Employee training has always been a cost-intensive process for enterprises. Using the right technology and methods can reduce costs and deliver better results. We’ll discuss the tips and methods to improve employee training and increase business productivity.
Training is an integral part of a business organization. You train new recruits to understand and blend into the existing work environment. You train senior employees to update their skills and knowledge and use the latest technology. Middle-level management is trained to become better and more capable leaders. Training plays a vital role in shaping employees’ personalities and determining their role in the establishment.
However, traditional training techniques are no longer as effective as they were. The changing scenario demands a more streamlined training program that costs less and delivers better results. This requires tools like LMS, gamification platforms, and question generators to train, assess, and measure employee skills/ knowledge.
In this blog, we’ll talk about the employee training process, the use of technology, and tips to develop an effective training program in the enterprise.
What are the Phases in the Training Process?
Employee training typically has six phases, though the actual process changes from one organization to another. Training is a sequential process where the employees will go through each phase in a systematic order to align their abilities to achieve business goals. By this stage, employees have to be fully trained and ready for the project/responsibilities at work.
What is the main purpose of conducting the training program? An effective employee training program will be aligned with the business goals and aims to bridge the gap between the standard performance expected and the actual performance of the employees. It improves employee knowledge, productivity, and performance.
Once you identify the training needs, you have to establish the objective/ intent of the training program. The primary objective is to prepare and empower the employee for the job and its responsibilities.
Training methods define how you want to implement the program. For example, you can go the traditional route and have daily sessions in the office. You can have online training programs with recorded and live webinars. A combination is also a choice. Go with a training method that best suits your business model.
Once everything is ready, you start the training programs and conduct sessions per the schedule. Here, you should also include assessments, competitions, quizzes, etc., to keep employees interested in training and learning.
Evaluation occurs toward the end of the training program. Assess the trainees/ employees and the entire program to measure the results. Was the training program successful? Are there any improvements you could make?
Get feedback from employees to know if you have effectively trained your staff. Use the feedback and compare it with your evaluation to identify the weak areas. Make the necessary changes for future training programs.
Employee Training and Development with LMS
LMS is a learning management system used by schools, colleges, educational institutions, and training organizations. It is used for administration, tracking, reporting, and delivering training courses online. Many businesses are now using LMS to accelerate employee development through continuous and on-the-job training support.
Employee training is no longer limited to a fixed training period. The establishment has to support employees even after the training program is over. That’s where LMS provides a cost-effective solution. Instead of conducting multiple training programs, the company will offer ongoing training by integrating the LMS with the business systems. Employees can refer to the material or watch the videos anytime to refresh their knowledge and get answers to their queries.
This system is gaining popularity to provide continuous assistance to front-end employees and the customer service department. It increases employee productivity and helps track their performance using automated software. Using LMS is a way to future-proof the business organization and empower employees to tackle the challenges that come their way.
How to Use AI Question Generator for Employee Training
Employee training also includes assessments. You can conduct quizzes and assessments at different stages of training or at the end of each training module. As a result, you will have a better understanding of the impact of training on employees and the changes you might have to make to align the training programs with your business goals.
But creating quizzes and assessments for batches of employees is not easy. You need to go through the pages of training material to manually create a test paper. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of time and effort on assessments.
PrepAI is an artificial intelligence-based tool that generates questions from a given text. It is an automated question-generation platform that creates questions and quizzes in a couple of minutes instead of hours. You can customize the test paper, add/ delete questions, and export the test paper in different output formats. PrepAI API can be integrated with your existing training modules or systems for convenience.
Create Quizzes/ Assessments Using PrepAI
PrepAI has a clean interface that makes it a user-friendly tool for everyone. Open PrepAI and click on Generate questions.
The trainers can create assessments even during a live training session. They can email the assessment at the end of the session. Employees can be ranked based on their performance on the quizzes and tests. This will motivate them to do better and enter the leaderboard. Assessments are a great way to create a competitive atmosphere in the enterprise and give incentives to employees to improve their skills.
Tips for Employee Training and Development
The following employee training tips can help you improve your training programs and get better employee performance and business growth.
1. Analyze Past Mistakes
One way to improve your employee training methods is to analyze the previous programs and identify the mistakes. Create a plan that helps you overcome those mistakes and repeat them with the new training batch.
2. Flexible Training Methods
Having a rigid and fixed training system may not be useful anymore. Employees want more choices from the employer. For example, some employees might prefer online training while others choose in-person training. Offer both options to help them train faster.
3. Engage Employees and Trainers
Personal engagement at work makes a lot of difference. Employees should build interpersonal relationships with colleagues, seniors, juniors, trainers, and management. Create an atmosphere that allows them to connect with others at work.
4. Promote Work Culture
New employees need some time to get used to the work culture. Make it easy for them by establishing the ground rules. But welcome them into the company and ease their way into the existing teams through timely tips and advice. Let them feel relaxed and comfortable in your organization.
5. Provide Incentives
Incentives are always a great way to encourage employees to actively participate in training programs and win something in return. It could be badges, medals, gifts, or monetary benefits. Create a sense of achievement to promote participation.
6. Offer Career Guidance
Don’t limit training to what the employees have to do at work. Provide them with personal guidance about their careers. Show them the opportunities at work and the success they can achieve by improving their skills and knowledge.
7. Work on Employee Skills
Focus on a wider skill set. Include communication, leadership, critical thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, crisis management, etc., in the training programs. You want your employees to be capable of handling the projects on every front.
8. Conduct Regular Assessments
Assessments are necessary if you want to keep track of the training programs. Use automated question generator tools like PrepAI to conduct random assessments and ensure that the employees are benefitting from the training.
9. Maintain the Feedback Loop
Feedback is necessary for the employees and trainers to correct their mistakes. Set up a system where the trainees and trainers get feedback from each other (and the management).
Conclusion
The best way to improve training and development in the workplace is by constantly evaluating the process and the results. The training program should not only fine-tune employees for the business but also help them advance in their careers (in the enterprise).
Use technology to build a strong communication channel between the employees and management. Aim for long-term growth while also focusing on immediate goals. Employees are the asset of a business. Make them a part of the system to inspire trust and confidence.
