When we released the Go1 Learning app for Microsoft Teams, we received a tremendous response from organizations who were able to bring learning into the flow of work in Teams.

Today, Go1 is excited to announce our integration with Microsoft Search, extending the reach of learning content into the flow of work for employees.

Go1 integration with Microsoft Search

Organizations use Go1 to collect content they’ve built internally and content from the Go1 Content Hub. The Go1 Content Hub is the world’s largest content library, containing hundreds of online learning providers that cover every topic imaginable.

Now, in partnership with Microsoft, all of this learning content is available in Microsoft Search, using Microsoft’s Graph Connector framework. End organizations are able to use Microsoft Search to find Go1 learning resources in places like Office.com, SharePoint, and Bing. Relevant Go1 learning content will appear alongside other content in your organization, like Office 365 files. Employees can find and access this learning content in their normal day-to-day routine, reducing barriers to up-skilling.

With these new capabilities, it’s easier than ever for employees to learn from Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Search, redefining the ability to learn in the flow of work.

To learn more about the Go1 integration with Microsoft Search, visit go1.com/go1-microsoft-search. Questions can be directed to support@go1.com.

If you are a learning management system or content provider, Go1 would love to speak with you about being a part of this new learning experience. Please reach out to support@go1.com for more information.

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Employees can now find learning content in Office.com, SharePoint, and Bing through Microsoft Search.

Announcing the new Go1 integration with Microsoft Search

The online learning environment is a convenient and flexible way for employees to engage with professional development. Regardless of location or time, participants can upskill and develop expertise in their own time, at their own pace.

While there are many benefits of online learning for both employees and organizations, the learning experience can feel isolating for participants. For learning designers, the challenge is to create opportunities for social interaction for online learners in ways that will add value. 

In this article, we will explore why discussion between learners is beneficial, and consider how to incorporate more opportunities for interaction with online courses. 

Why communication between learners is beneficial 

Whether learning takes place online, face-to-face, or uses blended methods, communication between participants is a crucial part of the process. 

The 70:20:10 model for professional learning has become an increasingly popular learning tool. The theory is simple and recognizes that the majority of learning opportunities occur outside of formal lessons. 

According to the model, social learning accounts for 20% of all learning opportunities. While many interactions will occur naturally, those responsible for learning and development in organizations can also take steps to facilitate discussion. 

Research suggests that asking the right questions is a helpful place to begin. In the journal article, Designing Discussion Questions for Online Adult Learning, Berge and Muilenburg explain this concept in more detail: 

‘Online learning environments, web-based or otherwise, are often more learner-centered than traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms. Online classrooms that use computer conferencing are discussion-oriented, authentic, problem and project-based, inquiry focused, and collaborative (Berge, 1997). In this type of environment, it is usually more important for the instructor to ask the “right questions” than to give the “right answers”.’

How to make online learning more interactive

There is no doubt that it is challenging to create authentic opportunities for social interaction with online courses. However, learning and development professionals can enhance the online experience. The following suggestions might be a useful starting point:

1. Choose or design modules with the right questions

As explained above, the questions and activities set in an online course will determine both the quality of learning and interaction between participants. It is essential that those responsible for learning and development review the lessons they choose for employees to engage with, and ensure that they are asking the “right” kind of questions.  

But what does this mean? Berge and Muilenburg go on to explain that the quality of questions asked of participants can be assessed using Bloom’s Taxonomy. 

Questions that generate more interaction between participants tend to encourage higher-order thinking skills, such as creativity, reflection, and analysis. If participants are asked to recall facts as part of a learning activity or asked to consume content, they will have very little reason to engage with each other.

In a review on making classroom discussions more interactive, Amy Peterson points to discussion boards as a handy tool. She explains that in a traditional classroom, a select few learners participate in classroom discussion, while the others remain silent. 

With online discussion boards, each participant can contribute to the debate without the social pressure of answering in front of a large group. When online courses use discussion boards effectively, this means more learners can actively participate in the learning process and engage with other students. 

Another advantage with discussion boards is that the size of the group can be controlled, allowing for closer interaction between participants when the class size is smaller. The learners can form closer bonds with fewer people, and it becomes much easier for them to collaborate. Groups can also rotate to give depth to interactions and help participants to engage in a variety of different learning interactions. 

Again, asking the right questions is key to facilitating high-quality discussion. Discussion prompts that are open-ended will be particularly helpful, and those which encourage students to give real-life examples. Students can also lead the conversation, and use prompts to guide the dialogue.

3. Create opportunities for face-to-face interaction between learners

 An online course alone can offer learners many opportunities for discussion and interaction. However, learning and development professionals can build upon these discussions either physically in the workplace or via video link. 

Although not always possible, physical interactions are preferable as they enable participants to experience the full range of communication when interacting with each other. For example, they can read each other’s body language and pick up on changes in tone of voice. 

4. Build in opportunities for reflection on learning

Learning and development professionals can also build upon the discussions generated in an online course by providing more opportunities for participants to reflect on learning. 

A well-structured online course will include opportunities to reflect on the learning process. However, it might be helpful to allocate time for further reflection and discussion beyond the online course. 

For example, if a module is focused on teaching participants a particular skill, they could be encouraged to apply their learning during the following week. At the next team catch up, they could bring their reflections along to generate discussion. 

How to make an online learning classroom more interactive

Virtual Reality (VR) gives participants the opportunity to immerse themselves in a completely different world, and to prepare themselves for challenging scenarios they might have to face and quick decision-making. 

Traditional eLearning courses use content such as articles, videos and quizzes to present information, but these activity types limit the depth of learning. By improving learner engagement and retention of information, research shows that VR can offer a richer, more active learning experience.

In this article, we are going to look at research into the potential of VR for improving learning outcomes, and the ways in which it can enhance compliance training. 

A recent Deloitte study, Real learning in a virtual world, looked at how VR can improve learning and training outcomes. Prior to the application of VR, workplace trainers had to weigh up how to effectively prepare employees for potentially dangerous situations. 

They could provide traditional learning materials like textbooks and classes, but these would likely not suffice as preparation for highly stressful or complex situations. An alternative option was to offer live training, which is not only hazardous, but costly to run. For many, the choice was between inexpensive and ineffective or effective and dangerous training methods. 

The report highlights that, with VR, participants can become totally immersed in a simulated scenario, which can induce the same emotional responses to a real-life experience. This is both a safe and effective way to prepare employees for potentially life-threatening situations. 

A summary of the benefits of VR for employees

The application of VR to workplace training has the potential to both improve the learning experience for participants and employee safety when engaging in potentially dangerous activities. The following points summarise the ways in which the technology can improve the learning experience: 

Traditional eLearning tools such as articles and videos can help participants to understand a new concept, and they are easy for learners to access in their own time, at their own pace. However, these materials won’t prepare learners for highly stressful situations. 

A main function of compliance training is to ensure that a workplace is safe and that employees are engaged in safe practices at all times. If participants have the opportunity to practice processes or decision-making before going into potentially life-threatening situations, the chance for human error or unsafe practice is considerably limited. 

NASA has been using simulations successfully for many years to train astronauts for space travel. Their goal is to limit risk as much as possible, with astronauts preparing for as many different scenarios as they can imagine. 

2. Easy and increasingly affordable to roll out on a large scale 

While it may seem costly to purchase a VR headset, there are some surprisingly affordable options. Mobile headsets can cost as little as $15 USD, although a desktop headset could set organisations back $400 dollars. 

Yet, according to the 2017 State of the Industry report from the Association for Talent Development, organizations in the US spend an average of $1,273 per employee for learning. Of course, this figure depends on the size of the organization, with smaller organizations spending more per employee, and larger organizations spending less. 

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” - Aristotle

A key advantage of VR is that it offers participants an experiential learning opportunity, which creates stronger memories through employing multiple senses and emotional connections.

VR brings and experiential element to online learning that is difficult to create with videos and articles alone. Repetitive learning or memorisation has long been out of favour in schools, with ‘learning by doing’ being the preferred option. Experiential Learning methodology encourages critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, and this accelerates learning.

It also bridges the gap between theory and practice, and gives employees an opportunity first-hand to apply what has been taught. This improves retention of concepts and new ideas. 

Experiential learning is directly linked to increased engagement in learning. VR provides an opportunity for employees to engage in a realistic scenario in a safe and controlled manner. 

For compliance training, participants are also required to remember a significant amount of important information to keep both themselves and others safe. Retention of information is essential in this case to ensure the safety of both team members and customers.

When learners are actively engaged with a task, they will also need to use high order thinking skills to complete it. These include applying knowledge to practical contexts, or using the knowledge they have gained in a creative way. 

5. Generates discussion, exciting new technology	

Perhaps most importantly, having the opportunity to use VR when learning at work is enjoyable! A ‘gamified’ learning experience has also been proven to increase learner engagement and enjoyment.

While it may seem like a gimmick set to pass by like many other fads, the benefits of VR for learning are clear, and so it is more likely to remain a permanent feature of workplace training.  

When comparing practicing safety measures in a virtual world to reading about them in a textbook, it’s easy to see why VR would be more popular and help to generate discussion around the workplace. 

At Go1, we offer a number of compliance courses with VR capabilities, in which learners can prepare for challenging situations at work in the safety of a virtual world. VR is an effective, engaging way to learn, and offers employers an exciting alternative to teaching from textbooks and manuals.  

How VR enhances compliance training and improves learning outcomes

For instructional designers, facilitators and teachers, a successful lesson is all about delivering an engaging learning experience, and there are numerous strategies they can implement to achieve this. 

Gamification is one such approach becoming increasingly popular in the workplace learning sector. The concept is exactly what it sounds like: the application of typical elements of game playing, such as point scoring or competition with others, to other areas of activity to encourage increased engagement. 

Engagement in learning is crucial. When new information is presented in an interesting, attention-grabbing way, this can be the difference between the learner being able to apply their new found knowledge, or forgetting it completely after completing the course.  

In this article, we are going to look at how gamification can be beneficial in the workplace and where it is embedded into the design of a typical online course. 

Does gamification improve learning outcomes?

While gamification undoubtedly makes the learning process more fun, employers want to know whether it impacts upon learning outcomes, and subsequently, outcomes for their organisation. 

In his Ted Talk entitled, ‘The Power of Gamification in Education’, teacher Scott Herbert explains that the early years curriculum in countries such as Canada, the UK and Australia is focused on play, fun and discovery-based learning, which is eliminated as students get older in favour worksheets, straight rows and regime. 

He argues that the majority of workplaces today are moving away from this highly ordered way of operating, and opting for ways to become more creative. By eliminating the preference for rote memorization of information and ‘gamifying’ the curriculum, he believes that creativity and innovation would flourish, and better prepare students for their careers.

Taking this into account, gamification of learning in the workplace could potentially help to unravel the structured ways of thinking fresh employees are leaving school with, and help them to rediscover their creative side at work. 

Research has also identified the gamification of workplaces as a promising strategy for promoting wellbeing, when levels of stress, a reduced sense of community, reduced loyalty and rapid changes in the workforce are all factors affecting organisations today. 

From an HR perspective, gamification enables teams to deliver feedback on learning in real time and monitor learners’ progress. It is an objective and fair system for measuring performance, and can make giving feedback a less emotionally-charged process.

Additionally, it can offer transparency on making progress at work. Each employee is offered a clear pathway to success and can autonomously manage which areas they need to develop in most.

How is workplace learning ‘gamified’?

As anybody familiar with gaming will know, games are often based on a narrative, with a protagonist leading the action. Learning can be structured in a similar way, with the participant moving through a series of scenarios to reach a desired outcome, making directional choices along the way. 

This narrative structure helps participants to stay engaged because people are highly attuned to storytelling. Engaged learners are far more likely to retain information and be able to apply it in the workplace. 

VR is now becoming an increasingly popular tool for workplace learning, particularly in the area of compliance. Go1 now offers a VR compliance package for the mining industry, in which learners can go on a virtual tour of a mine before even entering one. Each lesson looks very much like a game, in which the participant is learning about best practice for safety.

With online learning courses, modules can be structured in the same way as the different levels of a game. In order for participants to gain access to the next level of learning content, they need to complete the stage they are currently engaged with to a high enough standard. The ability to progress to the next level might take the form of a quiz or other demonstration of understanding.

Many online learning courses offer interactive tools to give participants a real-time learning experience. This often takes the form of interactive discussion with other learners, which can be built in to an LMS.  

This is similar to a game in that learners can work as part of a team to complete an activity or create something new. Discussions also make for a more dynamic learning experience, and help learners to move away from activities which fail to promote deep learning. 

The course might also set an activity which requires the learner to complete a task at work, or apply their new found knowledge. This extension of learning to practical situations helps to embed learning and put it into context.    

Points or badges can also motivate learners to stay engaged. Many apps (for both children and adults!) are designed in this way, giving participants recognition for the number of times they have completed an activity or engaged with content. This activates the reward centres in the brain and encourages participants to progress to the next stage to earn another reward.  

It is important to note that these are different to awards or credentials a learner might receive for completing a course. Points or badges are usually awarded during the learning process for completing parts of the content or successfully or demonstrating understanding.  

A one stop shop for all things training, Go1 makes it easy to compare the best training options available, and find the right resources for your professional development, compliance and business training needs. 

The benefits of gamification for workplace learning

You've spotted an eLearning course that would be perfect for your colleagues and help them grow as a team. Unfortunately, your organisation has a tight budget to stick to this year, and it isn’t easy to convince the boss to allocate the funds.

The question is, how can you make the case for eLearning? Why should your organisation take notice?

The benefits of learning in the workplace are well-documented, and with 42 per cent of Fortune 500 companies implementing eLearning programs, your organisation is at risk of falling behind without one. 

In this article, we will explore how to encourage those in management to embrace eLearning, and demonstrate that it is a long-term investment worth making. 

Online learning is an increasingly popular way to perform workplace training, but some managers will need persuading when it comes to allocating both the time and money to this relatively new concept. 

Our advice is to let the benefits of eLearning speak for themselves.  The following points should help you to get started with communicating the unexpected advantages of investment in online courses:

Opportunities for ongoing learning and growth are important for employees to feel invested in the organisation they work for.  Ultimately, human beings function best in environments which allow them to grow. 

Deloitte’s 2017 ‘Global Human Capital Trends’ report found 42 per cent of millennials are likely to leave their organisations because they’re not learning fast enough. The data also reveals that among millennials, the “ability to learn and progress” is now a key element in their perception of a company’s brand.

Employee turnover is also expensive.  Josh Bersin of Deloitte estimates the cost of losing an employee to be 1.5-2.0 x the employee’s annual salary.  This could mean a company losing anywhere from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars each time an employee moves on. 

With this in mind, giving employees the opportunity to engage with eLearning courses seems like a small price to pay.

Improving employee retention isn’t the only reason investment in eLearning makes good business sense.

If you are going to convince your leadership team that eLearning is the way to go, they will need to understand it in terms of a business plan. To do this, highlight the shortcomings of your current method of training (if any), and explain why eLearning would be better financially. 

You can also measure the ROI of online training using Kirkpatrick's model of evaluation as a starting point. 

Your leadership team will also want to know what employees stand to gain if they adopt online learning tools. 

Research shows that eLearning increases retention rates 25-60 percent.  In comparison, retention rates of face-to-face training are much lower at 8-10 percent. 

If your organisation is already spending big on face-to-face learning, these stats could show that eLearning would have more overall impact, and be better value for money. 

A Training Needs Assessment (TNA) is a way of determining if a training need exists in your organisation.  If it does, the assessment can review what training is required to fill the gaps.

This is designed to make the connection between a required performance or desired behaviour and the actual performance or behaviour in your organisation. 

When your leadership team is presented with this data, it might make more sense to invest in online learning as a means of improving efficiency or addressing a particular challenge. 

There could also be considerable scale and diversity in training needs.  In this case, those in leadership could be more likely to opt for the flexible solutions an eLearning platform can offer. 

Data also shows that eLearning participants learn nearly five times more material than those attending face-to-face courses, without increasing the time spent training.

A traditional face-to-face training course might typically take a day, meaning an employee would need to spend a whole day out of work to focus on learning.

With online courses, employees can log on anytime, anywhere. Participants can spend ten minutes learning from a video, then get back to their regular tasks for that day.

The fact that eLearning is presented in bite-sized chunks also makes information easier to digest and retain. 

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.

Elearning is an effective way to engage employees and improve their performance. Learn why now is the time to start investing in elearning!

Five reasons your organisation should invest in eLearning

For hundreds of years, education looked a lot like going to Hogwarts minus all the interesting magic. We’d have to travel to some far off location, sit in a classroom for hours on end and hope that you had a great teacher. Now, thanks to online learning even us muggles live in a magical age of learning. We have amazing technology but successful development requires a little more than just internet access.

When I work with people on development (whether these are individuals, managers or Human Resource staff), I see the same thing happen over and over again. As an aspiration, the benefits of development are fantastic. And who doesn’t have goals and good intentions? But the reality of doing the work gets in the way of the magical results. In this article I want to share with you what Hogwarts can teach us about effective learning. Relax because these techniques work for muggles like you and I.

PS: This article includes Self Development Tips and Tricks from the Course “How to Develop Yourself”. If you want to progress your work or personal life, then find out how to set yourself up for success here.

What is it that you want from your development? You see whatever it is that you want from your (work) life, personal development is going to help you to get there. But the trick is finding the time to invest in your future.

The hardest thing about development is finding the time to do development. What magic does Hogwarts use to make time for learning? It’s simple they don’t use any magic at all - instead they have classes, just like regular learning. Because it’s simple and it works.

Now when you’re doing online learning, there aren’t any class times and “anytime” becomes “no time”. So how do you copy this? It’s simple, take the development off your to do list and stick it into your diary. Book an appointment with yourself because you’re simply not going to get the benefits of development unless you set some time aside for it. 

Better still, make it a recurring appointment because no school, not even Hogwarts, tries to finish the syllabus in one single lesson. Regular, consistent lessons are the path to success.

Tip: Is your diary too full? Again, no magic needed: Just go a few weeks out and book the time before someone else does. This is the process to follow in YOUR Power Hour

The magic sorting hat because people are different

So people are different but our education system has a habit of treating everyone the same. Successful people have great self awareness, they know what their strengths are and they know how to compensate for their weaknesses. At Hogwarts they have a magic sorting hat to put you into the right house. 

The closest thing to a Magic Sorting Hat is finding out your Learning Power in the Learning Skills Assessment. If you ever felt like a square peg in a round hole, this assessment will help you understand what makes you different to other people. And will show you how to make the best of your natural skills and tendencies when it comes to development. 

Tip: Are you responsible for employees and wish that they would improve their skills and capabilities? Help them to find their own Learning Power by sharing this assessment with them. 

You know the drill, as soon as you sit down to spend some quality time developing your skills, your phone rings or there’s someone to see you. Now in the Harry Potter world, you’d have a wand that you could use to banish distractions. But zapping someone with a spell seems like an extreme way to avoid distractions. 

Once again Hogwarts uses a less extreme, totally conventional, yet effective method to avoid distractions. And that’s that they have dedicated learning spaces. Called classrooms and libraries. Just like we have in the muggle world. 

Is your desk a hive of distractions from telephone calls, to social media, post-it reminders, demanding customers, colleagues and let’s not forget about the boss? Then the trick is to hide away from it all. For that magical hour: Shut your door, put your phone on silent, turn off desktop notifications, leave instructions not to be disturbed. 

Or if all else fails book a meeting room. Either take the distractions away or take yourself away from the distractions.

TIP: If your boss is the biggest distraction preventing you from doing your training then establish an “upfront contract” with your boss. As a start, ask your boss what skills they want you to develop in your one on one meetings with your boss. For more details on how to get your boss to support your development, see “How to Develop Yourself”

Those broomsticks don’t look very comfortable, but I still bet that you wish you could fly. But only a muggle would expect to go from standing to playing quidditch in one go. Even wizards start small and build up.

It’s the same with your personal development. Don’t start with a huge or boring project. If your first course is advanced quantum mathematics, then you’re setting yourself up for failure, before you even start. 

And that’s advice for managers and HR professionals too. Don’t let your employees first experience of the company Learning Management System be a boring course on compliance.

Instead start off with something short, interesting and with an immediate payback. Use this to build momentum for bigger things and soon you will be flying through your own personal development.

Helpful Resource: Here’s a quick exercise everyone can do: Take the Stress Assessment in Desk Meditations to find out your personal stress score and learn how to manage stress better. 

The thing with development projects is that they are speculative. Not every project is going to work. The nature of learning is failing a lot until you start to fail less. 

So what do wizards do when they fail? Again no magic spells, they try again. If a student at Hogwarts doesn’t pass, there’s no magic potion or spell. They just repeat the subject. Boringly conventional and boringly effective because it’s perseverance that determines how successful people are.

The way to stay persistent with your personal development is to accept that you’re going to get knocked off course a few times. But as long as you book an hour a week with yourself to monitor your progress and keep moving forward, then you’ll get there in the end.

Forget spells, the solution to your problems is in your hands

If someone from 100 years ago looked at online learning today they would think that it’s magical. Got a problem? You can pull a magic device out of your pocket and get a wizard to teach you a magic spell (ahem get expert advice, for example see this dialogue on how to encourage your employees to solve their own problems - it works so well it’s almost like using a magic spell). 

To solve your problems, advance your career or just learn a cool new skill, you don’t have to go looking for Platform 9 and ¾. All you need to do is know “How to Develop Yourself” because this is the one skill to rule all others. (Oops I may be straying into Lord of the Rings Territory here :-) ) Don’t wait for magic to solve your problems, start investing in yourself by setting some dedicated time aside every week.  

Dumbledore is the Headmaster at Hogwarts - he’s an experienced wizard who guides pupils through difficulties. Many people struggle with online learning because of a lack of personal interaction, a lack of guidance and a lack of accountability. That’s why we all need a Dumbledore in our life. You won’t find Dumbledore in any online course, but you can improve your own online learning by working with your boss or a mentor.  

Are you a boss? Be Dumbledore to your employees with “How to Develop Your Employees”,

Get coaching and feedback in your One on One Meetings with your boss,

The Go1 platform has got several unique features that make developing your employees easier. Find out more about how to use these features in the Getting Going with Go1 course.

Keith Tatley CA(SA) founded Manager Foundation and Karm Academy to help people with the soft skills they don’t teach you in school. This includes skills such as Effective One on One Meetings, Performance Communications and Delegation. If you would like to start your journey to become a better boss, then find out your BOSS Superpower now. 

What can Hogwarts teach us about online learning?

Amy Wheldon is a Customer Success Manager in Go1’s US Operations team. Read her insights into the importance of embracing future technologies after attending the recent Learnapalooza event in Seattle. 

I recently attended an exciting Learnapalooza event that was held in Seattle on March 28th. 

Hosted by HackingHR and Learnapalooza, the event brought together a panel of experts in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, data analytics, HR recruitment and more.

Go1’s Caroline Brant, Global Learning Strategist, was part of the panel for the Upskilling Yourself: Future Technologies Panel & Resume Hacking Workshop. 

The conversation was centered around dispelling the false sense that artificial intelligence, learning automation and ed tech are something for the future. Automation and artificial intelligence are fast becoming an integral part of operations at most large corporations. 

Over 40% of large corporations are already using automation for training and HR. The ever-widening gap between companies that embrace automation, and those that don’t, will grow as learning automation and artificial intelligence are more commonly adopted according to the HR Exchange. 

HR needs to move as fast as other departments to embrace the future and adopt new technologies. This is not hard and if it is, it shouldn’t be. Technology exists today to allow us to do this. Automation and upskilling is not just the future – it is today! 

If you haven’t invested in modern learning tools you risk lower retention, skill gaps, lower productivity and employee dissatisfaction.  

As Caroline said during the panel discussion, “We need to be able to deliver the right content, at the right moment, to today’s workforce so they can solve the immediate challenge they are facing.”

It was great to hear from all the panellists on the day and to see the passion from everyone involved in this dynamic industry. It’s certainly an exciting time for L&D!

Reach out to Amy at amy.wheldon@go1.com or via LinkedIn to learn more about how Go1 can help you improve your corporate training program with the right technology.  

Amy Wheldon is a Customer Success Manager in Go1’s US Operations team. Read her insights into the importance of embracing future technologies after attending the recent Learnapalooza event in Seattle.

Why embracing future technologies and learning tools is so important for training and HR 

The workplace can be overwhelming. Every day we receive a bombardment of emails, phone calls and work piling up on our desks. It can be easy to feel overlooked by your bosses. If you work in a big company or corporation, the struggle might feel twice as real. 


Bosses looking to boost employee satisfaction and engagement have a lot to consider. If employees are working remotely or from the office, there has to be some consistency. Employees desire a safe and caring environment. Below are some ways to improve employee happiness. 

In our tech-driven world, file storage is super important. No one wants to feel frustrated by receiving emails with faulty attachments. Make sure that your company has a brilliant server or cloud where employees can access files. 

Not only will this boost productivity, but it will save employees lots of headaches. A private server or cloud will guarantee secure data, which is always a plus. It will also allow you to centralize your information. This way, your employees can access it from anywhere. It won't matter if they're at home or on holiday.

No, this isn't Orwell's 1984. You won't be in trouble if you're not exactly happy at work. However, reporting and communicating your mood to your boss will allow them to problem solve. It can help reduce employee turnover, as well. When employers are in the dark, they don't realize there's trouble.

That's why apps like Hppy are genuinely helpful. Hppy can show if employees aren't motivated and why that is. The app regularly asks users if they have had a good or bad day. All that information gets compiled and sent to the employer to evaluate. From there, they can make an assessment and plan on how to improve.

A suggestions box doesn't work as well as it used to. Employees might feel uncomfortable sharing feedback, especially when it's not positive. Personalized feedback interfaces allow for anonymity and regularity. They also build the employee's trust, because they know that their opinions are getting attention.

While surveys are helpful, more personalized apps like 15Five, CultureAmp and TinyPulse work wonders. These apps give employees profiles and regularly prompt them for feedback. Employees should feel comfortable speaking up. Employers should also make it clear that their work environment does not tolerate any harassment. When employers do receive negative feedback, it's necessary to take action to uphold the company culture.

Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Rewarding a job well done is a simple way to boost morale. Verbal praise is always appreciated. If you are trying to keep your focus on work, you can consider assigning an employee a ‘fun’ project. Company retreats are fun, business bonding events that help employees blow off some steam, too.

To give more personal rewards, employers can offer physical rewards like gift cards. Even taking employees out to lunch will make them feel great. The popular rewards app YouEarnedIt is taking the workplace by storm. This mobile-based app allows employers to connect with and reward employees in real-time. It also provides colleagues the opportunity to award each other, which notably changes the workplace dynamic.

While email still reigns supreme, it usually a more formal kind of communication. After all, no one wants to read through long email threads they get CC'd on. A quicker and more functional interaction needs to happen somehow. That's why Slack is a great tool.

Slack allows companies to communicate instantaneously and share workspaces where they send images, videos, and other files. It also provides for different channels, which means better project division and productivity. Employees will be less distraction and more on the ball with Slack. Since Slack, Facebook developed Workspace and Microsoft put out Teams. Evaluate all three to see which one fits your company.

Skype isn't just for the family anymore. There’s a business version for companies now. When working with offices across the country or across the globe, Skype saves time.  Conference calls become a breeze with this continually improving program. 

A mobile app is also available for people on the go. Employees who are traveling or commuting don't have to miss out on meetings anymore. This same app also allows for messaging, file sharing and screen sharing. That's precisely why it is a popular tool for multinational corporations. Skype will make employees' work more effective.

If you're a fan of texting, you have probably heard the word WhatsApp uttered before. This app, which is immensely popular around the world, can be used for work, too. WhatsApp allows you to make different chat groups which you can use to your advantage. Designating chat groups for individual departments and projects will improve communication. Employees will thrive with a sense of community.

WhatsApp allows you to send written, and even, voice messages. When deadlines are tight, and employees are very busy, a simple voice message can help a lot. The app also allows users to send images, videos, and links. Communication will become fluid. Employees will be able to link up better and get work done more quickly.

Making programs more streamlined is a straightforward way to improve employee happiness. Instead of using several different programs on different servers and sites, simplify things as much as possible. A large number of employers have pointed to G Suite as an invaluable resource. G Suite gives businesses a variety of different programs all in one space. Google's suite has anything from video chatting to email available.

Google Hangouts are an easy way for employees to stay in touch. Google Drive allows employees to access all the information and use Google's apps like Docs, Sheets, and Presentations. The Gmail and Calendar features sync up to arrange meetings and set reminders. There are also the Keep and Whiteboard features that are useful during meetings. These apps help de-stress the workplace.

Organization is crucial for employees. Knowing what and when they need to accomplish tasks allows them to plan ahead. Any programs that make that easy will be helpful. Post-Its used to be an easy way to stay on top of the workload. Things have changed since then.

“I’m really passionate about Trello. It is fairly straightforward but incredibly helpful at the same time. Trello works by making to-do lists and tracking productivity. It can also track work time. This feature is helpful for employees to know how long a project generally takes them. This app has lots of creative capabilities, which gives employees flexibility.” — Marie Fincher, writer, and editor at Trust My Paper.

The way your employees physically feel will affect how happy they are, too. By promoting health in the workplace, you'll likely see an increase in engagement. Planning health-related events company races or obstacle courses are fun ways to help employees get active. You can also use apps to help monitor your employee's health.

FitBit is a popular app that tracks users’ daily steps. Colleagues can compete with each other and win virtual trophies for being more active. There is also Limeade which uses surveys and videos to educate users. This app can help employees learn and take steps to improve their health. When employees are healthy, their happiness is sure to skyrocket.

We've gone a long way to improve our workers’ lives within the last 20 years. The ever-evolving tech ecosystem will only make our lives even better in the near future. It’s our responsibility to embrace it. Good luck! 

Diana Nadim Adjadj is a writer and editor who has a Masters degree in Marketing. She combines her passion for writing with her interest in research and creates thought-provoking content in various fields. Diana also runs her own 3to5Marketing blog. What inspires her the most in her writing is traveling and meeting new people. 

10 tools and software to improve employee happiness

You’ve heard of flipping cars and houses but learning? While this method is all the rage, is it the way of the future long-term?	

Pioneered by Jon Bergmann, flipped learning involves students working with introductory material at home before attending class. Although the exact type of material varies, this typically consists of an instructional video prepared by the teacher. In other words, instead of sitting before an instructor giving a lecture, students hear the same information in the privacy and comfort of home.

Once everyone comes together in a classroom setting, they work on different tasks, including debate, inquiry, and projects. Students even complete assignments in class as opposed to having homework. The philosophy of flipped learning is to shift the time during which students work, making it more efficient and effective.

Back in 2007, Bergmann and a colleague, Aaron Sams, discovered other educators had similar ideas. Working off those, the two pioneered a model, followed by travelling around the world to help flip different organizations and schools.

Although there are several differences between flipped and traditional learning, at the forefront is that students listen to lectures at home. With the preparation work complete, this allows them to come together in a classroom setting to actively work on everything that learning entails. As you can imagine, not only does this change the way students learn but also the role the teacher plays.

More as a facilitator of knowledge, a successfully flipped classroom encourages students to take accountability and ownership of the learning process. With more effective interaction, people absorb information better while at the same time, they learn to depend on others when it comes to solving problems.

Flipped learning may have originated in India, but it has quickly become a vital solution for schools and organizations alike. Educators on all levels recognize the need to teach differently than before. This methodology works by building strong connections, utilizing advanced technology, and making schools and businesses more successful. In response to people asking if flipped learning will stick around, the answer is a resounding yes.

How does flipped learning change results?

As with any new approach, testing plays a vital role in determining success or failure. With flipped learning, experts discovered that several positive things happen. For instance, students absorb and retain the curriculum, which gives them a much better understanding of the subject matter. Whether flipped learning covers science or project management, the knowledge gained empowers people to perform at an optimum level.

Although flipped learning initially focused more on standard education, from elementary school through college, it has now become a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes and industries. With no topic limitations, you can implement a program within your company and reap the rewards. As quoted by Jon Bergmann, “Flipping your class will not make teaching easier, but it will make it better.”

Remember, flipped learning is a time-tested method backed by tons of research. Educational institutions and businesses around the world find this helps students and employees engage differently. Regardless of the department or the specific role, you can bring this method of learning into your organization and watch your staff transform.

Because flipped learning is a relatively new methodology that relies on advanced technology, you may find that some of your longer-employed managers struggle to adapt. If this happens, it’s essential that you bring your entire leadership together, including your HR Manager, L&D Manager, Risk Manager, and others. You want to explain what this type of learning is and how it benefits them, their staff, and the company as a whole.

Also, make sure your leaders participate in developing the right program for your company. They should have direct involvement in preparing the video lectures, selecting online courses, and putting together assignments. Remember, a team of managers working together will encourage and inspire your employees to follow suit.