Ensuring that employees receive adequate training should be a top priority for businesses. Corporations must also assist in their workers' professional development, providing opportunities to learn and grow their careers. In a recent survey, Software Advice found that human resources professionals place a high value on learning management systems that help fulfill these goals. Survey participants responded that they were better equipped to administer training efficiently with LMS software.
What is LMS?
Learning management systems are software applications used by business professionals to adequately handle educational technology. E-learning material administration, distribution, documentation, reporting and tracking requires strategic organization and management. HR Payroll Systems noted that systemically presenting content, evaluating progress and teaching and testing knowledge are the three functions every LMS should perform. Without a reliable and robust system in place, companies will fail to provide employees with enough support to successfully perform their duties.
When it comes to HR, accessible LMS software streamlines the many tasks professionals need to complete for a business to run smoothly. E-learning Industry stated that LMS software better engages employees, thus creating a greater sense of collaboration among personnel. Plus, when a program is integrated, it becomes available to the entire corporate network. This makes it easier for HR to administer training and track progress throughout all departments.
What HR professionals have to say
Software Advice conducted a survey that collected data from HR professionals in 12 different countries, including the U.S. Participants came from businesses that varied in both size and revenue across a broad spectrum. The one criteria that all respondents had in common was that they each used LMS software at least once every month. The goal was to discover how companies around the world are using these systems and what challenges they may face. According to the survey, the leading challenges included integration with other systems (66 percent), learning the system (64 percent) and lack of customization (57 percent).
It turns out that 99 percent of the HR professionals involved in the survey believed that LMS software had a positive impact on their corporation's training efficiency, job performance, new employee recruitment overall employee retention. Software Advice found that 73 percent of users took advantage of the trainee testing features and 68 percent used training administration services. These were the two most popular features among respondents, followed closely by record keeping and virtual classroom systems, with 53 percent and 45 percent reporting using those features, respectively.
In addition, 98 percent stated that being able to track progress and developing standardized training documents was positively impacted by the use of LMS software.
Challenges faced by HR
No system is without its challenges. Respondents stated that integration (32 percent) and customization (22 percent) were the two most frustrating aspects of working with LMS software. Even so, only 7 percent and 8 percent of respondents claimed these obstacles as major challenges, respectively. It's crucial that HR professionals invest in a system that provides integration capabilities and an intuitive platform that can be easily tailored to the specific needs of the company.
Notably, one thing that 90 percent of LMS users reported having little to no trouble with was security and privacy. Businesses have enough to worry about already; ensuring the safety of their sensitive information shouldn't be a source of anxiety.
In the end, the positive outcomes far outweigh the challenges presented by LMS software; in 2015, 45 percent of HR professionals plan to increase spending on e-learning technology. Another 45 percent anticipate they'll spend the same amount on LMS software as they did in years prior. This is the largest growing trend in the HR world.