Fueling success: Leverage the power of employee training and development

Employee training and development form the backbone of a prosperous and harmonious workplace. Employees need to meet the demands of an ever-changing industry.

Organizations must nurture their most critical assets - the employees. Prioritizing training and development helps create a dynamic workforce that drives success, stays motivated, and thrives on creativity.

A 2019 LinkedIn report said that 94% of employees would stay with a firm longer if it invested in their learning and development. At the same time, a 2022 SHRM report shows that 55% of employees need more development opportunities to improve their work. 

This proves why employee training is critical in today’s world. This article discusses that further and helps employers determine how to create training programs and measure their effectiveness.

The benefits of employee training and development

Employee training and development are critical in shaping individuals' and organizations' success and growth. Continuous upskilling of employees cultivates a positive and productive workforce.

Improve employee productivity

Organizations can empower employees by giving them access to trending technologies and cutting-edge industry insights. It will enhance their performance and productivity, boosting the team's efficacy.

Increase job satisfaction 

Employees who feel valued and supported through learning opportunities will likely be more loyal and committed to the organization. They appreciate the company's investment in their professional growth. It leads to a thriving work culture.

Help organizations stay competitive 

Keeping employees updated with the latest tools and techniques is crucial in this ever-changing digital landscape. Employees realize the need to stay ahead of the curve and what it means for the company’s success.

Promotes talent retention

Employees are more inclined to stay with a company with ample personal and professional growth opportunities. This reduces attrition, saving the company time and money on recruitment and onboarding processes.

Yields a higher ROI

Well-trained employees are more confident in their roles, increasing productivity and efficiency. This, in turn, positively impacts the company's bottom line and overall profitability.

How to create an Effective Employee training policy

To optimize the potential of your workforce, create an effective employee training policy. Align it with the company's goals and objectives.

Assess business needs and objectives.

First, identify your organization's current and future needs. For instance, is your company aiming to enhance customer service, improve product knowledge, or increase productivity? Knowing these will help you design a practical employee training and development policy.

Customized training programs

Tailoring the training programs to the specific needs and skill gaps of employees’ designations and departments is essential. Customized content leads to better engagement. Employees find them more relevant. Cater to their individual needs by providing workshops, webinars, and hands-on training.

Encourage continuous learning.

Foster a culture of constant learning where employees keep pursuing developmental programs and stay updated on new trends and technologies. Empower them with resources like mentorship programs, learning platform access, and external course reimbursement.

Evaluate training impact.

Create feedback surveys, assessments, and performance reviews to evaluate training programs. It will help make data-driven decisions and help focus on areas that need improvement.

Promote leadership involvement.

Involve business leaders in the training programs to share their experiences with employees. This will help build a connection with employees and show them how committed the company is to employee training and development.

Designing an Employee Training checklist 

Here is the employee training checklist that can be used for a practical employee training experience.

1. Define specific goals and objectives of the program and align them with overall business goals.
2. Identify skill gaps and focus on areas that require improvement to determine the training method that will work best.
3. Create engaging, accessible, pertinent content through presentations, videos, live training, and activities.
4. Decide how and when the training will occur - online, in-person, or hybrid.
5. Appoint trainers. Assign resources. And determine the budget, training venues, and other necessary logistics.
6. Plan the training calendar with the session dates, times, and locations. Share them with the employees.
7. Deliver the training sessions, encouraging interaction, discussions, and Q&A sessions.
8. Create assessments, quizzes, and practical tests to understand the effectiveness of the training.

Enhancing the employee training experience

There are many fun and exciting strategies to enhance the employee training experience.

Gamified learning experiences

Make learning fun by introducing game-like features - points, badges, and leaderboards. It will be a big incentive for employees to take part and compete against each other while they learn new skills. A good example is LinkedIn’s progress bar for profile completion.

Microlearning modules 

Microlearning aims at maximizing learning in a minimum period. The average human attention span is 8.25 seconds. Concentrating on a 3-hour webinar can be a challenge. According to this 2022 report, 50% of workers don’t have time for training programs. Hence, bite-sized modules are great for accessing critical information.

Virtual reality (VR) training

Leverage modern technologies like VR to simulate realistic scenarios. New hires can practice there safely, eliminating life risks before they move on to the real world.

Peer-to-peer learning initiatives

Mentorship programs and knowledge-sharing sessions can foster continuous learning and collaboration where colleagues help each other with their skills and experiences. 

Measuring the effectiveness of a training experience program

Conducting a training experience survey right after an employee training program is crucial. It helps the HR understand if the training was successful so that similar trainings can be arranged.

These surveys can measure training experience, overall learning, facilitator effectiveness, and relevance. Here are some examples of post-training survey questions.

• Was the training according to your learning needs and expectations?
• Was the training easy for you to follow and understand?
• Were the trainers approachable and knowledgeable?
• Were the resources provided adequately for the training?
• What skills did you acquire from the session that you can apply to your daily tasks at work? 

inFeedo’s AI-driven HR chatbot, Amber, can bring revolutionary changes to your organization. Amber’s Pulse Survey can help employers listen to their employees.

Pulse can control and boost conversations across the organization when required. Companies can customize these surveys according to their needs or use conversational templates included with them.

The data from these surveys help make actionable decisions and increase employee engagement by making them feel heard. For instance, if the HRBPs and CHROs need to identify skill gaps or design the training calendar, employee feedback with rich, actionable insights can be useful.

With pulse surveys, your business can analyze employee pulse at any time, making it easy for employers to keep employees involved and productive.

Create an employee-first culture with inFeedo’s Amber

When employers know what their employees need to be their best at work and create a safe and happy space for them, businesses experience massive growth. Know what your employees need by asking them directly - use surveys and feedback and help in individual development. inFeedo helps employers create a people-centric culture by keeping employees at the center of the business. Increase employee engagement.

Transform your business today by strengthening your workforce via skill enhancement.

Start by booking a demo to conduct effective employee pulse surveys and enable continuous listening.