Hey Development Managers! Are you looking to take your workplace to new heights? Look no further than Totara LMS!  Totara is one awesome platform for levelling up your skills and with Webanywhere’s personalised LMS solutions, you’ll be able to harness the power of this platform and supercharge your team’s employee development. In this article, we are spilling the tea on the best tips and tricks to make your workplace learning experience the bomb. We’ll show you why you should trust our dedicated learning solutions, how to master the tools, rock collaboration, stay on top of your game with organisation, and make the most of all the resources available. Get ready to level up your workplace game!

Toolbox Treasures 

Our learning platform has a whole bunch of ’em, from forums to wikis to quizzes and more. Make sure you know what each tool is for and how to use it to its fullest. For example, forums are a great way to chat with colleagues and work together on projects. And quizzes are a fun way to test your team’s knowledge and track their progress. Don’t forget to check out all the features each tool has to offer – like setting up notifications for forums to stay in the loop.

Collaboration Central

Our LMS gives teams plenty of opportunities to work together and create a dynamic learning environment. Get involved in forums and discussions, share your thoughts, and get feedback from your team members. For group projects, set clear goals, divvy up tasks, and establish regular check-ins.

Organisation Overlord 

Let’s talk about staying organised, yep, everyone struggles with this at some point or another but we have got your back. Our LMS system helps you set up a personal study plan with dedicated study time, a to-do list, and regular review of course materials. And you can use the calendar feature to keep track of deadlines and upcoming tasks.

Tailored Experience

At Webanywhere, we get it. Personalisation is key when it comes to e-learning. That’s why we offer custom solutions tailored to your organisation’s unique needs and goals. Our Totara LMS is all about giving each employee their own custom experience. Whether it’s a custom dashboard or a tailored study plan, we’ve got you covered. And the fun doesn’t stop there! We add a touch of gamification, encourage social learning, and even make sure our platform is mobile-friendly. All so you can have the best possible e-learning experience with us!

We also have a bunch of resources and support services to help your team along the way. From a user guide to online forums to interactive tutorials, make sure your team takes advantage of everything that’s available through the platform. And if you run into any issues, the support team at Webanywhere is always there to help.

So, that’s it! With the right tools and a positive attitude, you and your team’s employee development will be unstoppable on our tailor made LMS Solution. Let’s do this!

If you’d like to know more, don’t forget to get in touch! We love chatting about all things training and development solutions![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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  No travel required – Learners do not need to travel anywhere which saves costs and time
  Interactivity – Due to the distance and virtual interaction options, virtual classroom training is often more interactive as opposed to traditional       classroom training
  Flexibility – Access to course materials, anytime, anywhere

 Higher productivity – Employees spend less time away from their actual work, thus higher productivity is achieved
 Flexibility – Learning can be planned around business needs and schedules
 Cost saving – Virtual classroom training does not incur any costs for the venue or travel, plus employees are not as long  away from their  desk or office which in turn reduces the opportunity costs

Comparison of features of popular platforms

As with any systems in the e-learning industry, there are various platforms and providers. Generally these can be categorized in proprietary, e.g. Blackboard Collaborate, and open source systems, e.g. BigBlueButton. Which one to chose depends on your requirements/objectives and your IT infrastructure. For example, if you already use an open source LMS, an obvious choice would be BigBlueButton.

The available platforms mainly differ in regards to the depth of features as well as the price. The main features, as illustrated in the table above, are generally very similar though. The majority of the platforms include the main features such as audio and video streaming, desktop/screen sharing, attendee management, whiteboard tools such as drawings as well as sharing the interactive whiteboard, recording, annotating, and many more.

If you are interested to know more about how virtual classrooms can be integrated in our new SaaS model and which platform would be most appropriate for your needs, please get in touch with us on 866-713-0496 or info@webanywhere.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Totara LMS, the global provider of learning management systems with over 1,000 corporate clients, has recently announced their latest release – and it was worth the wait.

Totara 9 will give training teams greater flexibility when managing blended learning programs.

So why is this important?

Blended learning is the key to successful training programs.

According to Bersin by Deloitte’s recent Human Capital trends report, 2016, HR teams are having to rethink their structure to support new ways of working.  For example, the ‘gig economy’ (as Bersin puts it) has come about, which is essentially where companies of freelance teams hire for specific organizations. Secondly, the digital revolution means HR teams are having to use technology more than ever in their talent management strategy, e.g., data analytics This means HR teams have to drop the notepad and pick up the iPad; if they don’t adopt technology, they’ll be left behind. Then finally, the rise of the Millennial. According to a survey by PWC, Millennials rate learning and development as the third most important factor when choosing an employee, this was after compensation and career opportunities.

Ok, so what does this mean for me as an HR professional?

Ultimately, you are under more pressure now to deliver results, than ever before.

1. Reducing in spend for L&D, the more-for-less agenda

2. Digital revolution has happened and is here to stay

3. HR reform, organisational structure changes leading to new ways of working

Why is Totara 9 so influential in supporting me?

We all know elearning isn’t the only ingredient for delivering corporate learning programs; take for example a leadership course which is aimed at developing emotional intelligence.  In our opinion, this would be a struggle to achieve totally online. You would need to have repeated, face to face, 1:1 sessions with those who need the candid feedback, so a blended approach would be the most sensible.

So, this makes the blend essential. The previous version of Totara LMS used to manage this wasn’t as powerful as what is available in 9. For example, you couldn’t assign equipment required for training.

With Totara 9, we evaluated the new functionality and here are our top features:

• Training dashboard: easy to use dashboard which is searchable and filterable

• Room layout management: within Totara you can now specify this

• Default settings: used for training admins, making it much faster to create workshops or seminars with preferred settings

• New custom field types: includes cancellations, so rather than paying for changes, you can add these yourself

• Asset management: this is the most sophisticated tool we have seen on the LMS market. You can book equipment, trainers, resources and even change the room layout!

• 2nd level approval: if your boss needs to approve, you can now add this in, though it’s optional.

• Google maps integration: via the Google API, you can now locate meetings quicker than ever for attendees.

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The post Why Doing the Blend Just Got Better with Totara 9 appeared first on Webanywhere.

This can have a really negative effect on your other customers and your colleagues.

The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) define work-related violence as ‘any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.’ This can include verbal abuse or threats as well as physical attacks.

According to the International Business Times, 56% of UK retail staff were subject to such  over the past couple of years which clearly shows that this is a major problem affecting the retail sector.

Employers

An assault can lead to poor morale and a poor image for your organisation, making it difficult to recruit and keep staff. Absenteeism, higher insurance premiums and compensation payments can lead to higher costs in the long-term.

Employees

An assault can cause pain, distress and even disability or death. Physical attacks are obviously dangerous but serious or persistent verbal abuse or threats can also damage employees’ health through anxiety or stress.

Employers: The law

There are 5 pieces of legislation which affect retailers:

• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) – Employers have a legal duty under this act to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees.

• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – Employers must assess the risks to employees and make arrangements for their health and safety..

• The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) – Employers must notify their enforcing authority in the event of an accident at work to any employee resulting in death, major injury or incapacity for normal work for three or more consecutive days.

• Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (a) and The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (b) Employers must inform, and consult with, employees in good time on matters relating to their health and safety. Employee representatives, either appointed by recognised trade unions under (a) or elected under (b) may make representations to their employer on matters affecting the health and safety of those they represent.

In order for employers to keep their staff safe and happy at work and also abide by their legal obligations, they must provide comprehensive training for their staff to avoid a potential conflict.

How can I roll out training to help my staff manage angry customers?

There are many training models you could follow from traditional classroom methods to elearning or an approach which involves a blend of the two.

The important thing to remember is that any training needs to be relevant and engage the user in order that they complete the training objectives.

A recipe for a blended learning approach could include the following elements in your module.

• Understanding conflict
• Common causes of conflict
• Body language
• Defusing a conflict
• Dealing with aggressive behaviour
• Communication
• Escalation procedure
• Your company policy

Suggested steps to for employees to deal with conflict

1. Remain calm – when a customer starts yelling or being otherwise rude maintain control of yourself, even if the customer’s tirade makes you feeling like yelling yourself.
2. Don’t take it personally – the customer is not angry with you, they are displeased with the performance of your product or the quality of the service you provide.
3. Use your best listening skills – when an angry customer vents, they need someone to listen. Hear them out. Body language can be critically important here. Keep eye contact. Stand or sit up straight. Keep your arms uncrossed.  Show how closely you’re paying attention to their problem.
4. Actively sympathise – post vent, express sympathy for their unpleasant customer experience. Respect and understanding go a long way toward smoothing things over.
5. Apologise gracefully – whether the customer’s complaint is legitimate or not is really irrelevant.Express an apology for the problem they are having (or perceive to be having).
6. Find a solution – ask them what they feel should be done or put forward your own fair and realistic answer to the problem. In most cases, that’s all the customer is looking for—and may result in providing some degree of satisfaction.
7. Take a time out – after the situation has been resolved and the customer is on their way, you could experience lingering stress. Take a short walk, treat yourself to a snack or find someone to talk to who makes you laugh.

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A successful LMS deployment depends on more than just the technology involved. The strategies that the management team use to launch the LMS are just as, if not more, important if you wish to ensure it is a success. We’ve examined several key techniques that you can use to improve take up within your organisation.

A Central Resource

Modern businesses have large numbers of systems in place. Using your LMS as the central location to point staff at the right system for their need will increase uptake and ensure that the LMS is the first system users look to for information.

Gamification and rewards

The Mozilla Open Badges system makes it easy to create game based incentives for staff, this can encourage further uptake of the LMS. As well as this, league tables of team results and prizes for the best scores can encourage healthy competition.

Mobile Access

These days most staff have access to at least one mobile device. Ensuring that the LMS is easy to use via mobile will mean that staff can access learning materials conveniently and on a platform that they are familiar with.

Blended training

The LMS can be used to host preparatory work for a face to face training session. It can also host notes from the session and follow up work to ensure that knowledge is embedded. Combining this with the ability to book sessions online, means the LMS is central to face to face training.

Bitesize “Just in Time” training

An LMS is an ideal platform for “Just in Time” training. This can allow users to look up facts and check information on company processes or tasks (like on a search engine). This can make a workforce more efficient and increase ROI on the LMS.

Social Learning

Forums and chat rooms are an ideal place to get staff to share ideas and answer each other’s questions. These can be hosted on an LMS and help encourage communities. Collaborative work and glossaries can also help you leverage staff experience.

Mandatory Learning

Hosting mandatory training and inductions on the LMS helps to ingrain it as part of your company’s culture. This ensures all staff get used to taking training online and can help them see other resources that are available.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas about how to increase usage of your LMS. If you have any questions or want to find out more please get in touch.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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