, which encompasses employee time, venue booking, module resources and staff travel expenses, and can also lead to staff unproductivity. Public body Acas have reported that the greatest business expense comes from the loss of productivity it takes to get employees trained, which can reach up to sums of £25,000 plus. Although development costs will need to be factored in, HR teams can save money by offering mobile training. Ultimately, employees won’t be required to expense for travel costs, venues won’t need to be booked and resources can be created, stored and managed with ease, and accessible on demand.

Staff Engagement
With one in three employees claiming uninspiring training as a barrier to their learning, this is something that businesses can’t afford. Staff who view training as a hindrance, rather than an opportunity, are far less likely to digest the training given to them. And as ineffective training ultimately costs money, steps must be put in place to avoid this from occurring. Staff training apps can make employee training more immersive and useful for attendees. Whether it’s teaching business ethics or anti-corruption & bribery policies, or industry-specific training for the construction industry, it’s imperative that employees find training useful and most importantly, memorable. Interactive Q&A’s, video content and augmented reality are just a few examples of how mobile apps can assist in training, plus more.

What if…
In construction, workers could undergo hazard awareness tests with a gamification aspect. Using tablet devices, a series of site images will appear on their screen displaying 10 potential hazards. The user will then need to select where these hazards are, what their next steps would be, and what can be done to prevent it from appearing again. Users can also be timed to see how long it takes them to identify each one, allowing HR teams to gauge whether additional training is required.

Reliability & Effectiveness
Effective training stems from reliable processes, employees and communication, which all have an impact on how information is consumed. For instance, an employee contemplating leaving the company is far less likely to deliver training that provides value to attendees or is within official business guidelines. In addition to this, relying on trainers who are naturally susceptible to lateness and sickness, can also be problematic for enterprises to manage.

Mobile training guarantees HR teams that the above doesn’t occur. By having complete management over resources, and format of programmes, businesses can ensure that all training is set against strict criteria, and subsequently of value to all users. Adding to this, offering digital training also discards paper documents, which can easily be misplaced and/or time-consuming to process. During a time where enterprises are trialling new methods to retain their mobile-driven and flexible workforce, going mobile must be deliberated amongst HR teams. As employees continue to use their mobiles to consume information both in and outside of the workplace, opportunities are available to capitalise on these growing trends, whilst saving costs in the process. And with 7 out of 10 employees claiming that training and development opportunities influence their decision to remain with a company, now is the time to act.

References:
http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/statistics-on-corporate-training-and-what-they-mean-for-your-companys-future
http://www.prescientdigital.com/downloads/social-intranet-study-2012-purchase-the-full-report
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=4857
https://trainlikeachampion.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/infographic-why-corporate-training-is-a-colossal-waste-and-what-to-do-about-it/