Employee retention, morale, and productivity are all affected by practical employee training in a world where employees are the most important resource for any business. Because of these factors, employee development and training are critical components of growth.
This article will go over employee training in full, including a brief history of its benefits, several types of employee training, and development programs.
What is Employee Training?
Employee training programs give workers education as well as specific skill training linked to their profession. Training usually begins on the first day of work and continues throughout the employee’s career.
However, as workers gain more expertise, the emphasis on those training initiatives will shift. As an example:
When it comes to training new employees, competence is the first priority.
After individuals acquire base competency levels, productivity, and employee performance become the primary focus.
Leadership training, managerial skills training, and other chances for career development may be available to qualified people.
Developing an effective training program can be difficult, especially given how quickly today’s workplace is changing, but there are benefits to effectively establishing a training program.
Why Is Employee Training Important?
Employees must be proficient at their jobs in order to provide value to an organization, which is why training is so important.
Training provides benefits such as: in addition to sustaining employee competency.
#1. It boosts employee retention.
According to LinkedIn Learning research, 94% of employees would stay with an organization for a prolonged period of time if their employer invested in staff learning and development opportunities.
Investing in training and employee development initiatives will help to ensure that you don’t have to constantly look for new talent, instead concentrate on assisting existing employees to realize their maximum potential, driving organizational performance and growth. Furthermore, when managers are trained in succession planning, they can swiftly fill open positions, saving both money and time.
#2. It reduces waste while increasing earnings.
Employee training programs are an excellent investment, but failing to invest in them can be costly. Hiring and retraining personnel who were not properly trained the first time around, for example, may cost you up to £12,000 for individuals on an average UK salary of £27,721 or up to £20,000 if your employees make above-average salaries, approximately £60,000. Ultimately, investing in training is significantly less expensive in the long run than avoiding it.
#3. It draws top talent.
Millennials and Generation Z job seekers prefer learning chances, according to a Forbes study, with 83% of Gen Z stating that learning opportunities are an important aspect when searching for jobs. Simply put, if your training program isn’t appealing to millennials and Gen Z-ers, they’ll go on to competitors.
#4. It provides employees with current skills.
To advance as a business, you must train with the future in mind. Provide training on cutting-edge industry trends and technology to your employees in order to make them more knowledgeable and educated professionals capable of generating excellent work for your organization.
Although training involves problems and drawbacks, such as expenses, the benefits usually surpass the drawbacks and have a beneficial impact on the company.
Employee Training Program Types Based on Three Classification Methods
Companies are willing to engage in the correct types of employee training programs because of the obvious benefits. If you’re wondering how to properly teach personnel, there are three classification methods to consider:
Employee training program types based on the employee journey
Depending on where an employee is in their employee journey at your organization, you can determine how to train them. Throughout their employment, the trip can be divided into three stages, each requiring a different form of training:
#1. Pre-onboarding training:
This is also known as orientation, informs new employees about the company’s culture, beliefs, and mission before they even arrive at the office. Orientation also covers important issues such as organizational policies, administrative procedures, and compliance standards. Any organization must provide this type of training.
#2. Onboarding training:
The onboarding experience is intended to familiarize the recruit with the fundamentals of their work. That is why this is such an important aspect of training new personnel. Onboarding includes explaining the various components of the job, basic abilities that the employee will require from day one, and digital skills for using the necessary productivity tools.
#3. Workplace training:
Depending on an employee’s degree of expertise, you may or may not need to provide intensive training on hard and soft skills. Hard skills will enable them to operate more effectively, whereas soft skills will make employees an important part of the company culture. When training new employees, some level of workplace training is usually required.
#4. Coaching for succession plans:
As an employee progresses up the organizational ladder, they will require specialized training in soft skills, leadership, and strategy. This can be influenced through executive coaching (which may also benefit middle managers). Your succession planning blueprint will establish whether or not each employee requires coaching.
#5. Reskilling:
Your workers will need to refresh their skill sets on a regular basis. These training events will go over current trends, new ideas, and upcoming tools in your field. Reskilling will be required in 2020 as employees strive to future-proof their competencies.
Targeted Learning-Based Employee Training Programs
The five forms of employee training and development described above are based on how far an employee has advanced over their career. The following classification takes into account the goals of employee training:
#1. Hard skills training:
As previously said, this is a critical component of workplace training, providing employees with the necessary hard skills to accomplish jobs efficiently. This can include digital skills such as data science or coding, as well as other fields like business analysis, writing, social media management, design, and so on.
#2. Soft skills training:
Soft skills are now crucial to employee success because they enable employees to cooperate, solve company challenges, and communicate with customers. Dedicated soft skills training is especially important in non-labor-intensive businesses. This is also part of the leadership development process.
#3. Diversity training:
Businesses are increasingly focusing on behavioral/attitude transformation through employee training. One of the main goals is to eradicate bias and make workplaces more welcoming. Leaders and HR staff, in particular, may benefit from diversity training in order to make balanced judgments.
#4. Anti-harassment training:
Depending on the size of your firm and its operational location, this form of employee training may be legally required. It educates employees on appropriate workplace behavior, business policy, and how to use the tools and resources available for reporting workplace harassment.
#5. Safety and Compliance
Employees must be trained in safety and compliance practices on a regular basis. Onboarding and immediately following a regulatory change are two critical times to do safety and compliance training sessions.
Employee Training Programs According to Their Mechanism of Distribution
You might also use the learning channel as a defining criterion to categorize the many sorts of employee training and development. While classroom sessions were formerly the industry standard, HR has now significantly increased its reach through a variety of dissemination modes:
#1. Self-driven e-learning:
Employees in this model are given the necessary learning materials in digital form, either through a learning management system (LMS) or through MOOCs. A timetable is established within which the employee can plan a suitable training schedule. E-learning may also include certificates that improve a worker’s overall employability.
#2. Role-playing/Simulations:
Before the internet, role-playing was a popular way to teach soft skills and diversity training. With the development of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), simulated settings are now more accessible. This strategy essentially places employees in real-world circumstances to let them watch and learn.
#3. Mentoring/one-on-one coaching:
In this case, the employee is assigned a dedicated trainer who will accompany them on their learning journey. Mentoring occurs through the internal community (as discussed later, Google is an excellent example), leveraging competent individuals already existing in your organization. Coaching, on the other hand, may involve the involvement of third-party specialists.
#4. Lecture sessions:
This type of employee training remains popular since it allows a single instructor to train a big group at the same time. In addition to in-person lectures, you may provide live webinars with interactive features, allowing employees to engage in meaningful Q&A on the training topic.
#5. Hands-on/Apprenticeship:
This is beneficial for training new employees throughout the onboarding process because recruits can shadow managers/workers and pick up key skill sets. Keeping in mind the 70:20:10 paradigm, 70% of learning occurs through experiences – and this training plan capitalizes on this cognitive inclination.
As previously noted, there is a diverse matrix of training kinds, and the best combination of tactics and tools will depend on the structure of your business. Aside from these differences, there are a set of best practices that can help you steer your employee training program on the right path.
Each training approach has advantages, limitations, and application scenarios, which is why most employee training programs employ many methods.
Trends in Employee Training
Employee training is not a static sector, as history has demonstrated, and it will continue to evolve quickly in the future years.
Several trends point to the future of employee training, including:
- Personalized education: Personalization is critical for ensuring that employees participate in training that is relevant to their requirements.
- An emphasis is placed on online training programs: Online training is essential for filling the employee skills gap efficiently and allowing employees to learn at their own speed.
- Increasing and maintaining DEI awareness: Training programs must emphasize both hard and soft skills, cultivating a strong capacity to communicate effectively while also respecting people’s distinct needs and improving emotional intelligence.
- A concentration on wellbeing: Employees expect that their emotional and physical needs be prioritized. Companies can profit from well-being programs as well by keeping a healthy, productive workforce with improved retention rates.
- Bridging the training gap for first-time managers: Manager training is an important but frequently overlooked aspect of the learning process. Companies that train managers ensure that they are indirectly training employees and that soft skills such as communication are identified since managers are trained to seek them.
- Help for virtual team managers: Hybrid working provides numerous issues for managers, and businesses must assist managers in supporting their staff through virtual communication abilities. Managers use their awareness of their company’s goals and culture to preserve shared values for new workers who may be in the office only a few days a week or fully WFH.
- Training that never stops: The technological revolution drives workplace change by allowing people to constantly gain new skills. A consistent training program can also help employees sustain excellent job performance by promptly filling skill gaps.
The most visible factor shaping the modern workplace and employee training is the technological revolution.
What Changes Have Occurred In Employee Training?
Today’s workplace has evolved into a fast-paced digital world, resulting in changes in how companies train and employees learn.
Digitally-powered training programs are now standard features in the modern workplace, opening up new avenues for employee education, such as:
- Micro-training, often known as just-in-time training, provides practical information as needed.
- Tutorials for software that provide automatic instruction directly within the application.
- The capacity to tailor training content to an employee’s specific needs.
- Remote training can be delivered by either people or an automated training platform, such as a DAP.
Digital training tools will never completely replace humans, but they are gaining popularity and will see increased use in the coming years.
Strategies and Best Practices for Improving Employee Training
Because training is a vital process that can be tough to design, it is beneficial to have some guidelines to follow when planning to develop a training program for your personnel. Here are a few measures you could take:
Step #1. Set Objectives
When you decide to create a training program, you must first identify the goals you want to attain through the training program.
This is where you consider the challenges you want to address or the improvements you want to achieve in your organization with the assistance of the training program.
Goals should be set in such a way that they are both ambitious and feasible.
Step #2. Determine Your Capabilities
Competencies are a collection of abilities that an employee can use to improve their job performance.
Teamwork, the use of new software or machines, and a new way of working are just a few of the abilities you may wish to instill in your employees through a training program.
Determine your employees’ existing talents and strengths and build from there.
Step #3. Examine the Disparity
You now know what you want to achieve through training, and you’ve already determined the skill level of your personnel. Now, assess the gap and how much progress must be made during the training session.
Step #4. Consult Your Workers
Employee input will be beneficial to a training program built for your personnel. They may be able to bring to your attention anything you may have neglected when planning.
So make sure you consult your staff and solicit their feedback and suggestions to improve the whole training process.
Step #5. Provide Formal Education
Once you’ve determined what the training program should include, you may look into ways to provide formal training to your personnel.
You may accomplish this by arranging a mentoring program, a workshop, or a quick crash course to educate your employees on new skills.
Step #6. Choosing the Best Training Resources
Effective training necessitates the employment of the appropriate instruments in the appropriate combinations.
Videos, conferences and seminars, guides and manuals, conversations and question-and-answer sessions, and coaching programs can all be used as resources.
Step #7. Hire Professional Trainers
It is usually preferable to seek outside assistance and bring in skilled trainers. This can assist in advancing employee training.
Having a professional guide in the training process makes the process more effective and efficient. Professional training can also assist your business gain new skills and expertise.
Step #8. Promote Self-Learning
While you give training for your employees, encourage them to learn a little on their own as well.
Self-motivated employee is a valuable assets, and while they are learning for themselves, they may be able to bring new ideas and methods of doing things to the firm.
Step #9. Analyze the Results
When your training program is finished, assess its effectiveness.
Ask yourself questions like, “Did you achieve what you set out to do?” If so, what factors contributed to your success, and if not, how can you ensure that it does not happen again?”
This will assist you in making future training programs just as successful, if not more so.
Now that you understand the steps involved in employee training, it’s time to learn about some incredible employee training tools that you can use to train your employees.
Do you want to know what they are? Then continue reading!
Tools for Training Your Employees
#1. Bit.ai
Bit.ai is a new-age cloud-based documentation and knowledge management platform that allows employees to communicate, share, monitor, and update all organizational material in one place.
Bit gives your HR department the ability to create employee handbooks, training manuals, and other documents. Photos, files, videos, visual links, and charts can all be used to create these documents.
Pricing: Bit.ai has a free plan with limited features and a pro plan that starts at:
- Standard ($12 per month)
- In addition ($20/month)
- Enterprise (contact sales)
#2. iSpring Learn
iSpring Learn is a simple cloud-based LMS for educating and assessing staff remotely.
The iSpring Suite, a powerful authoring toolkit integrated with the LMS, sets iSpring Learn apart from its competitors. Unlike some LMSs that feature built-in course builders, iSpring Suite lets you do more than just embed a YouTube video and create introductory text courses.
Pricing: iSpring Learn’s plans range from
- For 100 users, $3.66/active user/month
- to $2.82/user/month for 500 users.
- Personalized package for more than 500 users
#3. Docebo
Docebo is a scalable and adaptable framework that offers a complete enterprise learning solution.
Docebo’s white labeling and branding options are two advantages that stand out right away after signing up. You may customize almost everything, from the background of a sign-in page to the layout of a course catalog; you can even customize the mobile app’s logo and colors.
Docebo also supports complete localization in addition to graphic customization. It is available in 40 languages and assists huge international corporations with employee training. Staff can also contribute their expertise and best practices by uploading presentations, manuals, or visual instructions to Docebo.
Pricing
- Annual pricing starts at $2,000 and can go up to $500,000.
#4. LearnUpon
LearnUpon is a flexible platform that can be used for both internal and external training for employees and stakeholders. The platform interface is clean and easy to use. Each client gets a personal relationship manager who is available to help with any issues that may arise.
Another amazing feature of LearnUpon is the ability to quickly switch between learning sites. This enables all groups of learners, staff or colleagues, and organizations to create and customize their own learning spaces.
Pricing
- LearnUpon starts at $599 per month for 50 active users and one client portal
#5. Litmos
SAP Litmos is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) that allows thousands of employees to instantly take, deliver, and track on-demand training. The user interface is easy to use and straightforward.
SAP Litmos has created a vast marketplace with over 15,000 ready-to-use instructional assets. The courses are delivered in a bite-size video format (5 to 20 minutes in length), which is great for employee interaction. They also have an advanced editor to assist in the creation of eLearning content.
Pricing
- Starting at $6 per user (for 150 to 500 active learners), per month
Employee Training Forecast
Employee training has evolved considerably in recent history, mainly due to the introduction of new technological paradigms born out of Covid-19 and the metaverse. The industrial revolution fueled the growth of standardized employee training programs, and the digital revolution drove the adoption of new modes of digital training.
Today, technological advancements and digital adoption skills are essential, making employee training and development programs the core of any business that desires a competitive edge.
In the coming years, digital technology will continue to advance and propel change within the workplace. On the one hand, these changes will require employers to invest more in training employees and employees to commit more time and energy to learning. On the other, these advances will offer up new training solutions that are more efficient and effective to help businesses create resilience against future technological disruption.
Conclusion
The success of your organization doesn’t depend on your being able to hire the top talent from the best schools, but it is more about regularly training the talent you have and keeping the skill set and the knowledge of the organization up to date.
Being open and accepting of the changes in this fast-developing world go a long way in establishing your company as a reliable and dependable brand and employee training and development is the best way to do that.
Related Articles
- TRAINING PLAN: What Is It, Example & How to Create One
- EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Ultimate Guide on How to Create One With Examples
- SOFT SKILLS: Definition and Examples
- Human Resources Training: Detailed Guide
- CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING: Top Programs, Ideas & Certificate
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