Communication is an essential part of leadership. Fail to communicate effectively and mayhem could ensue or, at least, people can lack confidence that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. It is important to let people know when they are on the right track, as well as when something isn’t going as you want it to, because only then can people continue with confidence or redress the issue so that tasks are completed effectively.

It may sound simple, but many leaders lack the skills needed to truly get the workforce behind them and working effectively and efficiently. Below are some of the skills that make up a truly great leader.

Communication works both ways and in order for you to be able to say the right things, you first need to know the right things. Your workforce is on the frontlines of business every day completing tasks, overcoming issues and dealing with other people. If there is something that you need to know in order for you to be able to continue to lead effectively, it is likely that that information will come from the people that are closest to the action.

Hold meetings regularly, whether one on one or in teams, so that you can get feedback from your team to help you keep up with what is happening. Listen intently to the feedback you receive, negative as well as positive, so you can get a full picture of what is happening and what you need to do going forward.

Don’t dismiss people straight away as being pessimistic. Even though they may begin with something that you don’t want to hear, they could also be about to offer you a solution to the problem. It could be that the person that starts to speak with what may sound like a problem for you could be about to make your life a lot easier.

According to psychology today, empathy is a key component of a successful leader. Every task has its own set of challenges, and the people carrying out these tasks will have to overcome these challenges on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter if the challenge is something as ‘simple’ as finding items on a shelf, or as complex as creating advanced accounting spreadsheets, they are still tasks with obstacles that are very real to the person undertaking them. Sharing that you understand the challenges people face and that you share their feelings on them will help them to connect with you and have confidence that they can get behind you.
Remember also that in addition to tasks at work, people also have lives to lead outside of work and life does have a habit of making things difficult for us at times. Emergencies at home do need to be taken care of, heavy traffic is beyond our control, and so on. If somebody is repeatedly late or not performing then there might be an issue with that person, but try to remember that life does occasionally throw something at us that we simply must deal with.

A great leader will also put their ego aside and try their best to work on the same level as their workforce. Let them know that you too once did a similar job and that you are willing to get hands on yourself to help out if you need to. Doing so can also act as inspiration as it lets your workforce know that someday, they too could be in your position if they put their mind to it.

Leadership isn't about dazzling others with your intellect and knowledge. Speak to people as though you are competing in some kind of competition to see who knows the most and there's a good chance that people will just switch off and lose interest in what you are saying, and in you.

A good leader will keep everything simple to help make sure that everybody can understand what is being said. Try to use lingo and technical terms sparingly so you can be sure that your message gets to as many people as possible.

A varied workforce will be host to a plethora of ideas and opinions, and some are likely to be quite unexpected. Even if something doesn’t sound at first as though it will work, keep an open mind and consider it thoroughly because ‘different’ does not necessarily mean ‘wrong’. New ideas are what drives innovation, and great leaders embrace innovation whenever possible

People look to leaders for advice and solutions and this means knowing the job at hand in detail. When it is clear that you know what you are talking about then it is easier for others to trust that you have the correct solution. Regular meetings with your workforce will help you to understand practices and procedures inside out, while occasionally getting hands on can also help you to understand exactly what you are talking about.

If there is something that you are unsure of then don’t pretend you do and give advice anyway. If necessary, delegate some tasks to others in the short-term at least, with a view to learning the task yourself so you can deal with it yourself directly in the future.
Being True to Your Word.

Gaining the trust of your workforce is essential if you are going to be a great leader, so it is important that you are seen to be acting in accordance with what you say. Act in a manner that is contradictory to what you are saying and your workforce will quickly begin to lose confidence in you, making it so much harder for you to lead them.

It is OK to change your mind from time to time provided that you keep people updated, and that they know that the change is for genuine reasons. If you have made certain assurances to some people then you should do your best to honour those assurances the best you can even though circumstances have changed.

Leading is not just about telling other people what to do, that's the easy part. A great leader will be able to not only tell people what needs to be done but do so in a way that they are happy and confident in what they are doing. Under a great leader, a workforce will be not only happy in their role but also inspired to push on, while having the confidence to speak out where necessary. If you share the attributes stated above, you too may be a truly great leader.

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Learn the communication strategies used by great leaders

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a very real issue and employers are expected to take it very seriously. Even if an employer is not directly complicit with an instance of sexual harassment within their company, they could still be held accountable. Employers must be seen to be educating employees on sexual harassment to help prevent instances from happening, they must also be seen to be taking necessary action should cases occur.

One of the difficulties of dealing with sexual harassment is that it can often be very subtle, meaning that even those with the best of intentions can miss it is even occurring at all. Others might even be complicit in some cases without being aware of it. Sexual harassment could be inherent in your workforce yet still go unnoticed if those in certain positions don't have the required training.

In an effort to tackle instances of sexual harassment in the workplace, it is now law in all states that adequate training on the matter must be provided to all employees. Tackling sexual harassment is not only about complying with the law, of course, as there are other benefits to be had from training your staff.

Go1.com offers a free training course on sexual harassment in the workplace, and here are 5 very good reasons why your business should enroll.

Many sexual harassment issues are very nuanced, meaning that a lot of people are not likely to recognize they are even happening at all. This course will help to educate your staff on more discreet aspects of sexual harassment, as well as the obvious, so that issues can be dealt with when they arise or, even better, prevented from occurring in the first place.

Just providing training can help to create an environment that is not tolerant to sexual harassment. This helps to create a fair environment where all employees feel free to try and progress which is positive not only for them but also for your business.

"A happy workforce is a productive workforce". It might sound cliché, but it is true, and the most successful businesses often take steps to ensure that their employees are as happy as possible. High employee morale can be key in taking your business to the next level, and sexual harassment can undermine morale significantly if not addressed.

Remember that sexual harassment affects not only the target but also those around them. If a woman is one the receiving end of sexual harassment and nothing is being done about the situation then it is understandable that other women in the vicinity are also likely to feel very uncomfortable. Not only women will be affected of course as male associates of a victim are also likely to be unhappy that a colleague is being victimized.

In enrolling to our course, you will be educating those in key positions to recognize cases of sexual harassment and on how to deal with it if it arises. In hopefully eliminating sexual harassment from your workplace, your morale will remain high and your productivity along with it.

Training courses can be very expensive, yet also mandatory by law. According to Forbes, over $70 Billion was spend on corporate training in the US in 2014. By enrolling in our free sexual harassment courses, you can meet legal requirements in having your workforce trained while potentially saving thousands of dollars at the same time. In addition to saving on the cost of paying for training courses, our free course can also help to improve productivity overall to help your bottom line, as well as helping to avoid potentially high legal costs and fines in the future.

Training staff on sexual harassment is not only about complying with the law, more importantly, it is a genuine attempt at tackling issues of sexual discrimination. Even though some courses can be very expensive, they are not always effective at teaching meaning your staff can come away from the course having gained little of lasting value.

Not only will our course potentially save you a lot of money, it will also be more effective at helping your staff to retain the information within. Quizzes are located throughout the course to test what the students have learned so far, while also helping the course material to register, ensuring it has a lasting impact further into the future.

More effective training not only represents better value for your time and money, it also helps to ensure that instances of sexual harassment are less likely to occur in the coming months and years.

Even if your business is not directly responsible for cases of sexual harassment in your workforce that does not automatically exonerate you from responsibility. Employers are expected to educate their workforce on the recognition and prevention of sexual harassment and if found guilty of not taking steps to provide necessary education, you could get a big fine coming your way.

Legal action can also lead to a damaged reputation, potentially causing you to miss out on talented new recruits in the future as well as causing your current workforce to lose confidence in you. Our free course on sexual harassment is free to enroll to, yet it can help to save you so many potentially costly situations in the future.

There are no excuses for not having your staff properly trained in sexual harassment, and none are likely to be accepted should you find yourself in court. Not only can training help to protect your business from the actions of errant individuals, it can also help you to create a happy and productive working environment for all.

Our course is free to sign up to and can potentially prevent many problems, while also bringing many positives. There is nothing to lose by signing up but you could end up regretting it of you don't.

Enroll in our free Sexual Harassment Training elearning Course here

5 reasons you should be using this free sexual harassment eLearning course

The end of the year is fast approaching, and for most people that means a week or two away from work. While this is a great time to relax and refresh yourself for the new year, it’s also a really good time to learn some new skills so that when you head back to work you can hit the ground running!

We’ve got a list of some great short courses that are FREE for you to take and will teach you some awesome new skills so that you can make sure that you have a great 2017.

The challenges of the 21st century demand a different style of leader. The Organizational Champion eLearning series presents an innovative approach to leadership in this millennium and helps develop you into a new breed of leader known as a Champion. Based on Mike Thompson’s book, The Organizational Champion, these modules are an invaluable resource for developing you into a dynamic leader capable of steering your organization through today’s challenges and uncertainty into the realm of profit and growth. The ‘Introduction to the Organizational Champion’ is the first in the eLearning series.

These 2 courses can teach you new skill about improving your presentations with the help of picture effects and interactive objects. In only 25 mins you can turn your regular old presentation into an eye-catching tool for information by learning some of the picture effects tools in PowerPoint. Learn a range of effects with step by step instructions so you don’t miss anything. Bring your next presentation to life with the help of interactive objects. Your presentations no longer need to look like a boring PDF with the ability to add in hyperlinks, in page toggles and much more. This 25min courses will teach you how to take your next presentation to the next level!

Many people would rather die than stand in front of a microphone. It doesn’t have to be that way. This brief course will show that anyone can become a polished public speaker with practice. We’ve designed it for the person who wants to feel confident while powerfully delivering a message to any audience, large or small.

How to conduct effective business meetings

Meetings are an accepted part of office life, and can be a great way to increase productivity, brainstorm new ideas and accomplish goals. However, when not conducted effectively, meetings have the opposite effect. Employees are frustrated by what they see as a waste of their time and meeting facilitators are disheartened by their inability to accomplish goals. This course explores how to avoid discontent by conducting effective business meetings.

With these courses, you will be ready to take on 2017 and might even give your boss a surprise when you take charge of that next meeting or presentation to a big client!

What are you learning this holiday season?

It’s completely revolutionized how companies Thanks to the Internet and “the cloud”, sharing training material is now much easier than ever before and this has been a huge boon for HR departments.

As convenient as eLearning materials can be, though, it is still very important to get the right material so it is as effective as it can be. All too often, those that design eLearning materials fail to design courses that maintain the learner’s interest and engagement. Obviously, if the students aren’t engaged fully with the course, the effectiveness of the course will be low.

Below are some simple ways that you can ensure that your eLearning material is as effective as possible:

When creating any eLearning course it’s essential that you first create a plan so that you know just what you need to create. You will need to take into account the goals that you are trying to achieve before deciding on how you will proceed. By all means, look for ideas and inspiration from other eLearning sources, just remember to make sure that they are directly relevant to your specific training needs.

When you are absolutely clear on what goals you are trying to achieve it becomes easy to identify what needs to be included in your eLearning program.

As necessary as it is, training can be dull and if you don’t keep it interesting then your trainees are likely to simply “check out” for the day. Walls of text or long rambling speeches are not going to help maintain their attention so remember to break up passages where possible. Doing so

Text that has been broken up into easily digestible passages is also less intimidating and is far more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Infographics in particular are very useful in training material because as well as looking good, they make the material more appealing and easy to digest.

It’s fine to use humor where possible provided the training remains professional and on track. Indeed, humor could help to improve the effectiveness of training by helping to maintain the attention of those that are taking the course.  Strike the right balance between education and humor and you can create excellent material that will have a lasting impact on the learner.

One very effective way of ensuring that people are engaging with your eLearning material is to try and make it as interactive as possible. In doing so, you’ll make sure that your participants are actually following the course and paying attention to what’s being taught. Also, interactions are more likely to keep the mind engaged, helping to make the course material a lot more effective and easy to retain than it otherwise would be.

To make eLearning courses interactive, you can include things such as questions that need to be answered before moving on. Encouraging interactivity on courses that involve software can be particularly productive because you can ask the participants to carry out certain tasks for themselves, which is a great way of getting the material to “stick.”

If any part of an eLearning course is not relevant to those taking part then it will only cause confusion and poor engagement. if something does seem otherwise interesting and you think it might be a good addition, it could just lead to confusion if it’s not relevant to the training modules at hand. Don’t forget also that just because you find something to be interesting, it does not mean that everybody else will.

One way to ensure that you are keeping it relative is to follow the plan. If something doesn’t fit in with the plan, then it won’t be relative to your goals. If you are using 3rd party material then make sure you watch the material yourself first to be sure that it is what you need to be. Also, titles can be misleading so make sure your modules clearly convey what will be covered.

Studies show that sustained periods of working without breaks impairs peoples’ ability to remain focused throughout the duration of the task. When people do begin switching off mentally, the effectiveness of training w

Follow the simple tips above and you will enhance the effectiveness of your eLearning strategies, helping to ensure that your personnel has received all the necessary training they need. eLearning is not only a more effective way of training, it’s also a very cost effective method in the long run. Keep it engaging and you’re guaranteed to improve employee performance.

5 ways you can improve eLearning engagement and results

The Productivity Commission recently reported that more than two million Australians have experienced some form of workplace bullying  – a staggering figure when you think about the damaging effects this behaviour can have on each individual life.

In a previous article, we discussed how bullying impacts your business, affecting your staff’s morale, productivity and work performance, as well as your organisation’s overall work culture. It also has significant financial consequences for companies, with bullying costing the Australian economy an estimated 15 billion dollars annually.

So what can we do to stop bullying occurring in our own organisations? What are the best ways for employers and managers to deal with workplace bullies?

If you’re in a leadership or management role, you need to be equipped with proper strategies to identify, manage and prevent this toxic behaviour. Here are 5 ways to deal with bullying in your team.

Whatever form it takes, bullying is a type of abuse – a way of intimidating and dominating others, through physical, emotional or psychological control.

It may take the form of continual snide comments about a colleague, putting someone down whenever they pitch ideas to the team, or outright hostility towards another team member. Bullies might also make a point of excluding certain people from team conversations, meetings or project work.

Workplace bullies will often use nonverbal tactics or subtle humiliation instead of direct threats. They can be very good at making sure their behaviour doesn’t cross over into direct physical or sexual harassment, while still making their victims feel continually excluded, uncomfortable and anxious.

Don’t enable or tolerate bullies in your team 

Unfortunately, bullies often get away with their behaviour simply because no one can stand dealing with them. These negative personalities tend to thrive on conflict and drama, but for anyone who dislikes confrontation, standing up to a bully can feel very uncomfortable and intimidating – even scary.

Because of this, some managers will choose to turn a blind eye, unwilling to deal with the disruptive person in their team. However, overlooking or tolerating bad behaviour is sending a message that it’s accepted and even enabled in your organisation.

As a manager, you have a responsibility to address workplace bullying, making it clear that a respectful collaborative environment is to be adhered to at all times. Stop bullies from constantly interrupting others or being aggressive; pull them up when they mock someone else’s ideas or suggestions; work hard to build an inclusive work environment.

Control your own response to workplace bullying

If you’ve become aware of bullying going on in your team or organisation, it’s important to make sure you respond in an appropriate and rational way. Accept that you can’t control what bullies do or say, but you can control your own response.

Recognising that you are in control of how you respond will help you to detach your emotions and manage the situation in a more effective way. Besides, showing emotions such as anger or disgust will only be giving the bully what they want – a reaction and opportunity for further conflict. 

Act on all reports and complaints of harassment

Taking workplace bullying seriously means acting on any report or complaint that is raised in your team. This will make it clear that your organisation has zero tolerance for any form of bullying or harassment. 

If someone tells you they’ve been made to feel uncomfortable by another employee, don’t make excuses for bad behaviour or laugh off inappropriate actions as “just a joke” – treat every report with the diligence it deserves.

Make sure you have an anti-bullying policy in place

Develop and implement a strong bullying and harassment policy, to show your commitment to providing a safe and productive environment for your employees, while promoting a positive work culture for all. This policy will also ensure your organisation is compliant in this area.

Bullying in the Workplace covers useful information about the most common forms of bullying in the workplace and the costs this has for both victims and organisations. You’ll also learn practical strategies for dealing with workplace bullies.

Workplace Harassment for Managers explores the negative impact bullying and harassment can have on an organization’s work environment and looks at the role of managers in preventing and responding to all forms of workplace harassment.

Bullying: The Manager’s Role further explores the role of managers in preventing bullying and abusive conduct in the workplace.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

What are the best ways for employers and managers to deal with workplace bullies? Here are 5 ways to deal with bullying in your team.

A guide for managers dealing with workplace bullying

Most people spend a considerable amount of time commuting to and from work each day, with around two million employees spending an average of 90 minutes a day in transit. That’s a significant amount of travel time each day, adding up to around 7.5 hours a week – the equivalent of a whole day’s work.

You can imagine how that time adds up over the months and years! But for most of us, the daily work commute is spent either battling traffic or idly scrolling through Facebook while listening to music on the bus or train. Have you ever found yourself staring out the window and wondering if this is really the best use of your time?

While it’s up to you how you use your time commuting to and from work, you might not have considered using this travel time to focus on your professional development. The daily commute presents an excellent opportunity for individuals to take the time to learn new skills, grow their professional network and keep up-to-date with industry news. It can also be a valuable time for quiet reflection and meditation.

By investing those otherwise lost hours into your own professional development, you can quickly and easily improve your skill set and give your career a positive boost. Here are some tips for maximising your daily work commute.

Improve Your Skill Set with an Online Course

These days, we’re lucky to have the convenience of eLearning, allowing us to easily enrol in online courses on our laptops, tablets and smartphones and study anywhere and anytime – including the bus or train.

In a recent article, we discussed how you can improve your job prospects with online learning, with eLearning being an excellent way to manoeuvre the gaps within your education. As we said then, “for anyone who is struggling to find a job or move up within their company, expanding on their skill set is an ideal way of setting themselves apart and becoming more equipped to handle the workforce.”

Employees who are willing to develop new skills and improve their existing skill set are highly valued by many employers and organisations. Take a look at our list of 5 free online courses to help you succeed at work, with our top pick of eLearning courses to help you improve your time management, public speaking or negotiation skills.

By using your commute time for regular eLearning, you’ll also be keeping your brain active, challenged and engaged, which is good for your physical and mental wellbeing.

Keep Up to Speed with Industry Podcasts or Webinars

If you drive to work, you can still spend your daily commute learning, by tuning into podcasts featuring favourite industry leaders or subjects relevant to your field. 

With so many industries moving at such a rapid pace, particularly IT and the creative industries, it’s important for employees to stay up-to-date with industry news and developments. Using travel time to catch up on podcasts for your professional development will help to improve your self-confidence and knowledge in these areas and give you a competitive edge over your colleagues.

Whether you’re driving in your car, or taking the bus or train, podcasts can help maximise your commute time, furthering your knowledge and sharpening your skills without even interrupting your daily routine.

Put Some Energy into Professional Networking

Your morning or afternoon commute can be the perfect time to actively build and maintain your professional network online. If you’re going to spend time browsing social media in your travel time each day, you may as well spend a few minutes investing in your career as well.

 Use some of your daily work commute to connect with other people in your industry through LinkedIn or Twitter. Being part of a professional network can help keep you motivated, focused and energised in your work.

If you’re lucky enough to have a work mentor, or someone who regularly inspires you, use your morning travel time to catch up on their news or career developments. Why not share some of your own recent work achievements, or articles about exciting things going on in your industry?

Spending a little bit of time each morning to feel inspired and energised will also have you arriving at work in a more positive frame of mind.

Using travel time to relax and recharge might not sound very beneficial for your professional development, but daily meditation can bring significant positive changes to your whole life, including your career. 

By taking some time, even just ten minutes each day, to practice deep breathing or guided meditation you can reduce the risks of burn out and improve your mental health. This will make you a more resilient and well balanced employee, contributing to better work performance and results for you and your team.

Your morning train ride or bus trip (as opposed to your car!) is a good time to practice meditation, as you’ll start the day feeling focused and calm and ready for work. Think about your morning rituals – do you usually start your day feeling rushed, frustrated with late trains or annoyed at fellow passengers? Choosing to incorporate more positive practices into your existing routine will cost you nothing in time or money, but bring significant long-term benefits to your health and wellbeing.

Now think about how you can start getting the most out of your own daily commute and whether you would be better off investing some of that time into your professional and personal development. It could be a very good move for your future career.

Use your daily work commute to boost your career

You’re about to reach the busiest time of year for your company… Your primary focus should be on necessary prep-work and fine-tuning, but all of a sudden three customer service employees quit and you’re suddenly very understaffed for the season!

In these types of situations, a business owner’s attention is pulled away from their main priorities and they’re forced to find quick replacements.

Sadly, for companies that face a high turnover rate, this can seem like a never-ending battle. A high workplace turnover rate can lead to serious issues, such as:

All of these concerns can play a primary role in the floundering of a business’ success, and that’s why it’s absolutely critical to solve customer service problems ASAP.

John Hausknecht, an assistant professor at Cornell University, worked with a team of individuals to evaluate the effect of employee turnover on the quality of service within a company.

Providing Customers with the Best Possible Service

In high turnover environments, new employees aren’t usually offered the comprehensive training needed to successfully complete their jobs. That’s one problem.

They’re given the basic tools and then rushed to start working to make up for the lack in manpower needed to get certain jobs done. Urgency and limited training often lead to poor customer service.

If you’re searching for the best possible remedy to this predicament, it’s time to consider a learning management system.

These systems streamline the training process and help to ensure each new and seasoned employee has all of the tools needed to get the job done right.  Not only do these programs cover the basic education needed during a customer service employee’s initial hiring, they’re also a convenient way to roll out ongoing education amongst your teams.

Whether your company is undergoing things like policy changes or the installation of new technology, learning management systems are a convenient way to handle continued education within the workplace and will save you a tremendous amount of time.

Before you can recognize just how beneficial learning management systems can be, it’s essential to understand the various ways that your company might be affected by a high turnover rate within your customer service department.

As stated previously, having a high turnover rate not only means management will have to consistently set aside the time to search for, interview, and hire new team members, but they will then have to worry about getting new employees trained.

While the allocation of this time can be one of the most hard-hitting effects of employee turnover, here are a few of the other concerns to be considered.

Depending on the type of business you run, along with the type of candidate you’re looking for, finding a new employee can get pricey.

Common costs involved in this process are for things, such as:

Many employers forget to consider the cost to find applicants. The quality of candidates you’re searching for, along with the length of time you are searching, will determine the type of ads you need to place. In ongoing situations, this can get quite expensive indeed.

Covering the cost of travel and accommodations for qualified applicants during their interview process is just one of the ways this area can cost your employer money.

Even when a new hire is undergoing training, it’s still mandatory that they are paid. This training period can be quite the cost for business’ considering they have to pay a salary while no real work is being done.

Much like the interview process, new employee training also pulls current team members and management away from their own work in order to help the new people learn their jobs.

A constant revolving door of employees can really bring down the morale of a business. Current employees are often forced to pick up the slack left behind, not to mention the inevitable increase of distracting and productivity-draining inner-office gossip.

Constant speculation over why so many individuals are leaving and what new employees are like can be a harmful distraction for any business.

Last, but certainly not least, poor customer service is one of the most devastating effects of high turnover rates.

A decrease in overall employees, along with an increase in new, uncertain employees, can provide customers with little more than a lackluster experience.

Learning Management Systems May Be the Best Solution for Customer Service Departments with High Turnover 

Learning management systems can ensure that you have well-trained employees to support your customer service departments, along with guaranteeing that your team members stay around long-term.

These online programs provide a wealth of information that will provide all of the tools necessary for customer service success.

Not only is there a large variety of coursework available through these systems, but they also allow management to take a hands-off approach to new hire training while still providing them with the opportunity to stay abreast of an employee’s progress and performance.

These types of programs are proven to reduce the costs involved in new employee training and also decrease the amount of time needed to complete initial training.

Online learning systems also provide an easy way to offer continued education. Once the base program has been set up within your company, it’s simple to find additional courses and information that may prove beneficial to the continued success of the business.

Benefitting Employees from Start to Finish

A sure-fire way of reducing the amount of turnover a business owner sees in their customer service department is to address the issues at hand.

Many times these will be related to an employee’s lack of ability or their want for a more challenging environment. Learning management systems are an ideal solution to both of these issues.

Why waste time looking for new employees and then trying to build them up? Focus your attention on benefiting the individuals already working for you and offering them the tools need to successfully serve your customers.  These learning management systems are a simple and cost-effective solution.

Streamline your customer service department with a learning management system

Do you have a good training program in place to help guide your managers through the maternity leave process with their team? 

We've have put together a FREE course created by a maternity leave expert that can help put a plan in place for your managers so that when they are next faced with an employee taking maternity leave, they will be able to set up a plan to help them through all aspects of the process from winding down at work, to re-entering the workforce when they are ready.

This course is a must have for all businesses.

With women making up just over 45% of the Australian workforce, it is inevitable that at some point an employee will tell you that they are pregnant.

In this course, you will learn how to effectively navigate the maternity leave process and how to best assist the expectant employee including how to handle the initial discussion, making plans leading up to maternity leave, and how to reintroduce new parents to the workplace after leave.

Looking for more? Try our Top Categories! 

Looking for something but can't find it? Meet one of our learning consultants and let us help you out!

Train your managers on how to handle maternity leave

Making your web content accessible to users with disability or age-related impairment is a very important part of web design and development. You want to make sure that people have equal access to the information on your website or online learning materials – including those who are vision impaired.

Many people with low or partial vision use the internet every day, at work and at home. And you may be surprised to learn that a large majority of these users do not use screen reading technology. Instead, they rely on using the amount of vision they have to continue working on screen. However, certain websites can be harder to read and navigate than others, which leads to eye strain, headaches and frustration with the online experience.

To address this, web designers and developers work to identify the main considerations for accessibility and inclusive design when creating web pages or electronic documents. This includes accessibility features that make it easier for users with impaired vision, eye disease, age-related macular degeneration or colour blindness to see information on screen.

Web accessibility guidelines also form an important aspect of making sure your content is compliant. In some industries, accessibility is a legislative requirement, meaning businesses have a legal obligation to make sure their web content is able to be read easily by all users, including those who are vision impaired. 

If you’re developing online materials for an eLearning course, you’ll need to be aware of some of these factors so you’re not excluding any members of your learning community. We’ve put together some guidelines for making your web content more accessible to users with vision impairment, allowing them to better navigate your website or learning materials.

For many users who experience low or partial vision or age-related problems with their eyes, simply making text larger on screen can mean a world of difference.

Offering alternate stylesheets with larger font sizes allows individuals to have the option of adjusting the text size to suit their needs. For large articles or amounts of text, you should also offer text-only versions such as PDFs that can easily be read on screen or printed.

If your target audience is over 50, consider making your default font a few points larger. As people in this demographic become increasingly comfortable with technology, the amount of internet users over the age of 50 will become even higher and you want to make sure you’re catering for that audience.

Keyboard shortcuts can make site navigation for visually impaired users a lot easier and far less frustrating. Using keyboard commands to move around a site or document, instead of the mouse, means less need to follow the cursor around on screen – which can be hard for people with low sight or partial vision as they need to constantly shift their focus to track down the mouse cursor.

Australian writer Robbie Kirk, who is vision impaired with partial sight in both eyes, says she relies on using the “good parts” of her eyes to read on screen. This means looking around the whole screen to see something in focus, rather than being able to take in information all at once as she used to. 

Because of this, it’s easy to miss certain parts of a website or document that are probably quite clear to other users. As Robbie says, “unless I turn my head around to see the sidebar I don’t even know it’s there.” She also struggles with losing the mouse on screen, which can lead to eye strain and headaches as well as frustration. 

Allowing people like Robbie the option to use the arrow keys instead of the mouse will improve your content’s web accessibility and create a more positive user experience.

Contrast levels on screen can cause significant problems for people with vision impairments, as they often have difficulty differentiating between similar shades and levels of brightness.

Robbie says that certain contrast levels can cause “shadows around letters, like halos” which makes them very difficult to see clearly. Some fonts can also be impossible to read. While each user will have a different experience, bold text on low-contrast items seem to be best for vision impaired users.

While it might not be possible to offer a second version of your site with more contrast between elements, you could give people access to the mobile version of your site. This is a great way to improve your site’s readability and accessibility, with no extra financial cost or development.

You might think it’s a good idea to use big green and red action buttons on your site, especially for submitting forms or accepting conditions. But for colour blind users, this will cause a lot of confusion.

When creating eLearning materials for an online course, or choosing colours for your website, think about how accessible they are to all users. It’s not just people with colour blindness that are affected by the way colours are used on screen. Vision impairment can cause difficulties in perceiving certain colours when they’re placed on a different coloured background.

For Robbie, the hardest colour combination to read on screen is anything that uses a black background with white text. “I can’t see the letters at all,” Robbie says. “Pale green, orange and yellow are also hard to see.” This means action buttons or hyperlinks will be missed if they’re in any of those colours, which greatly affects user experience.

Choosing accessible colours for your content is obviously important for users who have problems with their sight, however you can see how it also affects the readability of your materials in general. Paying attention to these factors of your eLearning materials will not just make your content accessible to a wider range of people, it will also make your web content more usable for everybody.

Learn More About Web Accessibility for the Vision Impaired

If you’re keen to learn more about this area, or refresh your skills in accessibility, online courses such as Web Accessibility: Learn Best Practices, Tools & Techniques can provide you with tools to confidently develop accessible websites, ensuring your content is able to be easily navigated by all users. 

With eLearning course Web Accessibility, participants can take part in a hands-on experience in making web applications accessible, gaining insight and understanding into when and why users need accessibility. You’ll learn how to make a page work properly with screen reader and keyboard navigation techniques, that help users with partial vision navigate your pages easily and reliably.

Is your learning content accessible to vision impaired users?

In an ever-evolving society where the concept of due process seems to be changing on a daily basis, professionals may be wondering how to keep up and what type of education is key to doing so. Here is how to improve your job prospects with eLearning.

So, can one really improve their job prospects with eLearning?

Let us first take a look at the reality of post-grad life: once high school seniors have finished with the hustle and bustle of college applications, scholarship interviews, and graduation requirements, they’re expected to leave childhood behind and enter the world of four-year universities and college degree programs.

Unfortunately, however, those next four years don’t necessarily translate into a clear path to the future. Traditional undergrad and post-grad education has a tendency to become a very expensive pre-career placeholder that does very little to prepare young men and women for the jobs they hope to obtain.

Julia Freeland Fisher, Director of Education Research at Clayton Christensen Institute, says this about current educational process:


There’s no doubt that eLearning is an excellent way to maneuver the gaps within your education. When an individual is struggling to find a job or move up within their company, expanding on their skill set is an ideal way of setting themselves apart and becoming more equipped to handle the workforce.

The large variety of online courses available lends itself to the variety of needs amongst professionals. While the majority of online courses available fall within the realm of technology, science, and mathematics, there are other opportunities that may better suit a person’s circumstances.

The ways that eLearning courses may be beneficial can seem endless, but here are just 5 key reasons men and women can improve their job prospects with eLearning.

1. Resume Preparation And Interview Skills.

Great first impressions are a key part of finding the right job. Unfortunately, however, a vast number of adults don’t know what actually goes into putting together a proper resume or even how to handle themselves in an interview.

Thankfully, a large number of online learning institutions offer courses that cover subjects, including:

These can make a significant difference in your success as a job candidate.

One of the advantages to choosing eLearning education is the ability to work the courses around your own schedule.

This provides students with the chance to pursue a wider range of employment opportunities and internships while expanding upon their existing skills. The potential to gain real-life experience in a person’s field of choice while still taking classes is an invaluable asset to employers.

Many managers have noted that while they do find traditional degrees impressive on a resume, they also recognize the amount of effort it takes to juggle full-time jobs and schoolwork. This type of effort speaks highly of the applicant and suggests that they’ve gained hands-on knowledge many graduates don’t receive in a normal classroom setting.

When an employee is interested in climbing the corporate ladder and increasing their opportunities in the workplace, developing their management skills can be one of the most important steps to take.

Taking a variety of online management courses will exemplify your desire to do more for your employer and will help you to improve in areas, such as:

Not only will these skills prepare you for potential management positions, but also they will better equip you to take on team leading roles within your company.

The number of different skills needed to succeed in any job type can be endless. This idea is even more prevalent when you consider how often the way jobs are performed will change.

Each day companies are producing new software and processes that are better than the ones used in the past. In order to be the best employee you can be, it’s essential that you stay with the times and keep up with these changes.

Whether you’re vying for a promotion in your current job or looking to start a career in a different field, learning new skills is imperative to your success.

Let’s say, for instance, that numerous job postings require experience with a certain software program you’ve never worked with.

Signing up for an eLearning course on the subject can be a fast and simple way to learn the program and become a viable candidate for the position.

Within any given field there is bound to be an array of eLearning opportunities to help you move forward in your career.

One of the most valuable assets gained from many digital classrooms is job placement assistance at the end of the course.

Many of the networks that offer these classes will provide you with contacts and companies that are currently searching for new hires. Utilizing your newly gained skills and relationships at the school to find your dream job is an excellent way to get the ball rolling and start your brand new career.

eLearning Could Be The Answer You’ve Been Looking For