Online and Physical Training

Which is better for the Employees?

With today's hustle and bustle, training your employees has never been more paramount. Business strives to be met with two main avenues to this effect: online training versus physical or in-person training. Both approaches carry different advantages and challenges. Let us delve deeper into to see which might be better for organization.

Advantages of Online Training

 

1. Flexibility 

Online training allows staff to progress at their pace and convenience. This particularly applies to those who might be working to balance other commitments, family, or part-time work.

 

2.Cost-Effective

No traveling fees or costs for the production of physical material are incurred. Businesses will save some money through the digital sharing of materials.

 

3.Scalability

Scaling online courses to train a number of employees at a particular time is easy irrespective of where they might be located.

 

Challenges

1. Limited Interaction

Face-to-face interaction is completely missing in online training, and this aspect may further hinder employees from asking questions or getting deeply involved with the content.

 

2.Technical Problems

Issues regarding internet connectivity or platform may adversely affect the learning ability.

 

3. Attention Span

It may be challenging to maintain learners' attention online, especially when it involves noninteractive or less engaging content.

Physical Training benefits

1. Direct Interaction

Training carried out in person offers direct interaction with the trainers and fellow trainees. It may enhance the learning experience by making it more interactive.

 

2. Practical Exposure

For skill-based jobs, physical training allows the people to have hands-on experience, which is an integral factor in skill development.

 

3.Direct Feedback

Trainers can provide instant feedback and instructions to learn practices the right way, hence correcting and developing skills more rapidly.

 

Disadvantages

 

1.Time-Consuming

Physical training requires an employee to be present at a particular place and time. This can indeed be very inconveniencing and can actually interfere with working schedules.

 

2.Higher Costs

The costs of travel, accommodation, and venues make physical training expensive, especially in the case of big groups.

 

3. Limited Scalability

Physical training does not scale very well to large groups of employees, particularly in cases where employees are geographically dispersed.

Which Is Better?

 The choice between online and physical training depends on the needs and resources of your company. If you want to train a large number of employees spread across different locations, you would want to take up online training. On the other hand, if they need hands-on practice or interaction is very important, then physical training may prove to be helpful.

Blended approaches often take the best from both worlds. Online delivery gives flexibility and cost savings as well as channels for practice, hands-on training, and interaction.

Conclusion:

Online and physical trainings both come with pros and cons. Their best will, therefore, be determined by an organization's specific needs, budget, and goals. Acquainted with the factors, you can carefully choose a method of training to help your workers develop those skills most effectively to be successful.

References:

Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2016). Online Learning: A Changing Landscape. Babson Survey Research Group.

Noe, R. A. (2017). Employee Training and Development. McGraw-Hill Education.

Tannenbaum, S. I., & Yukl, G. (1992). Training and Development in Work Organizations. Annual Review of Psychology, 43(1), 399-441.