In-Person vs. Online Training: What’s Best for Your Company?

In-Person vs. Online Training: What’s Best for Your Company?

Here’s a fun idea: Think back to your first day on the job. Chances are, you showed up with your brain in sponge mode ready to absorb everything you were taught. You might have had a few nerves, unsure of who you’d be working with or how you’d do, but all-in-all, you were excited.

Now, you’re in charge. You’ve climbed the ranks and learned what you need to know to do well in your job. You’ve also hired new employees and now it’s your responsibility to pass on that knowledge to the new employees of your company.

How do you do that? There are two primary ways – with in-person training or online training.

Both types of training methods have their benefits. Which one is right for new talent? Let’s take a look at the benefits of each.

Benefits of In-Person Training

In-person training includes any workshops and shadowing programs to teach a new employee what’s expected. The benefits include:

Making the onboarding experience feel more personal

When a person has a “big brother” type employee taking her hand and showing her the ropes, she feels an instant connection with your business. She’s able to connect with a person in your company, which can help alleviate any fears. The problem is, sometimes personalities will clash, which can backfire.

Having a faster and easier way to answer employee questions

It’s inevitable that a new employee will have questions as she learns her new job. With in-person training, you can answer these questions immediately, which can onboard the employee faster.

Benefits of Online Training

In-person training can oftentimes get expensive and potentially challenging if you have clashing personalities. Here are the benefits of online training:

You get your team used to using your company’s technology from the get-go

Do you use technology in your company to take orders, schedule shifts and communicate? If so, you want to get your new employee using it immediately so she knows how to manage your company’s tools. The best way to teach her is to get her in the trenches using the technology – not watching someone use the technology.

You have the training available 24/7, 365

It’s hard to schedule a trainer to be on site or on the same shift as your new employee. With online training, you don’t have to. The training is available around the clock. You could even ask your employee to do it from home.

What’s Right for You?

There’s no right or wrong way to go about training your new employees. Some businesses benefit from having another team member hold a new employee’s hand from the start. Others find it faster and easier to get the new employees working with online trainings. And some prefer a combination. Consider the benefits of each to find out which option is right for you.

Author Profile Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleBase employee scheduling software, and other business software solutions. In the past, Jon has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Atlas Business Solutions was named as one of Software Magazine’s Top 500 Software Companies in 2004 through 2007 and again in 2010, 2013 and 2014.