Paychex last week launched a new web-based learning management system as part of Paychex Flex, the company’s human capital management system.
The new employee tool, dubbed Paychex Learning, allows employers to test their employees’ skills through pre-loaded online training modules.
There are two versions of the learning system, essentials and enhanced. The Learning Essentials solution, a more basic version of the system, incorporates six standard training libraries: business skills, HR compliance, sales and service, leadership and management, software and workplace safety.
A Paychex Learning Enhanced version takes the system a step further by allowing employers to upload their own content. This can include anything from training videos on YouTube or Vimeo to PowerPoint presentations, says Tom Hammond, vice president of corporate strategy and product management at Paychex. Users also can set up reminders, he says, to alert employees when they have to complete training sessions.
“They can decide the modules that they want to offer and to whom they want to offer them. So it’s not a one size fits all,” Hammond says.
Hammond says the new training tool is being launched concurrently with the company’s updated
“Performance management has changed from an annualized event to an ongoing activity,” Hammond says. “There’s no employee that you could ever speak to that doesn’t want to know exactly where they are at a certain point in time.”
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Paychex also has made updates to its health and benefits, retirement and time and attendance solutions. Last year, Paychex introduced an
Paychex would not disclose the exact cost of the new learning management system, although Hammond says the cost would depend on the number of employees using the program. Learning Essentials, he says, would be billed on a yearly cost per employee. Companies using Enhanced would pay a monthly base fee and a fee per employee per month.
Employers using either system would also have to pay for the learning content they use. Both solutions offer five free trainings and are available for desktop and mobile devices.
With a learning management system employers can keep track of their employee’s performance over time, according to Hammond. They can see the employees who are doing well on the trainings and who is falling behind. A company can also offer different trainings tailored to an employee’s specific role, he says.
Building a culture that is focused on training, Hammond says, could help companies retain their best employees.
“Especially with specific elements of your employee population — the ones you really want to focus on keeping — it’s a differentiator, so you’re having a dialogue that says, ‘I am completely invested in your personal development and we’re showcasing it to you,’” he says.
