8 Employee Training Strategies That Actually Work

All new jobs have a learning curve, and all current jobs evolve. Consistent education and training help employees develop their skills and ensure that your team grows with their roles rather than staying stagnant. 

Moreover, a Work Institute study found that a lack of career development is the main reason why employees resign. If you wish to attract and retain top candidates, you have to create compelling training opportunities for the employees to learn and evolve their skills.

Like any business process, the type of strategies we use to train our employees affects how effective the training is. There are several training methods and techniques that can help your staff become more educated while remaining engaged and motivated throughout the process.

1. Set clear expectations for your employees

Poor communication skills limit your employee's ability to perform at their best. One great strategy to train new employees is by setting employee expectations and clearly communicating them to the employees. 

Setting expectations means the employer and their staff will be on the same page. It also provides the employee with a chance to ask any clarifying inquiries. 

An open dialogue informs the employee about expectations and standard operating procedures and sets the tone for workplace interactions and future learning.

2. Present microlearning initiatives

Things are getting busier, and shorter attention spans make it more challenging to find the time to learn at work. 

Microlearning is a short, focused and usually interactive learning initiative broken down into 3 to 5-minute segments, and it has become so popular in today's workforce.

Microlearning demands organisations to deliver the most critical and meaningful content in a concentrated format designed to be accessible and snackable in the moment of need. Due to the format, microlearning is usually best applied to informal and simpler training needs instead of complex skillsets.

3. Offer opportunities for e-learning

E-learning opportunities can make learning more accessible to your employees. They allow them to learn from anywhere, which is especially useful if one has a remote or hybrid workforce. Flexible working has become more popular for many businesses, and that flexibility should also extend to learning.

Particularly in today's highly distracted and fast-paced earth, we are learning in more ways than ever before. Providing the content your employees need when they need it is vital to their success.

E-learning works because it enables employees to control their experience and learn at their own pace, time and choose the relevant topics.

Online learning provides that flexibility and a low-pressure environment that enables learners to more readily succeed. Many people download course content to consume on their phones while on the go. Companies can only benefit from integrating online courses into their existing learning and development programs.

4. Let new employees shadow colleagues

It's one thing to have staff explain how to do a particular task and another to try it independently—demonstrating and practising how to carry out that job on the spot can be the most practical way of learning. 

You can incorporate hands-on shadowing into your new employee training process.

The shadowing process enables trainees to retain information better by applying learned skills in real-time and translating them to their daily tasks. It also helps new team members experiment with responsibilities in a controlled environment without risk, all while building their confidence.

5. Have one-on-one meetings

Structured, biweekly meetings between a manager and their employee can be a very effective training method for your team.

The leadership must adhere to that schedule to show their trustworthiness and investment in the team's success. Employees must bring their plans to kick off the coaching discussion.

In such meetings, employees can focus on building self-identified strengths and opportunities for skill development.

The manager should conclude those meetings by talking about the final 10%, the things that are hard to discuss or topics a coworker may be reluctant to discuss. It should be done, and the manager must respect the employee's confidentiality. 

6. Create a mentoring program

Employee mentorship programs can boost an employee's personal and professional development. You can pair each new employee with a mentor who can guide them through their career.

The mentoring program can also assist new employees in acclimating to the company culture. It also gives employees someone to turn to if they're struggling, without fear or judgment. 

The mentor can help educate employees through their tenure with the organisation and point them to the resources they require. 

7. Have lunch-and-learn sessions

There are employees who learn better in a more relaxed environment. Many companies have adopted the concept of a lunch-and-learn session, in which a team member or someone from another firm gives a short seminar-style presentation while refreshments are served. 

In these sessions, a senior team member creates a relaxed, interactive, and engaging presentation about a topic with which they have personal experience and then opens it up for additional discussion at the end of the session. These meetings often result in group brainstorming and relaxed, open communication among team members of all experience levels.

8. Offer video training

Video training has become increasingly popular among younger generations. According to the LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report of 2021, Gen Z learners watch 50% more hours per learner of learning content in 2020 compared to 2019. 

Though live training sessions can undoubtedly be engaging, you risk employees forgetting what they have learned after the session ends. 

Recording these presentations and presenting other video training means these resources are available to the team members, when and where they need them. They can serve as an excellent refresher after the meeting or as a convenient catch-up for people who missed it.

For basic training on tech tools and other PR and marketing practices, some companies provide links to video recording and have teams make internal presentation recordings so any team member can watch it at their own convenience.

Source: Business News Daily