This post was originally published on lessonly.com.
Most New Year’s resolutions revolve around dieting and fitness training. But, if you’re like most business leaders who are trying to ramp up productivity and engage employees, a more fitting resolution involves overhauling your employee training plan.
Honestly, most companies need to reevaluate their training programs. Many training efforts fail to effectively develop employee skills or provide meaningful learning experiences. As a result, thousands of employees across the globe are wasting time on inefficient training and falling short of their full productivity and potential. Here are five reasons why it’s time to revisit your employee training plan template and update your training program.
Training is too generic
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to design a training plan that serves every employee. It’s usually not beneficial to settle for a static and generic training plan for everyone from customer support agents to sales representatives. While there are a few training topics in the workplace that all employees need to know, the majority of training should relate specifically to their everyday job.
Focus on developing a training program for one role at a time to ensure employees get exactly what they need for their job. Consider simplifying the process and start with the three most essential functions needed for success in each role. The streamlined attention to detail will provide a clear path to productivity for each employee.
Training complicates learning
Most, if not all, training programs involve new knowledge and skills. When designing a training program for employees, it’s crucial to incorporate learning that emphasizes core functions of an employee’s job, rather than every piece of information that their role might require them to know. This reduces the likelihood of overwhelming employees with too much information. It’s also helpful to bundle essential skills into a larger group, like topic or product. Doing so makes it easier for leaders to manage and deliver training—and easier for employees to comprehend. The simpler the sample training plan outline is, the better employee performance will be.
Training doesn’t focus on practice
The goal of training is to empower employees to apply newly gained knowledge and skills. If you look at different training programs for employees, the concept of practice to reinforce learning is nonexistent. The most efficient list of training programs for employees includes ongoing opportunities for employees to practice skills, refresh knowledge, and refine their craft. Identify a few items for employees to regularly revisit and rehearse so training doesn’t go in one ear and out the other. Practice, repetition, and feedback improve employee performance and drive better business results.
Training isn’t measured for performance
A truly successful training program leads to improved individual and team performance. If your company’s organizational training plan template fails to accurately measure training effectiveness, that’s a major issue for everyone. It’s important to identify key objectives, and evaluate training against them. Select both business outcomes (such as demos set, average call time for resolution, etc.) and learning metrics (lessons completed and revisited, quiz scores, employee feedback, etc.) to evaluate employee and learning program success. Detailed insights are essential to determine the return on learning (ROL) and identify the strengths and gaps of the training program.
Training is boring and outdated
If an employee training plan is boring and relies on outdated PowerPoints and handouts, it’s time embraced modern training software. Too often, companies resist new technology. However, using software for training makes the experience both effective and engaging. Look for online training programs that are easy to access and simple to complete.
It’s worth noting that there are many types of training programs for employees. The best sample training plan for employees comes from a blend of eLearning with in-person training and coaching. This combination keeps information fresh, saves time and resources, and maximizes the impact of team training.
Revamping your training plan is no small task. That’s why we made it simple for you. Our Training Plan Template walks you through a series of questions that will transform your employee training plan for 2022 and for years to come.
Turn training plans into business results
We’ve worked with hundreds of teams, across a variety of industries, as they develop their employee training plans. Our modern learning software translates important work knowledge from your employee training plan into lessons that accelerate productivity. Get a demo, and learn how we can help your team train faster.
