How to Enhance Employee Training Without Wasting Resources
The importance of employee training is common knowledge. Without it, productivity, efficiency, and engagement will suffer. Why then do so many companies still fail to adequately train their workers?
One key problem area is learning transfer, or the extent to which a learner applies new knowledge outside of the classroom.
Make ineffective, expensive training a thing of the past.
According to a study conducted by 24×7 Learning, a mere 12% of learners apply the skills they learn during training to their jobs.
The High Cost of Poor Employee Training
This is a clear indicator that there is something wrong with the approach many companies take to train employees. At the same time, businesses invest heavily in training material and resources.
This wasted money is compounded by turnover associated with unsuccessful training. According to research cited by the Society of Human Resource Management, the cost of replacing an employee can range from 50%-60% of his or her annual salary.
Implementing a successful and cost-effective employee training system comes with challenges, but it’s not impossible. By avoiding a few common missteps, you can instantly improve your training model and outcomes.
DON’T automatically choose the cheapest option.
This is a common mistake among budding startups and other small entities that are looking to save money wherever possible. For employee onboarding, old-school approaches like textbooks, webinars, and instructor-led classroom sessions might be the least expensive upfront, but your company will end up paying the high price of an inadequately trained staff and poor retention.
DO invest in engaging, personalized training.
When selecting an employee training program, look for one that is visually engaging, contextual, and customizable. Most often, this means a digital training tool.
Whether you opt for in-house technologies or turn to external partners, the initial investment in the employee onboarding system will pay itself back with top-tier work to come.
DO NOT rush through employee training.
When onboarding a new employee, the primary goal is to equip them to become a productive, meaningful contributor to the team. Achieving this in a short time frame is ideal, but it is unlikely.
Even talented, intelligent, and experienced new hires require thorough onboarding. Rushing through training in the interest of getting to work faster will surely backfire.
The best way to learn is through a continual framework of empowerment and refreshed insight. Although lengthy training periods can feel burdensome, investing the time and resources in your training and onboarding model will yield the highest possible ROI.
DO create a comprehensive training plan.
Don’t ask your employees to soak up critical information in a short time period. Instead, create a schedule to guide training over a longer period of time.
With this approach, it’s possible for the employee to start performing their duties while continuing to undergo training.
An employee training plan helps new hires retain more information, increase engagement, and apply more of what they learn to their role. As a result, employees can work and learn simultaneously.
DO NOT veer away from your core goals.
To effectively train employees, the curriculum must align with the goals of your organization and each employee’s unique role. Without clearly defined goals anchoring the training process, there will be no way to measure progress or define success.
DO establish an open dialogue on setting goals.
After determining the main goals for your new employee’s training, be sure to ask them what their professional and personal goals are. Then integrate them into the training plan.
Failing to include your new hire in the conversation is a big mistake. Without their input, it will be much more difficult to sustain high engagement. Also, you could miss out on a unique capability they could bring to the table.
Discover how contextual guidance makes employee training simpler and more effective.
By opening up dialogue, your new employee will feel more comfortable giving feedback on the training, which can help you optimize the employee training process.