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How effective is your new employee training program?

By Annice Sevett

Employee turnover is both a challenge and an opportunity. Whether it be to retirement, a promotion, or another reason, losing personnel can hurt an organization if the new employee is not the right fit and, most importantly, is not trained effectively. Once the hiring process is complete, the process of training begins. Effective training ensures that the employee feels comfortable in their new setting and gets off to a good start. If training is not effective, employees may feel more obligated to leave or be ineffective at their job. This article will go over some tips and tricks to ensure that your training program is effective.

New employees will start their first day nervous but excited. An effective training program sets the tone right away. The first step is to prepare for training. Although it may seem like a lot of work, being prepared for the employee’s first day is crucial to ensuring a smooth transition for both parties. The training program should fit with your organization’s mission and core values. A few standard items that you may want to include are a schedule, perhaps sent to the employee before they start, handouts, and a list of objectives they should learn in their first days.

When crafting a schedule, there are a few key things you’ll want to keep in mind. People often find a tour of the building a good beginning to their new position. This includes showing where the bathrooms are located, something we often take for granted when we use them every day. Other possibilities to include on a schedule that new employees like when starting a new job is time to meet with the other people they will be working with. This can make all future communication run smoother. Related to this is to make sure employees meet those they will be communicating with most often in administrative roles. Learning who does what will make the employee comfortable when questions arise. Another thing that might fit into a schedule is walking the employee through what is done where. Although some locations may not be in the employee’s regular work functions, knowing they exist helps them see the overall picture. When scheduling, make sure to give the employee breaks so they can process all the new information they have learned. Along the way, set aside time to catch up with the employee and ask them what they need and/or what would help them learn better. This will provide you with important feedback as to how effective your training is. With this feedback, tweak the schedule if needed.

Once you have crafted a schedule, you will want to think about how to carry out essential training. Training, as most people have experienced at one job or another, can be dull. Effective and engaging training can boost the employee’s comfort level. You want to find a balance between providing the information they need but making sure it’s delivered in an engaging way. One of the best ways to do this is to make training hands on. Let the employee get their feet wet with situations that may arise. Remember to make sure they know that failure is okay and that it is part of the learning process. Having the employee trained by numerous individuals, if the position calls for it, is an effective tactic. Different people approach job functions differently and one way of training may be more effective. This is also a great opportunity for the new employee to make valuable connections that will help them feel comfortable in their new organization. Another great idea is to include gamification if possible. Icebreakers, treasure hunts, etc. can drill information into memory and presents a unique organizational culture that many employees seek. If that fits with your organization’s office culture, it can go far in making the new employee feel comfortable.

After the initial training period is over, the best way to ensure that it was effective is to get feedback. This will serve two purposes. First, it allows the organization to fill in any gaps the employee is feeling was missing from the training. Second, it provides a framework to work from when preparing for the training of future new employees, saving time and resources in the future. Feedback can be gotten in a number of ways. One way is by observing the employee. You will know if and when the employee is catching on in the way they perform in their first weeks and months. If you see something that needs to be addressed, address it as soon as possible without scolding the employee. Remember that they are new and have a lot of things coming from them at all directions. Doing a post-training interview is one of the best ways to gather data about the program. This can be done both with in-person interviews and with surveys, depending on your organization’s situation.

When training of new employees is done effectively, both the employee and the organization benefit greatly. The organization will benefit from having an individual who is ready to do their job and be productive in their new role, saving valuable time, money and resources. The employee meanwhile will feel confident in their position and will be more willing to step in and take on responsibilities because they will have a better understanding of their role in the organization and a grasp on the bigger goals of the organization as a whole. By having a schedule that is flexible, varying training techniques and getting feedback during and after the initial training period, organizations will be setting themselves up for success with new employees.

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