On the heels of the interviewing and hiring process, onboarding and training a new employee can be an equally hectic experience—for both you and the employee. New hires often feel overwhelmed by a tsunami of information while getting used to an unfamiliar corporate culture.
The most effective employee training strategies help new hires feel welcome, valued, and empowered. Effectively training new employees enhances their on-the-job performance while increasing the likelihood that they’ll be satisfied with their new roles.
This guide emphasizes the importance of quality employee training and provides several strategies to position new hires for long-term success.
Employee Training Benefits New Hires—and Employers
Today’s workforce values training, and it is considered a significant employee perk on par with vacation time and insurance benefits. According to a Gallup report entitled How Millennials Want to Live and Work, 59% of millennials consider training and development a key factor in choosing potential employers.
Properly training new employees helps mitigate their frustration as they learn about your company’s processes, policies, and protocols. Employees who receive comprehensive training are likely to perform their jobs with greater efficiency and accuracy, avoiding costly mistakes that can affect the company’s reputation—and bottom line.
Companies that train new hires well also enjoy a higher retention rate; a recent Go2HR study found that 40% of employees who receive inadequate training walk away from their jobs within the first year.
Compliance Requirements
Training new employees extends far beyond lessons in “the way we do things here.” It also ensures that employees comply with industry-specific regulatory requirements and state and local laws, which continue to evolve in light of high profile harassment cases and the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
Five states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, and New York) currently mandate sexual harassment training, with others likely to follow suit.
Technology Leads Employee Training Trends
Company culture starts with the C-Suite, and ripples through your organization.
Technology is a powerful way to narrow the gap between top-level executives and new hires, especially in mid-sized and large companies, where face-to-face interaction isn’t plausible. While digital and traditional methods of training converge in today’s workplace, companies are increasingly relying on technology as an efficient tool to train new employees.
Here are the ways technology is impacting employee training trends:
Video conferencing
Thanks to video conferencing systems like Zoom, BlueJeans, and ClickMeeting (just a few of the many options available), companies no longer have to pay top-dollar to fly new employees to corporate headquarters for orientation and training. Video conferencing also eliminates the need to replicate training for new employees in multiple locations.
On-demand webinars
Also referred to as “evergreen” webinars, on-demand webinars are recorded for later use by different attendees. As its name implies, the evergreen content remains relevant over time. As a result, companies can use and reuse them to train new employees as they come on board.
Online training
Many companies offer new hires and current employees opportunities to participate in interactive, online training courses that are accredited by appropriate regulatory agencies. Some courses focus on industry-specific professional development, while others address ethics, diversity, and compliance. 360Training.com, for example, offers over 6,000 online, interactive training courses, complete with competency evaluations.
Learning management systems (LMS)
These systems, which deploy and track online training initiatives, can be cloud-based, self-hosted, or accessible via desktop or mobile devices. Most online training platforms incorporate their own learning management systems, but many stand-alone learning management systems include tools that allow you to write your own training programs.
Gamification
Earning a seat at the grown-up table, video games are now recognized as a valuable corporate training tool. Research has proven that increased physiological arousal—e.g., vigilance and stress—can enhance the process of storing new memories. Gamification is also effective because it makes learning enjoyable, appealing to employees who like to compete with themselves and others.
Training: A Stepping Stone to Employee Engagement
According to Gallup, the employee experience is defined as “the entire journey an employee takes with your organization … from pre-hire to post-exit interactions,” and is comprised of seven phases. The seven phases of employee experience are:
- Attract
- Hire
- Onboard
- Engage
- Perform
- Develop
- Depart
Helping new employees achieve mastery over their new position through onboarding and training is a critical precursor to employee engagement.
Engagement is a win-win situation. Engaged employees are clear about their roles and responsibilities, and feel appreciated and valued for the work they contribute. As a result, they perform at a higher level. Companies with high levels of employee engagement enjoy a variety of benefits, including better customer ratings, increased productivity and greater profitability.
Maximize Your Company’s Greatest Asset
While cutting-edge technologies will help you remain competitive in today’s workplace, it is your employees that ultimately determine your company’s livelihood. At TERRA Staffing Group, we know that high-tech will never replace high touch, and believe that effective training is foundational to your employees’ collective success.
To learn more about modern trends in employee training, consult with TERRA Staffing Group, watch our HR Hotspot presentation on Crafting Meaningful Development Plans, or check out our article about the Best Employee Development Plan Examples.