Hotel prices during Olympics hold back staff’s development
Employers should go remote with staff learning and train live online for the period of the Games, say learning and development experts.
Businesses are cancelling their employees' training booked months in advance because of the rocketing accommodation prices for the period of the Games in the UK, reports training provider Redtray Solutions.
The company found that hotels in London are charging more than 100% the normal rates for a night during the Olympics, which is pushing businesses to cancel or postpone their staff training around that time. "That's not necessarily the best decision for businesses to make, considering that work will be much slower for many of them during the Games", says Jeff Smithies, channel director at Redtray Solutions.
According to a recent study, employers across the globe are struggling with skills gaps which are at their highest level since 2008.* Smithies believes that the time of the Games is ideal for improving work skills and staff development.
He explains, "Slower periods in business, such as the summer, create ideal opportunities for employees' learning. But the circumstances organisations are finding themselves in due to the high prices of accommodation not only negatively impact people's development but also threaten the competitiveness of those organisations in the market."
Smithies adds, "Companies think it's more cost effective to postpone their training because travel disruptions and accommodation prices in London during the Olympics add to the overall cost of training. But delaying the development needs of the business may not necessarily be the best resolution."
He believes the biggest assets of an organisation are its people and to be competitive in a constantly changing business landscape it's important to invest in their learning and development. "The solution for this situation is simple - live online learning. Go remote and encourage your staff to train from their homes or offices" says Smithies.
Live online learning, also referred to as cloud-based learning or virtual classrooms, is often compared to traditional classroom training. Smithies explains, "Online classes and workshops are delivered in real time with live instructors, which makes the virtual class environment very similar to the one in a traditional classroom."
According to him, cloud-based training doesn't only save businesses the cost of accommodation and spares people the hassle of travelling around London during the Games. "It does more than that", he says. "It makes learning easy because it eliminates information overload. Live online classes are broken down into small chunks as opposed to a day's long classroom training, which allows for efficient, long term improvement of skills."
- ends -
* Report from Manpower Group
Notes to the editor:
Cloud-based learning solution CloudRooms™specialises in live online learning programmes. Using the internet, we connect learners with expert instructors and interactive labs via our virtual classroom. By delivering training online, we enable our clients to reduce their training spend by removing the associated travel and accommodation costs.
More information is available about CloudRooms™ along with a free live Microsoft Office session in the cloud.
Comparison of hotel prices in selected areas:
18/06/2012
16/07/2012 30/07/2012
06/08/2012 24/09/2012
Tower Bridge £75.75
£79.95
£170.00 £170.00
£49.50
Waterloo
£89.95
£59.50
£170.00 £170.00
£62.95
Marylebone
£89.95
£59.50
£180.00 £209.00
£65.75
Greenwich £42.75
£47.75
£159.57
£159.57
£39.50