Your workforce is your competitive advantage. Your employees’ creativity and problem-solving skills give your organization an edge that technology can’t replicate. But how do you help your employees reach their full potential? And keep them excited about their work?
The ability to deliver personalized learning at scale keeps your workforce engaged and ahead of the curve. Research by Forbes shows that companies with comprehensive employee training programs boast a 218% higher income per employee and a 24% higher overall profit margin. Yet the reality is that HR teams are at a disadvantage. Delivering meaningful, effective training at scale isn’t possible without the right tools.
To help your HR team overcome common training challenges, we’re sharing six of the ones we often see across enterprises. We’ll also explain how an HR learning management system (LMS) can support your training initiatives and why common LMS limitations shouldn’t hold you back.
6 challenges HR teams face and how an AI LMS solves them
You're not alone if you feel like your HR team isn't making the most of your learning tech. The truth is that many LMSs aren’t designed with the exact functionalities your team needs, making it difficult to know what you’re missing out on or need. But taking the time to understand the capabilities of your LMS – and if it’s even a good match for you – can help you tackle your biggest training hurdles. Let's review six key challenges HR teams face and see how the right HR LMS can help:
Employee onboarding
Onboarding groups of new hires across different departments and geographical locations is no small feat. Your corporate training program must ensure consistency across teams while welcoming new hires and giving them the resources to hit the ground running. Above all, an organized onboarding program supports employee retention. Research shows that employees with a structured onboarding experience are 58% more likely to stay with a company for three years.
With an LMS for employee training, HR teams can build standardized employee onboarding programs that deliver personalized learning paths based on job roles and locations. Training that’s meaningful, useful, and relevant? Check, check, check. Plus, you can use collaborative training tools that integrate directly into your LMS and connect new hires with colleagues.
Compliance
Keeping your workforce up-to-date on compliance regulations isn’t a nice to have – it’s a need to have. Numbers highlight the importance of compliance training. According to Fosway, annual compliance is the main driver of learning activity, with 57% of participants in their 2023 research report highlighting it as their top priority.
Learning teams know that manually tracking completion rates and compliance training records can quickly transition from a quick task to a month-long project. Using an AI LMS built with tools like Absorb Analyze, you can automate tedious training admin and record program completion for compliance audits. Similarly, your eLearning solution can send automated notifications to employees on required training modules.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I)
A diverse and inclusive workforce is non-negotiable by today’s corporate standards. It means more depth and breadth of experience and even translates to monetary gain. According to LinkedIn, diverse companies earn 2.5x higher cash flow per employee. However, creating learning experiences that cater to different employee backgrounds and needs can be challenging.
An HR LMS builds knowledge on DE&I initiatives through an extensive training content library like Absorb Skills, which covers various DE&I topics. Along with offering a range of course options, your enterprise can deliver training materials that accommodate different learning styles and preferences. By offering multi-format training, you foster learner inclusivity.
Upskilling
There's no slowing down when it comes to technological developments and workforce skill shifts. Based on research from the World Economic Forum, six in 10 workers will require training before 2027, but only half of workers have access to training opportunities today.
To stay ahead, continuous skill development (AKA upskilling) for your employees is essential. It gives teams support to develop professionally, reducing turnover and improving productivity. However, recognizing skill gaps and providing relevant training opportunities can be a complex task.
Fortunately, employee upskilling software simplifies skill development with scalable, personalized learning. An AI-driven upskilling tool like Absorb Skills recommends curated learning paths to meet individual upskilling needs. With your eLearning solution, you can access a library of quality, vetted courses developed by industry experts.
Talent management
HR teams know that building a strong talent pipeline hinges on a culture of learning and development. It helps growing enterprises retain their best employees and keeps them excited about work. When employees have professional development opportunities, retention is 34% higher among them. Yet tracking employee learning progress and aligning training with career aspirations often demands more time than busy HR departments have.
More and more, teams are integrating their HR LMS with performance management tools to solve this ongoing issue. Integrations strengthen the link between your employees' performance and professional growth opportunities. Using this performance and training data, your organization can implement strategic talent management, nurturing high performers’ skill sets.
How to incorporate AI
Building a smarter learning experience starts with AI. And understanding how to use an AI-based LMS and incorporate it into your learning workflows will go beyond solving training problems. It’ll modernize your training leading to better business outcomes. Yet as of early this year, only about 1 in 4 employers use AI to support HR activities. So, what’s the issue? Most teams don’t know where to start. Here are examples of where we see AI-powered training pack the biggest punch.
One example of how an AI LMS supports organizational performance is through efficiency. With business, faster is almost always better and learning is no different. An AI LMS automates content creation tasks for faster development and rollout of new training programs. The theme of efficiency also carries over to training program administration. Your learning system reduces administrative burdens by automating tasks like tracking progress and generating reports.
Another example of how an AI LMS contributes to your bottom line is through learning engagement. Often, mandatory training can feel like a chore. With a personalized learning path, teams can take courses that match their learning styles and interests. Advanced training translates to improved productivity and fulfilled employees (who are less likely to leave your organization).
The role of an HR LMS in driving business outcomes
The key to leveraging your LMS for employee training, development, and organizational growth is understanding what it can do. AI-powered learning management systems can lead to significant business outcomes, but knowing the potential benefits is the first step. The right eLearning solution helps HR teams solve training challenges and scale workforces sustainably. Here’s how:
Improves training efficiency
- Reduced onboarding time: Automated onboarding programs and personalized learning paths can significantly decrease onboarding times, leading to faster employee productivity. For example, findings from the recent Forrester Consulting Total Economic Impact™ study commissioned by Absorb showed a composite organization representative of interviewed customers onboarded employees 40% faster with Absorb LMS.
- Standardized training delivery: An HR learning management system ensures consistent and standardized training delivery across all departments and locations, eliminating variations and knowledge gaps.
- Reduced administrative workload: Automatic completion tracking, reporting generation, and content curation give HR teams time back to focus on strategic initiatives. In the same Total Economic Impact™ study, research showed a 99% time saved on reporting with Absorb LMS for the composite organization.
Engaging learner experience
- Personalized learning: AI in personalized learning is the new standard across corporate training programs. An AI LMS recommends courses, content, and learning paths based on individual needs and goals. This boosts engagement, allowing training to leave a bigger impact on the learner.
- Microlearning and gamification: Bite-sized learning modules and gamified elements cater to busy schedules and different learning styles, turning learning into a positive (and dare we say, fun) experience.
- Efficient content search: Based on learner data, your training platform can predict new content that will likely interest them. When learners efficiently find the content they're searching for, they gain the relevant skills and are motivated to return for more.
Data-driven insights
- Actionable analytics: Data provides actionable insights into learner behavior, engagement, and skill levels. This data helps HR teams identify areas for improvement and measure the effectiveness of training programs.
- Informed training decisions: Clear analytics help you make data-driven business decisions to ensure your programs drive the results you want.
- Demonstrated ROI: Stakeholders often question the value of L&D programs. HR data allows you to quantify the impact of training on key metrics, like increased productivity, improved customer satisfaction, or reduced error rates.
Make learning a strategic priority with an LMS for employee training
Investing in an AI-powered HR LMS will pay off for years to come. A modern learning platform can revamp your entire L&D program and drive business results (if used to its full potential). Beyond its immediate impact, the right LMS prepares your organization for the future
And if you’re at a point where you’re ready to learn what an AI LMS can do for you, we’re here to help. Our eLearning solution, Absorb LMS, is an AI-powered, cloud-based platform engineered to inspire learning and fuel business productivity. It combines our AI-first technology approach, built to scale as your organization grows.
When you invest in the right enterprise learning platform you drive growth. Learn why you need an LMS and what it can do for you.
