See more results here and here.
Here are the final results:
Training Methods
Our survey shows that the leading method (58%) for training employees is in-person presentations by HR departments, followed closely (53%) by in-person sessions presented by experts from outside the company. Outside conferences are effective for 38% of survey participants, and printed or online materials created in-house are effective for 36%. Purchased video-based or DVD-based materials (34%) and online training through an outside learning management systems (34%) are also effective methods.
The most effective and cost-efficient way to provide safety training to your workforce—Try a demo of BLR’s remarkable TrainingToday at no cost or obligation.
The most effective methods for training supervisors differs only slightly from the methods for training employees, with in-person presentations by HR departments at 61% and in-person sessions presented by experts from outside the company at 55%. Outside conferences are effective for 34% of survey participants, and printed or online materials created in-house are effective for 28%. Purchased video-based or DVD-based materials are effective for 24%, and online training through learning management systems from outside vendors is an effective method for 27%.
The top three most effective training methods for HR staff are outside conferences or training by other organizations (53%), in-person presentations by experts from outside the company (46%), and in-person presentations by in-house HR departments (40%).
Training Products and Services
It is difficult to find good training products/services for 42% of survey participants. Budget constraint is the problem for 79% of them, and finding qualified vendors is an issue for 31%.
Cost is the number one factor survey participants consider when evaluating training products/services. Quality of the materials is rated as the second factor. Time required for training and adaptability to participant needs are the third and fourth factors most considered.
The top three problems survey participants have encountered with the training materials/services they’ve purchased are cost (57%), can’t meet or adapt to specific needs (48%), and inability to hold employees’ attention (41%).
The number one go-to source for packaged training courses and seminars is the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) at 58%. Coming in second and third are HR.BLR.com® (35%) and the U.S. Department of Labor (34%), respectively. Fourth and fifth are OSHA (31%) and state departments of labor (30%).
SHRM leads the field (58%) when it comes to finding tools and/or information to help survey participants develop training materials in-house. The U.S. Department of Labor comes in second at 41%, and state departments of labor come in at 32%. Rounding out the top five is OSHA at 31% and HR.BLR.com at 30%.
Try a demo of BLR’s remarkable award-winning Training Today at no cost or obligation. Includes the Workplace Safety library. Get the details.
Participants in the Survey
Of the participants responding to our survey, 48% have a workforce that is one-fifth or less exempt employees. Another 32% have a workforce that is more than one-fifth but less than one-half exempt, and 20% have a workforce with more than one-half exempt employees. Unions represent employees at 24% of our survey participant employers.
Company size of respondent companies:
- Up to 250 employees (64%)
- 251 to 1,000 employees (26%)
- 1,001 to 10,000 employees (17%)
- More than 10,000 employees (3%)
Privately owned organizations are represented by 54% of survey participants and nonprofits account for 17%. Public corporations make up 11% and governments are represented by 11%.
Industries of responding companies include:
Manufacturing (15%)
Health care and social assistance (13%)
Finance and insurance (9%)
Professional, technical, and scientific services (9%)
Educational services (7%)
Retail trade (3%)
Job titles of 700 survey participants are:
HR VPs or above (8%)
HR Directors (22%)
HR Managers (25%)
HR Generalists (8%)
HR Coordinators (7%)
HR Specialists ( 4)%
Other areas with HR responsibilities (26%)
Other (30%)