By Adam Robert
The employees are the most valuable assets of any organization. It is crucial to invest in their training to unleash their full potential and make them influential to the success of the business. With that, this article will talk about the things that they are looking for in training programs, providing the management with an idea of how to make training more effective.
- Accessibility
Among others, employees are looking for accessible training programs. Gone were the days when training is confined in a classroom set-up. Learners want something more flexible. Organizations should design training materials that the participants can access anytime and anywhere, such as when they are at home. To do this, True Office Learning, a provider of e-learning software, can extend a helping hand.
- Small Learning Units
Employees end up being uninterested when they have to take part in an hour-long training. They will be overwhelmed and bored. With this, a good approach is to consider microlearning or the provision of smaller learning units. This breaks down the training materials into parts that will be easier to digest, such as in nuggets of three to five minutes.
- Gamification
Gamified training improves employee engagement. Aside from being an effective way to beat boredom, this will also help in promoting healthy competition. Incorporating elements of gamification in employee training programs include having points, rewards, leaderboards, and challenges. It will spice up learning so that employees will be encouraged to participate more.
- Alignment
A successful employee training program is aligned to the needs and wants of the employees. Unsurprisingly, the first step is a needs assessment, which will ensure the relevance of the training. Otherwise, employees will not be motivated to participate since they know that it won’t add any value to them.
- Entertainment
Employees are also looking for entertainment value in training programs. By making training more engaging, this is not only preventing boredom but also increase retention rates. Make training interactive. Add audio and video. Incorporate gamification. Hire someone with a sense of humor to lead the training program.
- Continuity
Employee training is not a one-time event. Instead, it should be an on-going effort from the management. At the very least, conduct training programs once a week. This will keep employees updated about the latest trends and principles that they can apply in their jobs. Without continuity, it will be difficult to yield the long-term benefits of training.
- Feedback
At the end of the training program, employees expect that they will receive feedback about how they performed. This will help them in assessing themselves. In the same way, they want their voices to be heard. So, make sure to gather feedback from the participants as well, which will be useful in gauging the success of training and identifying points for improvement.
To make employee training successful, pay attention to the things that the participants are looking for. From accessibility to feedback, the factors mentioned above will help in crafting effective training programs.
