5 Effective Training Tips for New Employees
Employee training whether it be for physical or remote workers is very crucial not just for new hires but also for the company if it wants to keep its newest batch of employees. Oftentimes, new employees won’t proceed with the job especially if the training doesn’t go well or if they received information that wasn’t previously mentioned during the interview. Whether you’re a human resources manager or an entrepreneur running your own small business, here are five effective training methods and tips to help you out:
- Tips to Motivate Employees to Increase Their Performance
- Handling the Toughest Employee Personalities
1. Create a checklist
Nothing can be more frustrating than hosting an employee training program completely unprepared. This doesn’t only affect your performance but also causes new hires to think twice about working for your company. The last thing you want to have is your supposedly new hires work (and succeed) for a competitor. That is why you should find ways to improve your training capabilities, starting with having a checklist.
Having a checklist essentially makes it easy for everyone and also makes the employee onboarding process as smooth as possible. Gone are the times where you have to extend or postpone a training session since you forgot the prepare some of your resources. Depending on the length of the training, the checklist should be categorized on what needs to be accomplished on each training day (for example: conduct a company introduction on day 1, introduce employees to mentors on day 2, etc.).
2. Begin onboarding at an earlier date
Onboarding doesn’t have to begin the actual start date of the employee. As long as the hiring isn’t urgent and won’t require someone to immediately replace a departing employee, onboarding can begin a week or even a month before the new hire actually starts their work. With onboarding completed a few weeks before the start date, this prevents the new hire from being overwhelmed with a lot of information during their first few days on the job. This also helps them deal with anxiety and nervousness around the company’s current employees.
The checklist you created can help you tremendously with the onboarding process and overall employee development program. With activities segregated per day, you will be able to focus on what task to finish and not dwell too much on other activities that you still need to accomplish. Just make sure to finish everything on time and don’t create a huge/short cap between the onboarding and the actual start date.
3. Assign mentors
When it comes to training programs, onboarding is only a small part of the entire process. Your company may be involved with a lot of technical work, and assigning mentors to new employees is your only option if you’re not familiar with some of the tasks being worked on by your current employees. Mentors are also helpful in providing motivation and inspiration for new hires making their transition to the company much easier. These new employees will be more relaxed knowing that they have someone to immediately talk to if they experience any work-related issues.
When assigning mentors, make sure the employee will be working with someone who has a long tenure with the company. You don’t want to be picking someone who only worked a few weeks in the company as a mentor. Also, pick someone who has a record of being a consistent performer and not an individual who deals with productivity and professionalism issues. Remember that these mentors also have their own work to accomplish, so it’s best to sit down with these people and talk about the duration of the mentorship process.
4. Consistently provide feedback
Whether it be yourself or the assigned mentors, consistently providing feedback is the best way to ensure employees do good in their roles and avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. This should be discussed with the new employee during the first day of strategic training, not to scare them away but to encourage them to give their best for the job. But as the one putting the training plan into action, also make sure to provide feedback in a constructive manner and not with insults and cussing.
Feedback should be given both verbally and in written form, preferably through email or a document shared only between the trainer and the employee. This allows the employee to review the feedback and later applied it to succeeding tasks. Don’t forget to give recognition every time the employee accomplishes something from the feedback you gave them.
5. Promote a healthy work/life balance
Training effectiveness can also attribute to how a company provides a safe and secure environment for their employees. No employee would want to work in a tough environment, whether it be a dirty workplace or a company filled with toxic employees. That is why you need to ensure that your company promotes a healthy work/life balance so that new hires will stay and a high turnover rate will be prevented. And if your company does have lingering problems, make sure they are addressed as soon as possible before you hire a fresh batch of employees.
A company that doesn’t compromise on work/life balance makes it easier for employees to accomplish all of their short-term and long-term goals. Happy and satisfied employees will work even harder in making sure the company doesn’t just survive but also help it with its expansion efforts.
Final thoughts
Corporate training doesn’t have to put your company in a difficult situation. The five tips listed above should help you not only create an effective employee development plan but also keep your new hires for the long haul.
