In such a tight labor market, employee development is more important than ever. Employers cannot afford to wait for qualified candidates to show up at the door. They need to invest in training their existing workforce to meet the organization’s needs.
One way for employers to bolster their training efforts is to introduce enterprise podcasting as a supplement to their existing LMS. Private podcasts are not only a convenient method of developing better workers, but they are an effective way of increasing employee engagement, which makes it easier to retain those you have worked so hard to train.
Over the past 20 years, many companies have opted to provide training through learning management systems. Increasingly, organizations are reporting dissatisfaction with their current systems. A 2016 survey by Brandon Hall Group found that nearly half of employers were considering replacing their LMS and 90 percent said they were looking to make improvements to their system.
Convenience
Private podcasting solutions allow employees to download or stream training content at their convenience, which can include the many hours a week that the average worker spends commuting to and from work or traveling to different sites during the workday.
The content is accessible on any electronic device: their work desktop, their tablet, their smartphone, etc. Being able to download the content helps workers avoid relying on mobile data, as well as the hassle of interruptions if they’re traveling in areas where reception is spotty, including airplanes.
Familiarity
Private podcasts deliver information in a way that is already deeply familiar to many of your workers. Why? Because many of them are already downloading consumer podcasts like crazy in their free time.
Podcast consumption has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2019 more than half of Americans reported having listened to at least one podcast before, while nearly a third said they listened to at least one a month. Podcasts are particularly popular among young people: 40 percent of those aged 12-24 listened to one in the previous month.
Not only is the format familiar, but the user experience of a private podcast is simple and intuitive because many solutions are identical to the consumer podcasting apps employees interact with on a daily basis. The employer can even design a custom icon for tablets and smartphones.
Information security
Just like in your LMS system, it’s important for all training content to remain secure as it’s distributed to employees. In contrast to public podcasting platforms, private podcast solutions are an effective way for companies to provide information to employees in a secure manner. Employers have full control over the app and its users, and can put in place privacy settings to ensure that the content is not accessed by outsiders.
Much more than training
Podcasting is an effective way to provide career development materials to employees, but the potential of a private enterprise podcast is far greater than merely training.
Podcasting offers an opportunity to engage with employees about a variety of work subjects. Employers can make multiple podcasting shows targeting different segments of the workforce and can even invite employees to create their own shows about a wide range of topics that might interest their colleagues—from career development to work/life balance. In this way, podcasts become not only an effective mechanism for conveying important information to employees, but a way to make workers feel connected to each other, even when they’re thousands of miles away from the office.
A compelling complement to your LMS
Podcasts offer an opportunity to add context and additional supplements to the lessons employees consume through the LMS. A podcast episode that links to a follow-up quiz in the LMS in its episode description can allow employees to test their knowledge after their initial listen.
Or, after exploring a concept through a written lesson, an employee could listen to an episode on their drive home from work in which workplace leaders discuss putting that concept into action on a day-to-day basis. The experience of hearing colleagues talk about the lessons brings the issue to life, making it more likely that the employee will retain the information. By implementing these two systems together, you’ll be sure to take your employee training to the next level and reap the benefits of a more skilled workforce.