How to implement successful training for businesses at all levels

Training is an integral part of any business, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Training can help provide employees with the skills they need to do their jobs, but it also helps businesses generate higher profits and more success. In some cases, training may be a way to maintain a company’s bottom line as well as its workforce. Read on for some tips on how you can implement successful training for your business at all levels.

Why training should be a priority

Employee turnover is one issue that many businesses face. In fact, in a survey of HR managers conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, 57 per cent of respondents said that employee turnover was costing their organisation significant amounts of money and time. This is why organisations must implement effective training programs. Regardless if you are training new hires fresh out of school or promoting internal employees to Business Development Manager level, training is not only beneficial for everyone but integral to your company’s success.

The most successful training programs align with business objectives and company values; this ensures that training aligns with the mission and focuses on how the company wants employees to behave and think. For instance, if your company focuses on customer service, it would make sense for you to implement customer-service oriented training programs designed to help employees understand how customers want them to behave to provide better service.

Training can also solve other issues, such as retention rates or productivity at work. 

3 of the best training methods for employees of all levels

Video

When it comes to providing efficient training, video checks all the boxes and then some.

For starters, it allows employees to progress at their own pace during the learning process. Pause videos to enable information to soak in, and you can even rewind them to watch them again at a later time. Macro learning methods allow employees to dip in and out of training when they can and absorb small snippets of information at a time as opposed to being overwhelmed with a whole load of information bombarding them, especially new hires.

Videos are also a very engaging medium. According to the results of one video marketing survey conducted in 2021, 69 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to learn by viewing a short video.

Using videos to augment several training sessions, including traditional classroom training, can be beneficial. To reaffirm the message, speakers can play films at the outset, midpoint, and conclusion of their training sessions.

eLearning

When it comes to eLearning, learners receive their information electronically through computers, tablets, or even mobile phones.

In recent years, it has gained popularity for the same reasons as video: it allows employees to learn whenever and wherever they want. It provides businesses with a reusable resource that ensures consistency throughout their training programmes.

According to a LinkedIn survey published in 2020, 57 per cent of learning and development professionals intend to spend more on online learning (also known as eLearning) shortly.

Portals allow employers to keep up to date with where everyone is and allow for updated modules, refresher courses and prompts to stay on track with their progress. As younger generations enter the workforce, eLearning is the prefered method due to their increasingly digital lifestyle and upbringing.

It is worth noting that an eLearning course can be pretty bulky and time-intensive, much like in-person learning. So if this is a method you are considering, look at how you can offer bite-sized snippets of information to make it easier for people to pick up on and retain the information.

In-person training

Perhaps you prefer the traditional face-to-face classroom setting – and that’s perfectly acceptable. Every individual learns uniquely. Additionally, there are advantages to classroom training, such as the fact that employees are all in the same room and have the opportunity to ask questions in real-time, among other things.

However, despite their numerous advantages, we cannot disregard the disadvantages of classroom instruction. It is less ecologically friendly, costs more than online and video-based training, and has a worse retention rate than other training methods.

Retention rates for traditional classroom training were as low as 8-10 per cent, whereas eLearning had retention rates of 25-60 per cent, according to a study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania.

All of that being said, classroom training is a fantastic method to break the ice with new employees and can also serve as an opportunity for you to demonstrate your company’s culture to them.

You can also combat poor retention rates by making the experience more interactive for the user. This entails including everyone and providing an opportunity for everyone to speak.

You can utilise activities, role-plays, quizzes, and games to engage your students. All of these factors will contribute to making the training more memorable.

On the job training

While on the job training allows people to pick up skills as they go, this shouldn’t be used as the sole training exercise within the company. Practical experience and learning have their place alongside other training methods and as part of your plans to provide ongoing training.

However, relying on existing staff members can lead to underdeveloped skills and gaps in knowledge. However, when used in conjunction with other training methods, on the job training cna be a powerful tool. In practice, employees get to see first-hand what to do and how to do it faster than simply reading a demonstration booklet.

Encouraging new hires and existing employees to be more hands-on and assertive when undertaking on the job training cna move their skills to where they need to be. When done under the watchful eye of an experienced member of staff or trainer, they can know instantly what is right, what they need to work on and how best to approach different situations and scenarios while in the moment instead of anticipating it from a classroom.

All employee training needs to extend beyond just the onboarding part of their employment with you. Dips in skill levels and knowledge can severely impact customer service and the quality of the services or products you offer. This, in turn, will negatively impact your business and affect sales, efficiency, and productivity.

 

09/12/2021