Effect of e-learning on employees at Vodacom.

Abstract

Human capital forms an integral part of any business and has led businesses to invest heavily in training and development programmes not only to maintain an up to date workforce but also to garner a competitive advantage. Following the explosion of technology, e-learning has come to the fore as one of the premiere training methods of the future. E-learning has a plethora of benefits which include providing training anytime and anywhere as well as being a cost-effective alternative to traditional learning. This has prompted many businesses to choose this method of training, none more so than South African mobile service provider, Vodacom. The effectiveness of e-learning in increasing productivity, motivation and skill at Vodacom was unclear and therefore prompted the question “how effective are e-learning programmes at Vodacom?” The aim of this study was to determine how effective the e-learning programmes at Vodacom were. Furthermore, the study sought to establish if these programmes had increased productivity and motivation of the employees as well as avoiding the barriers that are common to e-learning. To be able to attain this holistic view of e-learning at Vodacom and to study its effects, it was deemed necessary to survey all employees of Vodacom. Due to the large number of employees, a quantitative study was conducted which provided the vehicle for which the objectives of the study could be achieved. The data, once analysed, collectively led to the conclusion that the e-learning programmes at Vodacom were indeed effective; they avoided the barriers of e-learning like lack of manager support and employees’ attitude towards e-learning and they resulted in increased productivity and motivation of employees. However, the analysis highlighted areas in the e-learning programmes that needed improvement to provide further benefits. The findings resulted in the following recommendations: ensuring relevance of training to job; using gamification to enhance user engagement, etc. The recommendations also highlighted key areas, like extending the study to include contractors of Vodacom as well exploring the relationship between productivity and retention of training material, for future development of e-learning that will elevate the e-learning programmes at Vodacom to new heights.