Imagine a workplace where every employee is equipped with the latest skills, uses them with confidence, and is ready to face any challenge.
This is not a distant dream but a tangible reality achieved through effective employee training. We have talked about corporate training, a concept that includes employee training programs, which in turn have courses, modules, and lessons. Today, let’s talk about the role of one unit, employee training.
What is Employee Training?
For effective corporate learning, organizations should take care of having a structured program designed to enhance the skills, knowledge, and competencies of employees to improve their performance and efficiency. In short, organizations should have employee training programs with activities to develop abilities for current and future roles within the organization.
The reasons or motifs for implementing employee training can be quite different, even though these may seem to be one obvious reason for training employees. For example, companies may need to boost job satisfaction, deal with employee retention, cover talent gaps, get support for business growth, or shift business processes, etc.
The Importance of Employee Training
A continuous learning culture ensures employees are highly qualified and have higher motivation to grow professionally. By providing these opportunities, companies are often scared to invest in employees and lose them. Still, statistics show that Employee training is more than a checkbox activity; it is a strategic investment with profound impacts:
Boosting Productivity: Companies with comprehensive training programs experience a 218% higher income per employee compared to those without formalized training.
Engaging Employees: According to Gallup, 59% of Millennials prioritize opportunities to learn and grow when considering job prospects. Engaged employees are more committed and productive.
Developing Skills: With 94% of employees stating they would stay longer at a company that invests in their career development, training is a critical retention strategy.
Enhancing Cross-Functional Collaboration: Training fosters better communication and teamwork across different departments, crucial for seamless operations.
Addressing internal weaknesses: Employee training and assessment are the shortest ways to discover gaps and poor performance.
Promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion: Training employees not only in technical skills but also in diversity, equity, and inclusion will help create a workplace where diverse perspectives are highly valued.
Training is about teaching employees the skills they need for their current position.
Development focuses on employee goals and career growth, helping to make the next big step as a professional.
What are the Benefits of Employee Training?
Employee training is a win-win technique for companies and employees and it goes beyond the words “happy employees, happy company”. Let’s put the pieces together.
For Employees
Skill Enhancement: Training programs help employees acquire new skills and refine existing ones, keeping them adept and relevant in their roles.
Career Growth: Continuous learning opens doors to career advancement, making employees more marketable and ready for promotions.
Job Satisfaction: Employees who receive regular training feel valued and are more likely to remain loyal to the organization.
For Organizations
Increased Efficiency: Trained employees can perform tasks more efficiently, leading to higher productivity and lower error rates.
Competitive Advantage: Companies investing in employee training are better positioned to adapt to market changes and stay ahead of the competition.
Reduced Turnover: Training programs contribute to higher employee retention rates, saving costs associated with hiring and onboarding new staff.
What are the Types of Employee Training?
As said, the employee training system may have different objectives and goals, but holistically, it should be a success for both employees and the business. When building structured workplace training, the course gets its own label.
Leadership Training
Leadership training programs aim to develop future leaders by enhancing their managerial skills, decision-making abilities, and strategic thinking. Effective leadership training can prepare employees for higher responsibilities and ensure a steady pipeline of capable leaders.
Onboarding Training
Onboarding training is a basic have-have stage for new hires to understand the company’s culture, values, and expectations. Well-organized onboarding programs can accelerate the integration of new employees and enhance their initial performance.
Product Training
Product training provides employees with deep knowledge about the company’s products or services. This is crucial for sales teams, customer support, and any role that requires detailed product understanding.
Technical Training
Technical training focuses on developing specific technical skills required for particular job responsibilities. It ensures employees can perform their roles safely and effectively.
Sales/Customer Service Training
Sales training (probably the most common and popular type) programs aim to enhance the selling skills of employees, including prospecting, negotiation, closing techniques, and dealing with customer inquiries, leading to increased sales performance and revenue growth.
Cross training
Less-known but highly effective training methods help employees gain knowledge and skills to cover different roles closely related to their responsibilities. Such training offers faster promotion as a motivation.
What Are Examples of Effective Employee Training Methods?
Organizations, when setting training for employee courses, should also decide on the way to deliver learning material to employees. Modern corporate learning can integrate several methods, depending on the available resources.
Instructor-led Training
Instructor-led training involves an instructor guiding a group of employees through a training program. This method allows for direct interaction, immediate feedback, and hands-on practice.
eLearning
eLearning is so far the most accessible and flexible option for corporate training, allowing employees to learn at their own pace and convenience. eLearning can include videos, interactive modules, quizzes, and more.
Microlearning
Microlearning delivers training in small, bite-sized chunks, making it easier for employees to absorb and retain information. This method is particularly effective for ongoing training and skill reinforcement.
Coaching
Coaching involves one-on-one training sessions where a coach provides personalized guidance and feedback. It is ideal for developing specific skills and addressing individual performance issues.
Mentoring
Mentoring pairs less experienced employees with seasoned professionals who provide guidance, support, and career advice, facilitating knowledge transfer and professional growth.
Blended Learning
Blended learning combines various training methods, such as instructor-led sessions, eLearning, and hands-on practice, to provide a comprehensive learning experience.
For more information on creating impactful training programs, check out our resources on synchronous and asynchronous learning, peer learning, and more.
How to Implement an Effective Employee Training Program?
Just like any new system, employee learning and development should be thoroughly planned with employee training materials and software. Generally, the strategy has the following components:
P.S. This chapter is for business owners.
Capture Your Company Needs and Set Clear Goals
As employee training is supposed to cater to business needs, you should first start by conducting a thorough needs assessment. The idea is to identify skills gaps and set clear, measurable goals for the training program.
Choose the Right Training Platform
Select a learning platform that offers ease of use, scalability, and the ability to track progress. Platforms like Saima provide comprehensive solutions for cross-functional collaboration and content delivery.
Create Useful, Personalized, and Engaging Employee Learning Courses
Develop relevant, engaging, and personalized employee learning courses using a mix of multimedia content, interactive elements, and real-world scenarios.
Choose the Right Time to Deliver Training to Staff
Schedule training sessions during periods of low work pressure to ensure employees can fully engage with the material. Avoid peak business times and consider employees’ learning preferences.
Track, Analyze, and Improve
Use analytics to track employee progress, gather feedback, and continuously improve the training program. Regular updates to training content are essential to keep it relevant and effective.
Best Employee Training Platforms for 2024
With the rise of virtual reality and artificial intelligence, several platforms stand out for their ability to deliver effective training:
Saima: An AI-based platform offering personalized learning experiences and real-time analytics.
Coursera for Business: Provides access to a wide range of courses from top universities and organizations.
LinkedIn Learning: Offers a vast library of professional development courses and customizable learning paths.
Udemy for Business: Features an extensive collection of courses across various disciplines, with tools for tracking and reporting.
Conclusion
Having competent and skilled talents within your organization is a marker of competitiveness, just like a quality product or service. Build a strong team through corporate training programs, support those initiatives with L&D programs or employee branding and there will be no lack of motivation and inspiration. Happy employees, happy business!