Tag: Workplace Productivity

Meet Phoebe: A Cautionary Tale About Training and Certification

Posted on | by David Smith

Meet Phoebe: A Cautionary Tale About Certification, Safety, and a $100 million fine

Meet Phoebe, Our Unlikely Star

So, you’ve decided it’s time to upgrade from your old LMS, or maybe you’re moving to a fresh system like Totara. The first hurdle? Data. Most contracts will promise that you’ll “receive the data files.” Sounds easy enough – until you open them and realize you’re not a database wizard. No worries, this is where data mapping comes in handy, acting as your migration compass. Think of it as the Rosetta Stone, translating your old system’s cryptic table names and logic into something that fits into the new one.

Phoebe’s an endearing dog with a few quirks. She’s mastered sofa chewing and barking at postmen and, oddly enough, has a strange inclination to pursue professional certificates. While we adore her, one thing is clear: we wouldn’t trust her with decisions about health, safety, or finances. That’s a job for qualified humans.

Here’s the problem: Phoebe has over 100 professional certificates. She can drive a forklift truck, work at heights, and can even serve you a beer in Texas. Sadly, most online certifications don’t check IDs. Most don’t monitor participation. Most don’t detect the use of AI plugins that can answer assessment questions. 

What happens if you get it wrong?

Let’s illustrate with two cases

Valor Securities in New York failed to check if workers were undergoing construction safety training. Sadly, one worker fell to their death. So far, 24 people have been charged with a variety of offence,s including corruption.

Ernst & Young were fined $100 million after failing to check if their audit professionals were completing their exams. Many were found to be cheating on their exams or never actually taking them. Imagine the reputational damage.

Are you vulnerable? 

Proctoring is key

What can we learn from Phoebe and the above cases? 

First, you need a robust certification process. A high-quality certification system ensures candidates demonstrate real expertise, not just the ability to memorise information.

Second, you need to prove that people have taken courses and passed their certificates. No fakes. You need reliable proctoring to help protect your workers and avoid the consequences.

Invest in Real Expertise

At The Learning Syndicate, we believe in meaningful training and certification. It’s not about ticking boxes but fostering genuine expertise. When the right people are empowered, everyone’s well-being improves – humans and dogs alike!

So, let Phoebe stick to her antics and leave the critical decisions to properly trained professionals. By investing in reliable certification systems, we protect the integrity of essential roles and build trust in the people who hold them.

Want to Know More

Secure Your Training Certifications with Confidence – Download Our eBook Today!

Discover how to protect your organization from the risks of unverified certifications and compromised training programs. Our eBook explores real-world examples, highlights critical vulnerabilities, and provides innovative solutions for ensuring assessment integrity.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

  • Why unverified certifications pose significant safety and financial risks.
  • The true cost of inadequate monitoring and verification in training.
  • How technology-powered, human-perfected proctoring solutions can safeguard your certification processes.

Take the first step towards safeguarding your organization. Download the eBook now and explore how our Totara Proctoring Solution can help you ensure compliance, boost learner engagement, and enhance training integrity.

Unlock the Power of Totara Engage to Boost Learner Engagement

Posted on | by David Smith

If you’re looking to take your learning programs to the next level and supercharge employee engagement, look no further than Totara Engage. Whether you’re a business using it alongside Totara Learn or as a standalone product, Totara Engage helps your organization shift from passive learning to active, collaborative knowledge-sharing. In this guide, we’ll explore how to get started with Totara Engage and maximize its potential in your organization.

Why Choose Totara Engage?

Totara Engage goes beyond traditional training approaches by integrating both formal and informal learning, fostering collaboration, and allowing employees to create and curate their own learning materials. With its rich integration with Microsoft Teams, users can effortlessly collaborate and share resources. But here’s the kicker – Totara Engage enables users to move from simple consumers of learning content to creators and collaborators.

By creating a more engaged and empowered workforce, organizations can significantly improve productivity and employee satisfaction. It can help you tackle challenges such as onboarding, performance support, and employee engagement with innovative solutions like collaborative workspaces, curated learning playlists, and rich social learning features. 

Getting Started with Totara Engage

To ensure a smooth rollout, it’s important to have a plan. Here’s a quick start guide for implementing Totara Engage in your workplace:

  • Seed Content
    Before launching the platform, create and upload sample content. It can be as simple as a guide on how to use the system, a playlist of internal resources (such as templates), or even internal news updates to get everyone familiar with the platform’s potential.
  • Set Up Collaborative Workspaces
    Totara Engage shines in its ability to bring teams together. Create dedicated workspaces for your departments – like marketing or sales – where employees can collaborate on projects, share knowledge, and offer feedback in real-time. If you’re looking for inspiration, this guide shows how workspaces can make project coordination seamless.
  • Curate Learning Playlists
    A powerful feature of Totara Engage is its ability to curate learning playlists. These playlists can be filled with articles, videos, and podcasts to suit a variety of learning styles. For example, a playlist on leadership development might include TED Talks, blog articles, and internal training videos. The best part? Playlists are flexible and can be tailored to any topic or project.
  • Recruit Learning Ambassadors
    Identifying enthusiastic early adopters is a smart move. These individuals can act as learning ambassadors, creating and curating content that will drive platform adoption. Reward them to maintain momentum – perhaps through gamification or public recognition within the platform itself.
  • Soft Launch
    Start with a soft launch before going live across the organization. This allows team leads and early adopters to populate the platform with meaningful content. You’ll also be able to troubleshoot any issues before opening it up to everyone.

Maximizing the Potential of Totara Engage

With the platform in place, it’s important to continuously promote and enhance engagement. Here are some ways to get the most out of Totara Engage:

  • Learner Engagement Reports
    Keep track of which content resonates the most with users through learner engagement reports. Identify top-performing resources, highlight active contributors, and pinpoint any areas where engagement is lagging. Check out how data-driven insights can transform learning experiences.
  • Integrations for Seamless Learning
    One of the standout features of Totara Engage is its integration with Microsoft Teams. Users can access content, collaborate, and share knowledge without switching platforms, creating a seamless learning experience. Whether it’s creating a playlist or launching a survey, everything happens within the flow of work.
  • Gamification and Recognition
    To keep users coming back, build in opportunities for reward and recognition. Employees can rate and comment on shared resources, turning learning into a social and engaging activity. Consider running a monthly competition for the most highly-rated content or recognizing top contributors during company meetings.

Wrap-up

Totara Engage is a game-changer for organizations that want to increase learner engagement and foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing. By taking advantage of its collaborative workspaces, curated playlists, and seamless integrations, you can transform your learning environment into one that’s dynamic and future-ready.

Ready to take the leap? Discover how Totara Engage can revolutionize your training programs with a free demo.

 

Choosing the Right Learning Platform for Your Business

Posted on | by David Smith

How to Choose the Perfect Learning Platform: A Guide for Your Business

With so many learning platforms available, the process of choosing one can feel like a maze. It’s a decision that can have a significant impact on your business, so getting it wrong can be frustrating, costly, and time-consuming. But don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be that way! Here’s a simplified guide to help you make the best choice for your organization.

Why Choosing the Right Learning Platform Matters

Research shows that a whopping 91% of organizations are unhappy with their current LMS or LXP. This dissatisfaction often stems from platforms that are too rigid, costly, or hard to implement. If you’re struggling, it’s time to rethink your approach. Whether you want to enhance customer service, reduce employee turnover, drive course sales, or meet compliance standards, the right platform can do wonders for your organization.

But first, let’s walk through what to look for in a learning platform.

Start with Your Goals

Think about what you actually want your learning platform to achieve:

Keeping your goals at the forefront of your search will help you cut through the noise and make an informed decision. After all, a platform that works for someone else may not necessarily work for you.

Who Wants What? Involving Key Stakeholders

When it comes to selecting a learning platform, it’s essential to think beyond just the L&D team. Different stakeholders in your organization will have different priorities:

  • Paying customers: They want an easy to use buying process for any course
  • End Users: If your learners don’t like the platform, they won’t use it. Simple.
  • IT Department: They’ll want to ensure the system is secure and fits within your existing infrastructure.
  • Your CEO/CFO: Do they want a solution that can connect every part of your enterprise together and offer real insight and ROI. 
  • Managers: They’ll need to track progress and monitor training completion rates.
  • Sales Teams: If you have a sales team, they might look for features like leaderboards or external access for partners.
  • Compliance Teams: They’ll want granular control over content assignments and detailed reporting.

Get input from all these groups early in the process to make sure everyone’s needs are met.

Flexibility: Do You Need It?

The business world changes fast—so should your learning platform. You don’t want to be locked into a system that doesn’t grow with you. Consider whether your platform offers:

  • Integration: Does it sync up easily with your CRM, HR systems, or other platforms?
  • Scalability: Can the platform handle growth, such as an increase in employees or opening new branches?
  • Customization: Can you tailor the platform to reflect your brand or offer personalized learning paths for your users?

This is where open-source learning platforms come in handy. They allow you to tweak the software to meet your needs without waiting for the vendor to release an update.

Will This Platform Grow With Us?

You should always think long-term when selecting a learning platform. Business priorities can shift overnight, and your LMS should be able to adapt. Some questions to consider:

  • Will you be able to easily add new users or departments as your business expands?
  • Can you extend the platform to external users like partners or customers?
  • If your needs change, will the platform allow you to add new functionalities without huge costs?

A flexible platform ensures you’re not stuck with outdated technology in the future. Don’t forget, open-source software offers significant advantages here, allowing you to adapt quickly and with minimal hassle.

What Happens if We Change Our Minds?

Let’s face it: the business landscape is unpredictable. You could face mergers, acquisitions, or restructures that demand a change in your learning platform. A rigid platform can hold you back. Ensure that your solution gives you the freedom to make adjustments, whether that means restructuring your content or adding entirely new features.

What’s the Most Important Factor: Time, Quality, or Cost?

Different organizations have different priorities. Some need quick implementations, while others focus on the long-term quality of learning materials. Decide what matters most to your business. Is it getting something in place quickly? Offering the best user experience? Or saving money?

Having clear priorities will guide your conversations with vendors and help you make the right choice. Remember, an open-source platform can give you more control, letting you adjust based on your most important drivers.

Final Thoughts

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, the demands on your organisation to stay competitive are only going to grow. That’s why flexibility, adaptability, and scalability should be at the top of your list when choosing a learning platform. Getting this decision right is critical to ensuring your workforce remains skilled and productive in the long run.

By considering all your stakeholders’ needs and keeping your goals front and center, you’ll set yourself up for success. And who doesn’t want a smoother, more effective learning experience for their team?

10 Steps to Your Best Year in Performance Management

Posted on | by David Smith

By giving employees clear success metrics, they can stay on track and managers can assess progress in real-time.

SMART goals help prevent employees from feeling overwhelmed. For example, a salesperson’s goal could be increasing conversions by 20% within three months. That’s measurable, achievable, and relevant to the company’s growth goals.

1. Keep the Momentum with Development Plans

Once the goals are set, create a clear development plan. What training, resources, or coaching do your employees need to succeed? This should be a two-way conversation. If an employee wants to move into management, help them build the skills they’ll need with 10 Steps to Your Best Performance Management Year To Date

Performance reviews. Just hearing those words can make managers and employees cringe. But what if we could make this process a little less painful and, dare we say, effective? According to the document, 66% of employees are dissatisfied with their last performance review, which isn’t shocking when many companies stick to outdated annual reviews. But don’t worry—there’s a way to shake things up and boost performance. Let’s dive into the ten steps for your best performance management year yet.

2. Reflect Before Setting New Goals

Before you rush into planning your goals for the year ahead, take a beat. Look back at last year’s targets. Did your team smash them, or did you struggle? Either way, reviewing past performance gives you valuable insights to guide the new year. As the saying goes, you’ve got to look back before you move forward.

Pro Tip: Celebrate the wins, no matter how small. Whether someone crushed their goals or just improved steadily, recognition builds motivation for the challenges ahead.

3. Establish a Clear Vision

We all love a good company mission, but does everyone know how their role fits into the bigger picture? Alignment with the company’s vision can skyrocket motivation. When your SEO manager understands their role in boosting traffic to support the organization’s vision, they’re not just checking off daily tasks—they’re helping achieve the company’s mission.

Example: If your goal is to become the most trusted source of political news in Canada, make sure your marketing, editorial, and even photography teams know how they contribute to that larger vision.

4. Set Better, SMARTer Goals

Forget about setting vague, unattainable goals. Try using SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). targeted training, like leadership seminars or conflict resolution courses.

Platforms like Totara make it easy to integrate learning and performance goals seamlessly. Check it out here.

5. Regular Check-ins – Your Secret Weapon

The era of the once-a-year performance review is over. Regular, informal check-ins (even as short as 15 minutes!) can keep things on track. Adobe ditched annual reviews and opted for quarterly check-ins, increasing productivity and morale. So, why not take a page from their book? You don’t have to overhaul everything overnight—start small, with monthly chats to assess goals and progress.

6. Give Constructive Feedback (Without the Drama)

Here’s a stat that’ll blow your mind: 94% of employees prefer real-time feedback over waiting until the end of the year. Makes sense, right? Feedback should be timely, specific, and objective. Instead of saying, “You missed the deadline,” say, “I noticed this project was delayed—what barriers did you face?” It opens up dialogue without making anyone feel defensive.

7. Encourage Coaching and Mentoring

Mentoring doesn’t always need to come from the top. Sometimes, peer mentoring can be just as effective. Consider pairing employees based on their strengths and goals. For example, a junior engineer might benefit from shadowing a senior engineer who’s been through the same challenges. This builds camaraderie and practical learning opportunities.

8. Use 360-Degree Feedback

Think you know your employees’ performance? Think again. Gathering input from colleagues, clients, and even vendors can give you a well-rounded view of someone’s work. For instance, a top performer in sales might not be great at follow-up, or a quiet team member may be praised by peers for their creative solutions.

Just remember to keep feedback anonymous for accurate results!

9. Rethink the Annual Appraisal

We’ve already established that annual reviews are a relic of the past. But if you’re still required to conduct them, consider making them less about ratings and more about development. By the time the formal review comes around, nothing should be a surprise. Check-ins throughout the year should make performance appraisals a formality, not a shock.

10. Keep Career Growth on the Table

One of the main reasons employees engage in learning and performance reviews is career growth. But not everyone wants to climb the corporate ladder. Some want to specialize, while others may be interested in lateral moves. Keep those options open and encourage employees to discuss their career goals regularly.

Final Thoughts

If you want to take the next steps, talk to us about our work with Totara Perform. This is an agile performance management system with adaptability and productivity at its core. You can create evidence-based performance reviews, get an objective view of employee performance and quickly identify and close skills gaps to ensure your organization remains competitive. With Totara Perform, you harness the power of continuous performance management to boost in-office or remote workplace productivity anytime, anywhere.

6 Easy Steps to Maximize Employee Engagement

Posted on | by David Smith

Maximizing Employee Engagement in 6 Simple Steps

Keeping employees engaged is key to success. Engaged employees are happier, work harder, and help businesses grow. So, how can you keep your team excited about their work?

Here are six easy steps to boost engagement!

1. Make Learning Easy

People love to learn, but they need access to good resources. If it’s hard to find learning tools, engagement drops. A Learning Experience Platform (LXP) can help. It puts useful content in one place, like guides or videos.

With the right tools, employees can even share resources with each other, keeping learning fun and easy.

2. Organize Information

There’s so much information out there. How do you find what’s useful? The answer: curation. Just like making a playlist, an LXP lets employees collect and share helpful resources.

This keeps things simple for everyone, whether they’re new to the team or have been around for years.

3. Encourage Teamwork

People don’t like working alone. When employees share ideas and learn together, they stay more engaged. Platforms like MS Teams or Slack let teams collaborate easily.

It’s like using a shared document but with more features for teamwork and feedback.

4. Celebrate Success

Everyone likes recognition. Whether it’s a badge or a shoutout, rewards show employees their work matters. Recognizing effort boosts morale and keeps people motivated.

When peers celebrate each other, it builds stronger connections and a positive work culture.

5. Make Learning Part of the Job

Stopping work to learn can feel disruptive. Integrating learning into daily tasks makes it easier. For example, quick learning prompts in Slack can keep employees engaged without pulling them away from work.

This approach makes learning feel natural and effective.

6. Track What Works

Data helps you see what’s working. Use reports to check which employees are engaged and what content they like. This info helps you adjust your strategy to keep things running smoothly.

Managers can also use data to spot top performers and those who need help, creating a better support system.

Ready to Get Started?

Improving engagement takes time and effort. Tools like Totara Engage can help you build a culture of learning and teamwork. Want to learn more? Request a demo today and see how Totara Engage can help your team thrive!

How to Increase Learner Engagement with Totara Engage

Posted on | by David Smith

Unlock the Power of Totara Engage to Boost Learner Engagement

If you’re looking to take your learning programs to the next level and supercharge employee engagement, look no further than Totara Engage. Whether you’re a business using it alongside Totara Learn or as a standalone product, Totara Engage helps your organization shift from passive learning to active, collaborative knowledge-sharing. In this guide, we’ll explore how to get started with Totara Engage and maximize its potential in your organization.

Why Choose Totara Engage?

Totara Engage goes beyond traditional training approaches by integrating both formal and informal learning, fostering collaboration, and allowing employees to create and curate their own learning materials. With its rich integration with Microsoft Teams, users can effortlessly collaborate and share resources. But here’s the kicker – Totara Engage enables users to move from simple consumers of learning content to creators and collaborators.

By creating a more engaged and empowered workforce, organizations can significantly improve productivity and employee satisfaction. It can help you tackle challenges such as onboarding, performance support, and employee engagement with innovative solutions like collaborative workspaces, curated learning playlists, and rich social learning features. 

Getting Started with Totara Engage

To ensure a smooth rollout, it’s important to have a plan. Here’s a quick start guide for implementing Totara Engage in your workplace:

1. Seed Content
Before launching the platform, create and upload sample content. It can be as simple as a guide on how to use the system, a playlist of internal resources (such as templates), or even internal news updates to get everyone familiar with the platform’s potential.

2. Set Up Collaborative Workspaces
Totara Engage shines in its ability to bring teams together. Create dedicated workspaces for your departments – like marketing or sales – where employees can collaborate on projects, share knowledge, and offer feedback in real-time. If you’re looking for inspiration, this guide shows how workspaces can make project coordination seamless.

3. Curate Learning Playlists
A powerful feature of Totara Engage is its ability to curate learning playlists. These playlists can be filled with articles, videos, and podcasts to suit a variety of learning styles. For example, a playlist on leadership development might include TED Talks, blog articles, and internal training videos. The best part? Playlists are flexible and can be tailored to any topic or project.

4. Recruit Learning Ambassadors
Identifying enthusiastic early adopters is a smart move. These individuals can act as learning ambassadors, creating and curating content that will drive platform adoption. Reward them to maintain momentum – perhaps through gamification or public recognition within the platform itself.

5. Soft Launch
Start with a soft launch before going live across the organization. This allows team leads and early adopters to populate the platform with meaningful content. You’ll also be able to troubleshoot any issues before opening it up to everyone.

Maximizing the Potential of Totara Engage

With the platform in place, it’s important to continuously promote and enhance engagement. Here are some ways to get the most out of Totara Engage:

1.  Learner Engagement Reports
Keep track of which content resonates the most with users through learner engagement reports. Identify top-performing resources, highlight active contributors, and pinpoint any areas where engagement is lagging. Check out how data-driven insights can transform learning experiences.

2. Integrations for Seamless Learning
One of the standout features of Totara Engage is its integration with Microsoft Teams. Users can access content, collaborate, and share knowledge without switching platforms, creating a seamless learning experience. Whether it’s creating a playlist or launching a survey, everything happens within the flow of work.

3. Gamification and Recognition
To keep users coming back, build in opportunities for reward and recognition. Employees can rate and comment on shared resources, turning learning into a social and engaging activity. Consider running a monthly competition for the most highly-rated content or recognizing top contributors during company meetings.

Wrap-up

Totara Engage is a game-changer for organizations that want to increase learner engagement and foster a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing. By taking advantage of its collaborative workspaces, curated playlists, and seamless integrations, you can transform your learning environment into one that’s dynamic and future-ready.

Ready to take the leap? Discover how Totara Engage can revolutionize your training programs with a free demo.