Report Reveals 2014 Training Trends

Businesses are constantly adapting their training strategies to accommodate for rising technological trends, better meet needs of employees and match efforts set forth by industry leaders in their field. As best practices shift throughout the years, the professionals at BLR conducted a survey among top executives to examine which efforts were likely to have the greatest impact in 2014.

The BLR 2014 Training and Development survey asked more than 1,000 organizations about their recruitment and employee training programs they’ve implemented or plan to utilize soon. Companies indicated the most common topics, methods and materials used in their efforts, including a rise in the number of organizations using an online training platform to educate employees.

Popular topics covered in training sessions
Executives opt for training initiatives to educate employees in a variety of fields, including orientation for new hires, office policies, discrimination and emergency procedures. One of the most common forms of training for all staff members falls under the professional development management umbrella, which encompasses several topics with which seasoned businesspeople must become familiar. According to the survey, 82.6 percent of respondents indicated that leadership training was important for their workers. Similarly, 76 percent said workers must be trained in handling problem employees, while 71.7 percent said ethics and integrity were key topics.

Rising number of executives enlisting online software
The No. 1 complaint amongst these individuals was that people did not have enough time to complete all of their training. According to the results, 27 percent of executives did not feel their employees received an adequate amount of time. However, investing in training initiatives that provide workers with the ability to move at their own pace and dedicate as much time as they need is essential to ensuring all workers have properly digested topics. While in-person sessions are crucial for providing first-hand accounts of topics, a rising number of businesses have implemented learning management systems to allow employees to further interact with topics and access understanding.

Findings from the survey indicated that 38 percent of executives use online training as their preferred method – a number that continues to grow larger over the years. A separate report compiled by IBM found that companies have not only adopted e-learning practices at an increasing rate, but they have managed to cut costs, remain competitive, keep more accurate statistics and reduce travel time for employees.