How to Make Training New Employees Easier

An effective employee training program is essential to quickly acclimating new hires and flatting the learning curve. Training programs are also essential to positive employee satisfaction scores, individual and team achievement, employee retention, and business continuity. If your company is experiencing heavier-than-usual turnover (as many organizations did in 2022), these are some effective strategies for making new employee training easier and more effective:

Onboarding

Every organization should have a systematized process for getting new employees acclimated to the company, team, surroundings, and processes. Every new employee should be able to expect an organized process that gets them set up with technology and in their spaces, and also introduces them to the key components of their training, which may include mentors, access to multimedia training tools, one-on-one sessions with superiors, and 30/60/90 day check-in plans.

Video training

According to the LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report of 2021, video training resources are highly preferred by the younger generations in the workforce. When compared to written information, video is far more dynamic and appeals to more of the senses, aiding material retention. When compared to live training, video offers the flexibility to take the training as one’s schedule permits, and to re-watch material as needed, or even use videos as refreshers.

Written standard operating procedures for each job

Every new employee should have access to updated standard operating procedures for their jobs, in writing or in a multimedia presentation. This is essential to creating accountability to specific expectations for what is to be accomplished and measures of performance. Over time, as employee performance and retention across roles are compared, adjustments to the standard operating procedures can be made. These may include offloading some responsibilities from certain positions with high turnover and low performance. Standard operating procedures are also key to ensuring alignment of expectations from top leadership down to middle management for every role in the organization.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software

A single business computing platform that is used by all departments for business and administrative functions simplifies training in several ways. The ERP system tracks employee credentials, ensures compliance with industry and financial/HR regulations, and acts as one single source of data and a means of working collaboratively for all employees. An ERP solution makes it easier for one trainer in an organization to acclimate new employees to one system, rather than many different business software packages. Working with the same interfaces and software controls makes it easier to cross-train employees across functions and departments. ERP also makes it easier for employees to take over for someone who is out sick or on vacation.

Upskilling and reskilling

Every organization loses employees who seek greater opportunities, but one way to improve employee retention and workforce performance is by investing in hands-on upskilling and reskilling programs. According to the LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report of 2021, this is the top priority for learning and development professionals globally, ahead of leadership/management and virtual onboarding programs. An upskilling and reskilling program helps to fill positions more immediately with professionals who can quickly become proficient. Once in place, these programs also help to attract top talent in the younger generations that value career growth and company plans for internal mobility. LinkedIn says that 64% of small businesses and 62% of midsize businesses were planning to upskill and reskill their employees from 2021-2022.

Mentoring and shadowing

These programs allow new employees to learn from experienced professionals in the organization, in their positions. With these programs, new employees should also be able to participate as observers in meetings and in collaborative settings to learn as the experienced professional provides an example of what to do and answers questions along the way. Whereas a shadowing program takes place over the first few days or weeks of employment, a mentor-mentee relationship can las much longer and provide more growth and confidence benefits beyond the training period.

When the economy is in flux, and when industries are in down cycles, smart companies make training a higher priority. If your organization doesn’t have a practical methodology for its training processes, this is an ideal time to standardize and formalize your new employee training procedures.