How to effectively use eBooks in workplace training

In the past, workplace training programmes have centered mainly on lengthy courses and workshops. They were expensive, time-consuming and difficult to arrange. However, due to the numerous benefits of digitalisation professionals are beginning to place a greater emphasis on digital tools such as eBooks to further their training strategies.  

There are many advantages to using eBooks for training purposes, but these benefits could become amplified if you use them effectively. Here are a few simple ideas that will enable you to get the best results from eBooks in your workplace.  

Be flexible with formats

One of the most attractive things about eBooks is the flexibility they offer. If you’re offering training via eBooks, your staff will be able to fit self-training in with their own schedules and learn on the go whenever they have a spare five minutes.

Deloitte has estimated that most employees simply don’t have time to commit to training at work. Deloitte’s modern learner research found that “employees can only spare about 1% of their weekly time – on professional development. That amounts to about 24 minutes a week.” (1) This is a small amount of time, but it’s not insignificant. Using digital tools like eBooks flexibly will allow employees to work on professional development, whenever they can.

To really get the most from this flexibility, it’s a good idea to ensure that the eBooks you’re offering are suitable for a range of different digital devices. Do this and you’ll find that staff engage better with the content, reading it on their computers, tablets, and smartphones.

Offer a varied selection of topics

Similar to how every person learns at their own pace, every person also has a different need in terms of their skills gap.

To get the most from your use of eBooks in workplace training, it’s crucial to offer a good selection of different eBooks, centering on a range of topics related to professional development. This will allow you to let team members decide which training routes they wish to pursue. As a result, they’ll feel far more motivated, engaged and inspired to learn.

Arrange regular discussions

Introduce a monthly team training lunch, and encourage those undertaking training to share their ideas on their favourite books.

Make sure everyone gets a chance to speak about their own take on the eBooks they’ve read, and ensure there is plenty of time for questions and problem-solving at the end. That way, everyone will feel listened to, and any anxieties about information staff might find confusing can be easily quelled.

Help employees discover new eBooks

Set up an internal newsletter to highlight interesting eBooks, let people review their favourite eBooks on your intranet or promote a certain selection of interesting reads on other internal communications channels.

In other words, help your employees get inspired by regularly suggesting new topics they could catch up on.

If you’re starting to incorporate eBooks into your own workplace training, take the time to investigate the best possible uses of these digital tools, and you’ll be assured of great results from day one.

Would you like to read more about how to engage employees with digital training? For a limited time, download our eBook “Digital Training @Work” for free.

1. http://www.hrotoday.com/news/engaged-workforce/bite-sized-learning/
2. https://www.statista.com/topics/1474/e-books/
3. http://www.elearninglearning.com/interactive/statistics/?open-article-id=9443522&article-title=stunning-statistics-that-prove-the-power-of-elearning&blog-domain=schoox.com&blog-title=schoox