You don’t need us to tell you that effective training is one of the keys to making your staff more productive. It helps them take on more responsibility, remain engaged within your business and feel valued, as well.
That said, in 2022 fewer than half of organisations had provided their employees with any training in the previous year (according to the Department for Education). The good news is that this gives you an opportunity to gain an advantage over many of your competitors.
There are many ways in which training can be provided, from an internal programme to bringing in an outside specialist, residential courses and eLearning; and each has their pros and cons. At The HR Dept, we have a range of eLearning courses, as well as local workshops, which you can ask us about.
Whatever you decide upon though, for it to be truly effective, it is important for you to reinforce the training in the right way once it has been completed. Here are five of our top tips for best practice.
One – Gain feedback from your employees
Most training providers will automatically ask for feedback for their own purposes, but you should be interested in how the training went too. Not least so you know if it provided you with value for money; but also, to assess if the employee feels any follow-up training is required or you detect any telling gaps in their knowledge.
Two – Put the training into practice
For the training to take hold, it is essential that your staff have the opportunity to put it into practice as soon as possible. It is the action of doing it in real life that will make it stick. So make sure training is chosen pragmatically with a realistic chance of it being acted upon in the days and weeks afterwards in the natural routine of your employees’ workflow.
Three – Link the training to career progression
Many employees value training as an important part of their career development and feeling of self-worth. For you, it should make them more productive and valuable to your business. So, for their own motivation, it is important that they see the link to more responsibility, respect and improved remuneration over time too.
Four – Ask the employee to present on the training
A powerful way to extract further value from employee training is to ask them to present on what they learnt after they have completed it. As well as giving them an extra motivation to pay attention, it will also give them a chance to improve their presentation skills and share new knowledge gained with you or the rest of your team.
Five – Never stop training
Many organisations embrace a value of life-long learning, and for good reason. It is a way to ensure continuous improvement and engagement, and can apply to everyone from top to bottom. So when an employee or team completes one training course, instil a mindset of “What next?” to ensure they keep building – both themselves and the skills and capabilities within your business.
Training from The HR Dept
Training, learning and development, call it what you will, is a core part of HR. If you would like to review how you offer training to employees, call our local experts. From helping you identify skills gaps, to laying on effective training, we can do it all. So get in touch today.
