Discussion on values and well-being are happening more than before, diversity and turnover rate in workplaces have increased, information technology with its software, applications and platforms has advanced by leaps, telecommunication has increased, and recently, the utilization of artificial intelligence has also entered working life. With all this, there has been a noticeable increase in demand for online trainings in the following themes: ethical conduct, responsibility and sustainability, diversity and inclusion, as well as cybersecurity and data protection. Alongside the growth in general awareness and changes in the workforce, EU directives also affect the operations of some organizations and thereby their training needs.
The themes in more detail
Guidelines and policies for ethical and responsible conduct cover a wide range of areas in many organizations. They extend from tolerance and behavior to good competition and collaboration practices. Inclusion, diversity, and equality are emphasized, and sustainable development and environmental awareness are desired as part of everyday work. Many organizations have developed ethical codes of conduct to define good behavior and competition practices, and responsibility guidelines and reports show that the organization is working towards responsible and sustainable operations while keeping up with development. For example, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and QEHS (Quality, Environment, Health, and Safety) are highly sought-after topics in responsibility eLearnings. The most recent factor in sustainability themes is The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which came into force in January 2024, aiming to emphasize ESG activities even more. Organizations may also impose sustainability requirements as a condition for cooperation, which may further increase the need for responsibility trainings.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) eLearnings are also highly popular. The internationalized working life and turnover in personnel lead to encounters with various people, and for some, the situation is easier than for others. In DEI activity acceptance is emphasized, and diversity is discussed as a strength within the organization. Any challenges associated with diversity are faced and overcome through training, among other methods. DEI training addresses not only diversity but also fair treatment and the inclusion of everyone; this holistic approach aims to create a considerate, tolerant, and aware work environment where everyone is valued equally both as an individual and as part of the team.
In addition to the above mentioned themes, ensuring, maintaining, and enhancing secure operations are evident and employed in almost every sector. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect several years ago, itself creates a need for data protection and cybersecurity training. The increasing prevalence of hacking and cybercrimes further contributes to the demand for cybersecurity expertise. Additionally, the rise of remote work may explain the growing number of privacy training sessions: for instance, whether working from a home office, café or train, maintaining data privacy, including confidentiality and secure connections, must be performed with the same quality and precision as in workplace premises. Moreover, artificial intelligence adds its own complexity to handling data and materials, requiring many companies to provide additional guidance or clarifications, particularly regarding data sharing. It is advisable for organizations to review and update their guidance and training materials if artificial intelligence is being utilized.
Significance
In online trainings covering the previously mentioned topics, there´s an emphasis on both promoting good practices and preventing misconduct. All of them also stress the obligation to report any observed inappropriate behavior. The impact can be seen in various ways within an organization, such as improvements in employee well-being, activity, commitment, but also as an increase in the organization’s reputation, competitiveness, and popularity. At the organizational level, responsibility, ethics and cybersecurity also influence the success of collaboration and ultimately even the achievement of goals. Preventing misconduct, in turn, saves organizations from many problems, such as illegal activities and their consequences, including claims for compensation and even lawsuits. At the employee level, successful training affects the employee experience, well-being and satisfaction, which in turn are directly related to daily work fluency.
Inclusive eLearnings as targeted solutions
How can these broad themes and packages be effectively implemented and integrated? After all, these are highly significant factors affecting the organization’s operations, reputation, trust and employees. It´s crucial from the outset to ensure that the goals and principles set by the organization are not just empty rhetoric, written guidelines or desired modes of operation. Instead, it´s necessary to find a way to integrate these goals and principles into practical, conscious action. When developing online training on these topics, the primary objective is to foster the development of individuals’ conscious thinking and actions.
To achieve this, we at Apprix focus on creating and encouraging the creation of interactive and practical online trainings. It is essential to provide the trainee with engaging content in the form of well-designed tasks and questions. The topics and tasks are directly relevant to the subject matter, with a strong focus on the target audience. Real-life situations and cases are gathered as examples directly from working life, and there are interactive tasks throughout the online training to keep the learner engaged and to enhance learning efficiency.
It´s highly important for us that the trainees become aware of the guidelines and practices, internalise them, and know how to apply them in practice. We collaborate with our clients to ensure that the result is always a high-quality eLearning. By combining the client’s requirements with our expertise, we tailor each online training precisely to meet the specific needs!
Author
Maija Peltola
Content Designer
Apprix Oy
