Training your employees is critical, be it during the very first days of their work with you or years down the line when they need to be informed of new company or market policies and procedures.
Get the most out of your employee training with these few simple tips.
DO: Go digital.
When people think of onboarding for a new job they envision sitting at a desk filling out paperwork for the bulk of their first day. To curtail that, invest in onboarding software that not only keeps track of employees, but gives them the chance to fill documents out digitally before they even enter the office.
If your training requires slideshows or videos to be shown throughout, let the employees know they will receive this later after the training is complete. This will keep their minds on the information at hand, and they’ll be less inclined to scramble to take notes.
DON’T: Treat it as punishment.
Sometimes trainings arise from a singular incident or ongoing issue at the workplace. Your employees may be well aware of it, but don’t make it the focal point for the training.
Put a positive spin on the training wherever you can. Don’t point fingers for wrongdoings, and treat the training as something proactive instead of reactive.
DO: Be clear.
Office rumblings around training are often the same: Why are they making us do this?
Clarify the training’s objectives and be specific about the goals you intend to come out of it from the onset. Emphasize how this training benefits the employees and what they are getting out of it.
DON’T: Set unreasonable expectations.
Performance can’t and won’t change overnight and you shouldn’t expect it to.
When setting objectives with employees, make the end-game something reasonable, or they may give up before they even started.
Study typical performance and date in your industry and set standards by that.
DO: Monitor results.
The training does not stop once the active portion of it is over. Have procedures in place that help you measure how effective the training is. Think back to the objectives and goals you gave employees ahead of the training. Are you meeting those?
DON’T: Let people skip out.
Some employees may point out they’ve gone through a similar or recent training. No matter what, ensure everyone attends the training.
Much may have changed since the last training, or it could have been facilitated by someone different who did not get the message across effectively to the previous trainee group.
Additionally, making everyone attend will be good for team morale. By letting a select few skip out, it could be misconstrued as favoritism.
Engage in a “one for all, all for one” mentality around training.
DO: Open the floor for questions.
A group of employees who are being talked at is much less likely to retain and use information than a group of employees who are involved in an active conversation.
During training, leave room for employees to ask questions and be sure to encourage it throughout. This will make employees feel heard and involved, and can help them walk away with a better understanding.
