The Secret to Employee Engagement Using an LMS

Who would have thought employee engagement could become a nagging issue for many organizations over the years. Although, to be fair, some of them did see it coming, yet felt helpless due to lack of actionable insights into seemingly common problems associated with engagement, like lack of motivation in the workplace, infinite number of distractions (internet, smartphones etc.), among many others. So, what’s the big deal with employee engagement anyway?According to a recent report, only 15% of the world’s workforce is actually engaged in their work. Yes, that’s right, only a 15% chance of achieving maximum performance, irrespective of the size, industry, culture or location of the organization. With majority of the workforce not highly engaged, organizations are thus affected by increased turnover, as most talented employees that don’t feel engaged in their workplace are most likely to leave. Overall, over $500Bn is lost every year due to employee disengagement. In the present cut-throat business environment, organizations are aware that employee retention is a key concern, with almost 87% of HR professionals across the US agreeing with the fact, and 42% of organizations fearing they won’t find the right kind of talent in the future.However, it’s not all doom and gloom, for organizations can certainly prevent such turnovers by concentrating on driving employee engagement across their global workplaces. As employee engagement increases, the organizational culture improves along with the bottom line. Organizations with a highly engaged workforce achieve 2.5 times the revenue that organizations with unengaged employees make.While there is a certain urgency to boost employee engagement for organizations the world over, the solutions remain elusive and largely unclear. Fortunately, with many problems come as many solutions, with the primary solution being quality Learning & Development (L&D) initiatives for employees. According to a survey by Gallup, 80% of millennials claim that professional development and career growth are very important. Consider this with another research finding, 40% of employees with poor training leave their jobs within the first year. It’s amply clear that a key driver to employee engagement is training and L&D.Here are a few ways in which organizations can leverage an LMS to boost employee engagement-

• Microlearning & Personalization

Today’s employees are digital savvy and used to receiving information in bite-sized nuggets, either through their smartphones, social media or chat messenger services. So, when it comes to job training, organizations can leverage an LMS with microlearning capabilities to dial into the evolving learning mindset of today’s employees.With AI technology now capable of making calculated guesswork out of consumers’ likes, dislikes and behavior patters, we now get tailor-made and customized ads and content on our digital platforms. Similarly, organizations can use an LMS to learn the behavior of employees and deliver tailor-made learning programs that are certain to boost engagement.

• Gamification

Slipping in a little game-play (plus rewards) through your LMS could considerably increase the engagement rates of your workforce. It’s a simple fact that when we are bored, there are fewer things that we find more engaging than playing or watching games. Organizations can leverage this by incorporating interactive game elements into their training programs. On the other hand, by rewarding employees with stars, points or certificates for course completions, organizations can further motivate their workforce to keep improving.Most LMSes today come with built-in gamification functionalities that are capable of transforming dull training material into games and competitions, thus maximizing the engagement as well as knowledge retention.

• Social Learning

Today, organizations have to deal with not only their current (and multi-generation) crop of employees, but also make arrangement to accommodate a whole new breed of employees - the Millennials! Social media is dominated by these 20-somethings and their love (and devotion!) towards digital socializing doesn’t compare to anything else in their lives.With social media having such a hold on the upcoming fleet of employees, organizations can leverage an LMS with effective social learning functionalities and provide their employees with the increased incentive to share, collaborate and network with colleagues and team mates. By integrating social learning into your LMS, you can encourage quick communication, thus catering to the evolving learning behaviors of today’s employees and further engaging them more effectively.

• Learning Analytics

Learning analytics is quickly paving the way for precise and up-to-the-mark provision of training materials to improve knowledge retention and boost engagement. An LMS with built in reporting and analytics tool can help you analyze learners’ behavior, learning patterns and more, to provide actionable insights into improving your training programs. A great analytics tool enables organizations to customize the training programs to effectively engage the learners, whereby organizations can deliver eLearning programs based on their learners’ needs, whereabouts and priorities and preferences, so that there is no room left for guesswork.Everything said and done, the fact remains that organizations need to start looking at ways to boost employee engagement or be left behind in the race for success (or even survival). And, the best way to maximize employee engagement is by employing an LMS that can slowly but surely put an end to this nagging problem. An LMS that caters to the employees’ requirements stands to deliver not only increased engagement but also improved knowledge retention, participation, collaboration, productivity as well as the bottom line.