Whether you’re onboarding a new employee or planning a large corporate training event, designing the right training and curriculum is essential. Not only do you want to keep employee needs in mind as you design your training program, but you also want to enhance overall employee engagement, use the right training methods, and more. With these key employee training best practices, you can improve your ability to connect with employees through high-quality training.
Employee training best practices
1. Start with clear objectives
Every company has different training needs, often based on your specific company objectives. For some companies, the focus is on onboarding: bringing in new employees and providing them with the information they need to become successful members of the company.
Other employers may need to focus on overall employee learning and development, offering employees effective tools they can use to increase their capability and improve in their roles. Still others may need to ensure that employees meet specific compliance regulations or that they understand their rights.
Before you create a new training module or start a new course, think about what you want employees to accomplish throughout that training. Set clear objectives that focus on tangible outcomes, whether that means that you want to make sure all employees are aware of essential safety guidelines and ready to comply with those requirements or you’re looking for ways to provide employees with new skills.
Include the metrics you will use to measure employee accomplishments. Consider tying them to your overall business goals.
2. Set a timeline for your training program
As you create your training plan, consider how long you intend for that training to last. Keep in mind that different employees will have different learning needs and that, in some cases, you may need to allow some employees more time to complete those tasks than others.
However, have a plan in mind for how long it should take employees to complete those essential tasks. For example, while the overall onboarding process with many organizations will last for the first six months to a year of an employee’s time with the company, you may expect a new employee to create early training modules and be ready to get to work within a few weeks.
3. Utilize microlearning strategies
Microlearning breaks down complicated, often in-depth processes into smaller segments that learners are more likely to remember later. Consider the elements of effective instruction, then segment them. Break down the lessons into small pieces so that employees will be more likely to retain them.
Also, utilize a variety of assessments and strategies to determine the success of your microlearning efforts. If you notice that employees are struggling with some ideas or concepts, consider breaking them down further so that they are better prepared to learn those materials.
4. Incorporate a variety of learning materials that speak to different learning styles
Your instructional materials should, ideally, utilize a wide range of instructional methods to speak to a wide range of learning styles. While some learners will be fine taking in primarily visual information, others, including auditory learners, will prefer hearing things out loud. Still others will prefer a more hands-on learning style that allows them to work with the information they’ve taken in, using case studies and other tools to further enhance and assess learning.
Effective employee training incorporates a wide range of learning styles. With e-learning programs, it’s all too easy to fall into a visual presentation style: providing students with material to read and then conducting an assessment at the end. However, if you want to improve employee development and increase the effectiveness of your training, using a variety of learning solutions can help. Try:
- Including auditory content, including descriptions
- Using videos
- Trying out images, including memes
- Adding interactive materials, including simulations
Changing how you present content to your learners can create better employee training programs that meet their unique needs.
5. Incorporate mentorship opportunities
Your company’s new hires and long-term employees will benefit substantially from mentorship opportunities. When you’re offering online courses, you may not get the benefit of a face-to-face connection. However, assigning a mentor to your employees can go a long way toward improving learning outcomes. Not only can a mentor help make sure that your employees understand the material they’re learning, but they can also help apply that information to the work employees will need to accomplish every day.
Mentorship is particularly valuable for new employees since mentors are available to answer many questions about the company culture, expectations, and more. Furthermore, mentors can help identify skill gaps. They can also give new team members more information about how they can fill them in.
6. Provide positive reinforcement to your employees
Throughout your training sessions, incorporate ways to connect with your employees and provide them with positive reinforcement and feedback about their progress. Let them know what your expectations are and how they have performed. Depending on the type of training, that may mean specifically calling out things they do well or suggesting other training courses they may want to take in the future.
When employees are provided with positive feedback, it can encourage them to move forward with the training and continue to give it their best effort. Furthermore, positive feedback can go a long way toward improving employee retention.
7. Focus on learners’ needs
A one-size-fits-all training opportunity may help you churn out employees who can fill basic roles within your company. But it may not suit individual employee needs. Consider:
- What position will the employee be filling? Is there information they need to fill that position successfully?
- What are the employee’s future career goals? Does the employee intend to grow within the company? Or do they plan to stay in a similar role for the foreseeable future?
- What does employee performance look like? For example, a high-performing employee may not need to spend as much time focusing on mundane details or how to use software as an employee who may be struggling.
As you start to focus on learners’ overall needs, you’ll find that it’s easier to adapt the training materials to those unique concerns.
8. Check in throughout the training process
Many training managers will check in with employees when they finish a course. But they might not conduct evaluations or work with employees throughout the course. However, checking in throughout the training process is critical to creating more successful training initiatives. That includes:
- Utilizing quizzes and tests to keep up with employees’ progress
- Checking on employees’ skills both before and after the training process to determine how they measure up
- Asking how employees view the training process, the learning management system, and individual modules of the training
Put together templates that make it easy to check in on employee progress. At the same time, however, make sure you check in on employees directly. Then you can determine whether you are conducting effective training sessions and how they measure up. Provide more support to employees who may be struggling with the training process. For example, you can offer mentorship opportunities, increased access to development programs, and more.
9. Incorporate employee feedback
As you check in with your employees, both during and after a new training program, take their feedback into account. Listen to what employees have to say. That does not mean you have to make major modifications to your training program or processes because one employee, or even a training class, did not have a good experience with the training platform.
However, it does mean that you should consider what employees say about the program. Consider:
- What did employees learn from the program? What were their key takeaways? Are there places where you may need to modify the training to meet employee needs better?
- Where did employees struggle with the program? Are there places where they felt they needed more information or support?
- What suggestions do employees have for improving the program? Keep in mind that employees are actually going through the training programs. So they may have insights you don’t have regarding the program and its effectiveness.
Effective employee training managers will not only listen to employee feedback. They will take that feedback into account and make adaptations. This practice helps ensure that the training better fits the overall needs of employees.
Create better employee training solutions with Docebo
With Docebo, you will find employee onboarding, compliance, and training solutions that will help you better achieve your goals and improve overall employee knowledge. Reach out today to learn more about employee training best practices. Also, see how we can help you train your employees with effective learning management systems, training templates, and more.
