Employee training once meant new hires watching hours of video or reading pages of material followed by a written assessment. With the development of human resources technology in recent years, that model may soon be obsolete.
"Those videos are a thing of the past, especially (with restaurant companies) that are on the cutting edge," said Kacy Oden, director of membership relations for Dallas-based People Report.
When employees watch training videos today, they likely are viewing them either at a back-office computer, from the store's point-of-sale system or even from a portable video device. Testing has moved to programs that grade the tests and report results and also report information, such as length of time testing.
Meeting learners’ needs
E-learning solutions are available in a variety of formats designed to improve training efficiency and effectiveness. While e-learning once meant simply reading online content, today's modules are more likely to involve some form of multimedia component with a mixture of video, photos and audio, as well as interactive features.
"It's like night and day," Oden said. "You can really track and measure your program, because it's all online for you. And you can track it by an individual or by store."
She also said one advantage is that e-learning allows employees to complete training at their own pace. Most solutions also let them return to material they did not understand initially or repeat missed questions during testing until answered correctly.
"I love the fact that it can be (at) their own speed and just ensure that they get the material," Oden said.
E-learning also addresses the challenges of training the modern workforce, whether tech-savvy teens or the growing number of Hispanic workers in the limited-service segment. Many programs come in English and Spanish to accommodate language differences, and for digital natives, the models are more engaging than traditional classroom methods.
Shelly Gagen, people services director for Caribou Coffee, said employees have responded positively to the chain's e-learning solution, implemented some time ago.
"The culture of our average employee is very comfortable and familiar with technology, so it allows them to interact with some of our training much better than a manual or some sort of reading assignment," she said.
Like many concepts, Caribou has found that this approach complements its in-store training.
"If (e-learning is) done on the front end, it's very nice foundation-laying," Gagen said. "Or if it's on the back end or in conjunction with hands-on training, it’s a really nice way to reinforce a lot of that training."
Beyond testing
E-learning solutions can vary from online content accessed on a provider's Web site to computer-based learning-management systems, and many providers offer both.
Aside from providing content, the advantage of deploying a learning-management system is that training management and administration of the training is encompassed in a software package instead of hand-written records.
Gagen said Caribou's LMS solution provides online modules for hourly employees and management, as well as the ability for HR staff to conduct surveys, track progress and assess the effectiveness of a the program. Many modules also measure efficacy and ROI on their own.
"It allows us to monitor progress as an organization," she said, including making clear where employees have struggled with a piece of training or to which modules they have responded positively.
Training to-go
On-demand training modules downloaded to a portable device, such as an iPod or mp3 player, have also gained in popularity and are often used in conjunction with e-learning modules.
Curt Archambault, former president of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers, said this type of training enhances learning by taking it out of the back of the house.
"It's in the hands of the user at the place where they're doing the training," he said.
The devices also allow managers to recommend a training module as soon as they see a problem.
"(Managers) can pull out an iTouch and have that particular employee go through that module right there at that moment, so it's in-hand," Archambault said.
People Report's Oden said the use of portable devices particularly connects with younger employees.
"It's perfect for this generation because they all have one, and it's very visual, which they like," she said. "So it shows them how to do (a job function) in a format they're really used to, and that's the key, just finding something they can really relate to."
Selecting a solution
While e-learning is effective, it must be in conjunction with hands-on training and not take its place. Oden said restaurants that use e-learning in tandem with hands-on training typically see a correlation in reduced turnover, as well as improved customer satisfaction and increased sales.
Eric Krohner, president and CEO of Farmington Hills, Mich.-based The Solution Group, which provides pre- and post-hire HR solutions, said finding the right mix of tools is important.
"The key is that most companies acknowledge that you need a blended learning approach, which combines face-to-face traditional classroom learning with that (online) training," Krohner said. "What the perfect blend is for each company depends on budget and depends a lot on the content they need to push out. That is something that requires some type of consulting … to come up with the right formula."
