What Is Beneficial About a Virtual Ethics Training Program?
As president of Virtual Training Associates (VTA), the question about the benefits of a virtual training program for ethics comes across my computer screen most every day. While “in-person” training is again being discussed, it will be a long time, if ever, that we will see the same level of face-to-face instruction that we once saw.
Nothing to do with Vaccines
One benefit of the reliance on virtual during the rise and height of the pandemic is that organizations realized virtual ethical training could be a great alternative. While classical, in-person, training was (and remains) fine, it is limiting. In-person training can effectively serve “the home office,” or a gathered group of like-minded individuals in an association at a trade show. However, trying to relate a message – be it ethics, sexual harassment prevention, or similar topics that Virtual Training Associates offer to a multi-national corporation or a company with multiple locations, is near impossible with the in-person model.
Away from training, your employees can interact with their managers and each other in-person over what they’ve learned, but it is near to convey the same type of instruction in person from Hong Kong to Des Moines to Florence. For consistency, virtual training can be better.
Let’s not forget that prior to the pandemic, many companies with satellite offices were experiencing major bribery scandals, widespread sexual harassment issues, and general fraud. Inconsistency of messaging, not COVID-19 was to blame.
There are numerous reasons as to why Virtual Training Associates feels that what we offer is superior to in-person scenarios. Here are 7 reasons as to why our programs are better:
- Quality of instruction and presentation – As Hall of Fame speakers and ethics experts, our level of instruction is better than most ethics programs offered by inexperienced presenters. Our production quality is, bar-none, the very best in the virtual training industry.
- More for the money – After 2020, every organization is having to carefully budget during this time of recovery. With virtual training, many expenses can be eliminated. If you calculate what it used to cost to transport an employee, rent cars, secure a hotel room (or a block of rooms), feed everyone and on and on, a virtual training session is infinitely cheaper. And, let’s be honest, in the times of in-person training a select few could get to hear the messaging. Virtual ethics training is not only cheaper but can affect more people.
- Superior effectiveness – Training in person, from large assemblies, then to break-out sessions, and often to small group interactions might take hours, if not days, when done on an in-person basis. At the same time all of this “juggled instruction” occurs, content and certainly messaging may be frequently lost. As we all know, at a major trade show or industry meeting, keeping groups intact is virtually impossible. Virtual enables training to be consistent and shared in work groups.
- Practice and reflection – Our virtual ethical training can be easily reinforced, both through repetition or interactive sessions. In-person training is invariably “one and done.”
- Accessibility – Every CEO, vice president or manager surely knows it is better to have access to employees either in known offices, workspaces or even their homes than to try to track people down at industry meetings. This access is hardly “Big Brother,” but having the knowledge that as we return to some semblance of normalcy that efficiency is extremely important. To take the time out for a 90-minute virtual training is one thing but to take three-days in this critical period can be damaging.
- Application – VTA is able to monitor pre-arranged on-air sessions. We can set up scenarios that can be quite effective. Virtually pairing employees and giving them an ethical challenge (not to judge, but to help) for example, someone in an office in New York plays the role of an unscrupulous vendor while someone else in a Miami location can play the role of a purchasing agent about to be bribed. Such training can be spaced for greater reinforcement by region or time period or in reversed role playing.
- Active interaction – Virtual training should always come down to active employee engagement. Especially with ethics training, the more interaction, the better. Over time, frequent virtual interaction, is more cost-effective and better retained than in-person training.
While there will always be a place for in-person training, the full advantage of virtual ethical training has yet to be fully explored. Organizations have learned that employees will respond to virtual training provided the material and the trainer are committed to excellence.
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