More than half of employees want to learn only online
Recent years have brought irreversible changes to both corporate work organization and the way training sessions and seminars are conducted. More than half of employees in Latvian companies now prefer remote seminars, while only one in twenty workers still chooses to attend educational events exclusively in person.
Just four years ago, remote training in the corporate environment was considered an exception dictated by circumstances—a backup option for unforeseen situations. Such sessions were primarily organized by companies with employees spread across a wide network of branches, where bringing everyone to one location was economically unfeasible. In other cases, people were gathered in a single room, with training also serving as a team-building exercise. However, after a couple of years of the pandemic, the landscape has changed radically. Remote meetings and training have become a daily routine, as confirmed by the results of a survey conducted by Jumis Pro, the developers of the business management system Jumis. The survey found that 52.5% of all respondents now consider online training to be the most suitable format for educational events. 42.5% are open to both remote and in-person events, depending on their specific nature and participant availability, and only 5% prefer to always learn in person.
The primary benefit of remote training is time savings, a point emphasized by 90.5% of respondents. A quarter of those surveyed also highlight economic benefits, particularly those living outside of Riga. Of those who prefer to attend events in person, 40% do so only because they have grown tired of remote learning. Only one-third emphasize that they find it easier to absorb information in person.
"The perspective of employees toward learning has clearly shifted. During the pandemic years, people became accustomed to this format of acquiring information, learned to use technology productively, and appreciated the amount of time saved. Challenging circumstances helped the online course industry to develop, making the acquisition of new skills and professional development more accessible even to very busy employees. Among ambitious professionals, it would be difficult to find someone who has not taken the opportunity to enhance their knowledge through online courses or seminars. This leads to an unambiguous conclusion: companies must continue digitalization and leverage the opportunities provided by modern technology for employee professional development. Employees are ready for it. Companies just need to keep up," concludes the head of Jumis Pro. Viesturs Slaidiņš.
The survey was conducted in the spring of 2023 and involved 180 Latvian companies.
