A recent Anoxify Workplace Training study found that 43% of employees who receive formal job training find it ineffective. At the same time, 92% of respondents believe that the right kind of formal workplace training would positively impact their job engagement.
But many organizations don’t understand how to develop a successful training program. Below are some important do’s and don’ts.
Do get support and buy-in from leadership
Leadership buy-in can make the difference between a successful training program and one that fails miserably. Positive attitudes and strong employee morale tend to trickle down from the top. As a result, leadership should be vocal from the very beginning about why training is beneficial to employees—and to the entire organization.
If you’re giving training in-person or on-site, an easy way to get leadership buy-in for training—specifically online training—is to show them the numbers. Switching to online training (from in-person training) can yield 30-70% savings in training delivery costs. And it’s easy to estimate your company’s potential savings using this in person training vs. online training savings calculator.
Do create company awareness and a positive training environment
Company awareness and communication is vital for programs to succeed. Employees and managers must understand the value of training and how the time commitment will be beneficial.
One thing to keep in mind is the common misconception among some employees that training is a waste of time, teaching random skills never to be utilized. And as a curriculum developer, it’s your responsibility to make sure that the training content is targeting the skills that employees need. In addition, you can negate this mistaken belief by providing opportunities for employees to practice and apply new learned skills with virtual training labs.
Learn more about ReadyTech’s virtual training labs.
In addition, providing support and mentorship are tactics to show employees that you take the training seriously and believe in the importance of employees implementing the new skills and knowledge.
Do continue training
Training should be an ongoing process because business environments are consistently evolving. In addition to offering new hire onboarding, consider providing refresher courses and cross-training opportunities.
Don’t directly transfer face-to-face training into your VILT software
Face-to-face training content does not automatically translate into successful VILT content. It is a common belief that content is content—no matter how it is offered. But this is a myth.
Don’t simply transfer existing face-to-face content to your VILT software. Instead, become familiar with your virtual training platform and the interactive tools it provides. It’s also important that you understand how your current, face-to-face instructors delivery their courses in-person. Take note of their delivery styles, then adapt your in-person content appropriately to the virtual environment using the interactive features on your VILT software.
Take ReadyTech’s virtual training software for a spin.
Don’t underestimate the importance of understanding employee needs
The bottom line for any training program is that ignoring the needs and wants of employees will lead to training failure. Providing content that is irrelevant to one’s job is simply a waste of time.
Instead, consider the students when developing training content. Take the time to interview employees and managers, and watch them on the job. Take this feedback and information—and develop a meaningful training program to accomplish all training objectives.
Don’t forget to hold employees accountable
Holding employees accountable for training is a great way to keep them engaged. In fact, some organizations make training part of an employee’s annual performance review or periodic evaluation.
Remember that training should not be voluntary. Rather, make it mandatory for employees. Adding training to an employee’s annual goals is another good way to hold employees accountable
By following these do’s and don’ts, your organization can create a training program that will deliver effective and relevant training, while at the same time, positively impacting employee engagement. It’s clearly a win-win.
