With cuts in budget, there has been a significant decrease in employee training and career development opportunities for public servants. The government must start looking at news ways of providing these opportunities to their employees without spending the money that is typically associated with such events.
According to a report from GovLoop, virtual events could be the answer to this problem. Using Voice over IP technology, electronic documents, and other Web-training strategies, employers can help their employees receive this training and connect with others in the field without sacrificing time or money.
There are several benefits to harnessing technology in this way. First, there are no associated travel costs. Employees can access these events from the comfort of their offices or homes. And this, of course, feeds into the next benefit: there is no out-of-office time necessary to attend such events, meaning it can increase productivity and efficiency.
Employees might also find it easier to network using such technologies: it is easier to identify experts in a particular field this way, and employees can exchange social media accounts more easily for better chances of communication in the future. Furthermore, connecting with others via text might be less intimidating for some individuals.
Some ideas for virtual training aids are as follows:
• Downloadable PDF files. With these, information is stored in a single, easy to access location. People can refer back to it whenever they need to.
• Webinars, both live and pre-recorded. Once again, information is easy to access, especially if the material can be reviewed at a later date.
• Group chats with Voice over IP, such as Skype. It gives people a better opportunity to interact with others on a large scale.
Have you had any experience with virtual events? Would you recommend them? Let us know in the comments.
