9 Ways to Encourage Your Employees to Complete Online Training

Online training is a valuable tool for skill development, but motivating employees to complete courses can be challenging. 

Well, this article explores nine actionable steps you can take to create an engaging learning culture that benefits both your employees and your organization’s growth!

But first, let’s explore the types of courses that your employees could complete.

Different Types of Online Training Courses 

Employees can explore a range of online training options designed to address diverse professional needs. Here’s a breakdown. 

Technical Skills Training

These courses teach employees the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.

Think coding for IT teams or advanced Excel for finance staff. Such training builds confidence in handling technology-driven tasks.

Soft Skills Development 

This focuses on areas like communication strategies, teamwork methods, leadership approaches, or time management techniques. 

Soft skills benefit both individuals and team dynamics across the board.

Compliance and Safety Programs

These cover industry regulations or workplace standards like data protection policies or occupational health measures. 

They ensure that everyone meets legal requirements and help mitigate risks, prevent violations, and promote ethical and safe business practices.

Custom-Designed Modules Specific to Your Business Needs

If your company uses proprietary software or unique workflows unavailable elsewhere, creating your own customized courses will ensure your employees learn exactly what they need.

You can develop the lessons with your managers, asking them to record video lessons or even putting together handouts and other materials to teach employees exactly what they need to know to work at your company.

Then, just host it on an eLearning platform (LMS) like Coursify.me, which offers all the features your company needs to provide online training.

– ELearning Platforms and Corporate Education

How to Encourage Your Employees to Complete Online Training

Now, let’s turn our attention toward the ways in which you can encourage your workers to complete online courses like those outlined above.

1. Foster a Culture That Prioritizes Learning and Development 

When employees see learning as integral to your company culture, they’re more likely to embrace online training opportunities. 

Lead by Example 

Encourage managers and leadership teams to take part in courses themselves. Their visible commitment shows that training is valued at all levels of the organization.

Celebrate Growth Publicly 

Acknowledge milestones reached through learning, such as certifications or completed modules, during meetings or internal communications.

Make Resources Accessible 

Offer employees easy access to course materials, discussion forums for shared insights, and clear schedules so training doesn’t feel like a burden on their time.

By positioning development programs as a key piece of your organizational identity – like celebrating small wins while showing tangible benefits – employees will naturally align personal growth with workplace goals.

2. Integrate Online Training into Performance Goals and Reviews 

Tying online training to performance goals shows employees that learning directly impacts their growth within the company. 

It connects individual efforts to tangible career advancement, making courses more purposeful. 

So, ensure that you:

• Set Clear Expectations: Incorporate specific training modules into each employee’s annual or quarterly performance objectives. For example, a team lead might complete leadership development courses as part of their growth plan.

• Review Progress Regularly: Discuss completed training during one-on-one meetings or evaluations. This highlights how newly gained skills contribute to improved work outcomes and demonstrates your investment in their success.

• Link Learning with Rewards: When appropriate, tie successful course completion to promotions, salary increases, or expanded responsibilities. Employees are more motivated when they see clear benefits tied to effort.

This approach makes online training less of an optional task and more of a stepping stone toward personal achievement while supporting overall organizational goals.

– Benefits of Online Corporate Training for Companies

3. Offer Paid Time or Flexibility for Training Completion 

Employees often struggle to fit training into their already busy schedules. 

By providing paid time or flexibility, you eliminate a common barrier and show that you value their development.

Consider these approaches: 

• Allow employees to dedicate specific work hours toward completing courses, so they don’t feel overwhelmed balancing learning with deadlines. 

• Provide the option for flexible scheduling, such as coming in later or leaving earlier on designated training days. 

• Offer additional paid leave specifically reserved for professional development activities like online training programs. 

Flexibility demonstrates that your company recognizes personal growth as part of an employee’s job responsibilities, not an extracurricular burden. 

This simple shift makes participation feel manageable while reinforcing your commitment to their success.

4. Reward Employees with Custom Awards for Completing Courses 

Recognizing achievements makes employees feel valued and motivates them to keep learning. 

By creating custom awards for course completions, you will celebrate their efforts in a tangible way. 

Custom awards go beyond standard certificates by offering something more personal and lasting. 

You can choose from a wide variety of designs for custom awards, such as crystal awards, plaques, and acrylic awards. These physical reminders highlight your employees’ dedication and add an element of prestige to the accomplishment.

Tailor the rewards to suit your company culture. For example, public recognition during team meetings or on internal platforms amplifies the impact of these milestones. 

Pairing awards with small perks – like gift cards or an extra day off – further incentivizes participation.

This approach turns online training into something employees actively look forward to while reinforcing a sense of achievement tied directly to their hard work. 

– How to measure the effectiveness of your online business training

5. Promote Group-Based Learning Sessions 

Learning in a group setting boosts motivation and fosters collaboration. 

By organizing sessions where employees complete online courses together, you create an environment that feels more engaging than learning solo.

Set Up Cohort Groups 

Divide employees into small groups based on shared goals or departments. 

These cohorts can schedule time to take the same training courses simultaneously, encouraging discussions and shared insights.

Encourage Accountability 

Group learning naturally introduces accountability since team members track progress together. 

Knowing others are relying on them keeps participants focused and consistent.

– How can I track the progress of my students in my online course?

Incorporate Post-Session Discussions 

After completing a module, organize follow-up meetings where groups share takeaways or address challenges they encountered during online training.

This collaborative approach transforms what could feel like isolated work into an opportunity for connection while making the material easier to retain through peer interaction. 

6. Create Personalized Learning Paths for Your Employees 

Not every employee needs the same training. 

By tailoring courses to individual roles and goals, you will ensure your employees find value in what they’re learning, making them more likely to complete their courses.

Assess Individual Needs 

Collaborate with employees and managers to identify skills gaps or career aspirations. 

Use this information to create custom training paths aligned with each person’s professional development.

Focus on Relevance 

Assign only modules that directly apply to an employee’s current job or future growth opportunities. 

For example, customer service staff might benefit from communication-focused lessons, while IT teams could explore advanced technical certifications.

– 7 Reasons to Pursue Course Certifications

Provide Flexibility 

Allow employees some choice in their path by offering elective courses alongside mandatory ones. 

This gives them ownership of their learning experience while ensuring core competencies are met.

A personalized approach makes online training feel meaningful and reduces resistance by showing employees how it directly benefits their careers!

7. Use Friendly Competition to Drive Course Completion 

Creating a sense of friendly competition encourages employees to engage with training while making the process fun. 

A competitive element can turn course completion into an exciting goal instead of just another task. 

Set Up Leaderboards 

Track employee progress through training platforms and display rankings within teams or departments. 

Publicly showcasing top performers motivates others to participate more actively.

Introduce Team Challenges 

Divide staff into small groups and challenge them to complete courses collectively by a set deadline. 

Celebrate the winning team with rewards like lunch outings, recognition in meetings, or small gifts.

Offer Individual Incentives 

Recognize employees who finish courses early or achieve high scores on quizzes by offering perks like extra PTO hours or company-branded items.

This playful approach fosters engagement while creating positive reinforcement around learning, keeping employees enthusiastic about completing their online training.

– How apply gamification in eLearning

8. Share Success Stories of Those Who Complete Training 

Highlighting the success of employees who have completed online training inspires others to follow suit. 

Real-life examples show the tangible benefits of learning, making it more relatable and motivating for your team.

• Feature Testimonials: Ask employees who’ve benefited from online courses to share their experiences. Include specific details, like how the training improved their performance or helped them achieve career goals.

• Use Multiple Channels: Spotlight these stories during team meetings, in newsletters, or on internal communication platforms. This ensures they reach a wide audience and spark interest across departments.

• Link Success to Outcomes: When possible, tie these stories to measurable outcomes – such as increased productivity, promotions earned, or new skills applied at work – to demonstrate the real impact of training.

By showcasing relatable achievements within your organization, you foster enthusiasm for online learning while building a culture that celebrates personal growth.

9. Provide Ongoing Support Through Mentorship Programs 

Lastly, mentorship adds a human element to online training by offering guidance and encouragement. 

Pairing employees with mentors ensures they stay engaged, ask questions, and overcome challenges during their learning journey.

Match Employees Thoughtfully 

Assign mentors based on shared skills or career goals. For example, someone completing leadership training would benefit from a seasoned manager’s insights.

Encourage Regular Check-Ins 

Set up consistent meetings between mentors and mentees to discuss progress, address obstacles in the coursework, or explore real-world applications of new skills.

Foster Peer Mentorship Opportunities 

In addition to senior staff involvement, allow experienced peers who’ve completed similar courses to mentor colleagues. This creates a sense of camaraderie while leveraging relatable experiences.

Support systems like mentorship programs turn self-paced learning into a collaborative effort – helping employees stay motivated while ensuring they make the most out of their training.

– Benefits of Online Training for New Hires

Build Your Online Training and Empower Your Employees

Encouraging employees to embrace online training fosters growth, builds skills, and strengthens your organization. 

With the above nine strategies, you can create a motivated team of employees who are eager to learn and succeed together.

Present in more than 60 countries, Coursify.me is the perfect solution for companies that want to host online training courses.

Coursify.me is a LMS platform ready for you to enter your courses and create a fully customized page for your business.

– Everything you need to know about LMS platform

With a friendly and intuitive layout, anyone can use it, either as teacher or student, without having to understand computing for this.

We offer three plan options for you to decide which one best suits your needs.

Developed for companies, with the Business Plan you customize your own domain and remove the Coursify.me brand from all your pages and courses.

In addition, we have an online support team ready to assist you and help you with any difficulty.

To know more, visit our website, test the platform and understand why we are the best option for your online training.