Updating your Training Content
In the 21st century, the world, technology and how people learn are all changing every single day. We all know the reasons why employees should be taking part in training and the advantages that are associated with training, but it is important to remember that you cannot produce a training programme and not regularly update the content.
These updates may be because of policy changes, procedure changes or maybe you and your staff have changed the way you do things.
Learning management systems can accurately record which employees have finished modules and this is important for compliance, but it can also show you if staff aren’t engaging and are doing the bare minimum. If you are needing to send staff reminders to finish their training maybe it might be time to update the content. It may also be time to add an interactive element to your training, a quiz for example. It might also be a good idea to include gamification elements and reward staff for their progress.
Employee performance may be unsatisfactory and even though staff have completed training, maybe it is time to take notes and evaluate employee performance and implement what could be better into training content.
Most of the time training courses are based on theories and ideal situations, but once staff are on the front line and meeting customers putting those theories into practice, it is important to reevaluate and identify how staff could do things better.
If you are assessing your staff and results are the same and remaining consistent, it may also be a sign to look at the training programme and refocus. Training is about encouraging change so if employees have mastered a skill, it is time to improve upon it and exercise this skill further.
An organisation should look at their reasons for training and identify its goals and why it wants to train its staff and see if these needs are being met. This should be done at regular intervals throughout the year. This will lead to increased engagement and improved employee satisfaction as staff will feel valued and that they are being listened to.
As well as looking at the goals of the organisation, management should turn to employees and ask them for their feedback. A focus group with staff members from all departments is a great way to do this as this will start a conversation and result in a collaborative opinion of what is working and what should be included.