Forget Everything You Believe About Employee Training for Enterprise

Do you still find yourself handing seven-pound binders full of instructional materials to your employees? If the answer is yes, it’s time to rethink your approach to employee training for enterprise.

The rapid speed of technological disruption means enterprises must give employees tools to learn on the job. Otherwise, it will be impossible for them to keep up with the current pace of change — whether it’s due to the integration of new systems, or frequent updates to current systems from the cloud.

Traditional training, such as mentor-based learning and lectures, are failing to deliver the on-the-job training required in digital enterprises. According to the 2018 Workplace Learning Report, 68% of employees prefer to learn at work and 58% of employees prefer to learn at their own pace.

Modernizing is a must to increase engagement. If you want to upgrade your training, then there are some training practices you should stop using to teach employees.

Dive Deeper: The Training Manifesto for Enhanced Productivity

1. Kick one-to-one mentoring to the curb (and deploy a digital adoption platform instead!)

While many companies are still encouraging one-to-one mentoring, there are far better ways to train employees on how to use software platforms. The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve has shown that employees forget 80% of the information they’ve been told a month after they’ve been given it.

Independent learning is essential for retaining new skills. One-to-one mentoring isn’t ideal because the mentor has a finite amount of time to work with the learner. Additionally, the mentor can only share as much as they know. If they don’t know how to do something, it’s impossible for them to train the mentee to do it.

Instead, use a digital training solution or digital adoption platform enables employees to self educate. A digital adoption platform is a piece of software that provides real-time training, and step-by-step guidance allow the user to learn independently as they actually complete tasks. It’s the future of employee training for enterprise.

2. Evolve from textbooks to contextual learning

Beyond mentor-based training, many organizations are using educational materials like books, videos, and courses to help staff learn new skills. However, this isn’t the most effective way to teach employees new skills.

A survey of Learning and Development professionals found that 94% of professionals prefer micro-learning because their learners say it is more effective. Having employees sift through pages of information to find guidance is time-consuming and burdensome.

On the other hand, digital solutions that enable real-time, proactive support enable employees to learn in bursts while they are actually performing tasks. This form of contextual learning is powered by an algorithm that analyzes a range of predefined contextual factors, such as the user’s position and goals, prior actions on the platform, the task at hand, and others.

Instead of relying on binders, webinars, or other tedious forms of training, contextual learning supports higher knowledge retention and ensures all users can complete any task, regardless of prior experience.

3. Ditch your unengaging content

A common pitfall in employee training for enterprise is using content that is out of date or unengaging. Thirty-three percent of employees who attend corporate training have said that uninspiring content is the biggest barrier to learning.

Sitting employees down in front of non-interactive and long-winded training manuals or videos doesn’t create a compelling learning environment. Digital solutions such as gamification is a much more effective model of training that can turn learning from a chore into a positive experience.

Gamified learning is a great way to engage employees. It incorporates game mechanics, scores, leaderboards, and achievements to provide employees with incentives to learn more. Gamification often comes in the form of an educational video game.

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4. Make your training relevant (Switch to problem-based learning)

Finally, don’t make the mistake of providing training that is disconnected from day-to-day work. Often, it’s the most detailed training programs that end up focusing on obscure or abstract concepts over practical knowledge.

Currently, only 12% of learners apply the skills from the training to their job. Mismatched training is one of the prime culprits of ineffective training. Problem-based learning is an excellent way to teach learners based on real-world scenarios they will encounter.

Under problem-based learning, an instructor presents a group of learners with a problem that they must work through to a solution. Employees define what the problem is, list their current knowledge, and brainstorm possible solutions. Practicing real-world problems helps prepare staff to face future challenges.

It’s time to modernize your employee training for enterprise

If your training strategy is failing to keep up with the pace of digital progress, then it’s time to embrace the next generation of training techniques and tools.

Digital adoption platforms, contextual learning, gamification, and problem-based learning will be valuable parts of your toolkit for building competent and disruption-ready employees.

By WalkMe Team

WalkMe pioneered the Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) for organizations to utilize the full potential of their digital assets. Using artificial intelligence, machine learning and contextual guidance, WalkMe adds a dynamic user interface layer to raise the digital literacy of all users.