You always start small when a business is first established. Every organization initially consists of a limited number of people, some of which gradually become its core members. Not every new setup is successful, though, and more than 30% of startups collapse within the first twelve months. But if you’re fortunate (and smart) enough to succeed in entrepreneurship, your company will likely expand. Then you’ll employ more people and watch your little organization develop into a massive corporation. But you’ll also encounter productivity issues such as people leaving the company. Do you know that hiring a new employee cost more than $5,000? Let’s dig further into this problem.
Employee training suggestions for startups
Some 40% of employees will leave the company in the first year if they’ve received inadequate training. Dissatisfaction and disengagement within the organization lower the retention rate among the workers. Gallup states that only 13% of employees are engaged in an average company. So, it would be best if you improved the company-funded employee training programs. It’ll encourage more people to stay and work at the office. So, here are a few smart methods for startups to train their employees:
- Set actionable goals
Determine the objectives of your employee-training endeavors. What do you want workers to learn? Unless you set actionable and measurable goals, it’s impossible to tell whether your employees have learned anything or not. Don’t set abstract objectives. For instance, “become more efficient” isn’t something you can quantify. However, “reduce customer complaints by 10% this month” is a viable aim. Also, rely on KPIs that will help you measure these training programs’ success in the end.
- Train as individuals
Remember that these training sessions aren’t supposed to remind your employees of their schooldays. So, avoid bulk learning programs since such maneuvers rarely work in niche companies. You can’t train workers in a school-like environment as most people will take the path of least resistance. Focus on personalized training that allows each individual to display his/her true potential. Moreover, educate each worker as per that person’s preferences and expectations.
- Specify the training
Training sessions must be relevant to the responsibilities of your employees. Decide which courses will help your workers improve quickly in their occupations. Some people may require lessons in communication skills, while others may need public relations training. Furthermore, many of your employees can benefit from online business Masters programs to enhance their financial expertise. This expertise enables them to contribute more to the company’s overall productivity.
- Use employees as trainers
Leverage existing workers as mentors for the freshly-joining employees. Since newbies can always learn from the experience, their seniors have earned. You can depend on the highly-trusted current employee to pass on their knowledge to the “youngsters.” They will also explain all nitty-gritty about their profession to the amateurs. But how to motivate seniors to look after juniors? You can offer financial compensation to employees prepared to handle the juniors’ training.
- Online training sessions
Startups can’t afford to hire physical space for training sessions. So, online training assists them in conducting cost-effective learning programs. Fresh employees can be trained without requiring them to leave their homes/workspace. Moreover, the ongoing pandemic doesn’t allow large gatherings, so distant training seems a health-appropriate maneuver for companies. Since such a training session is mainly digital, you can always upgrade the content to improve these programs.
- Cross-functional training
It would be best to train your employees to perform other business-related duties as well. They should learn to handle extra responsibilities to polish their core skills. Cross-functional training also helps workers improve in their primary trades. So, you can teach a cashier how inventory works or educate HR people about what the IT department does. This method also enables employees to know what they can expect from their colleagues, enhancing collaboration within the company.
- Receive feedback
Feedback from mentors will help you realize the performance of the employees. Similarly, trainees should be encouraged to share their perception of the trainers and the sort of education they’ve received. Communication is the key to promote better understanding and getting improved results. Some companies encourage trainers and trainees to write monthly/weekly reports too. They share these reports with the HR department to bolster intra-organization communication.
- Employ professionals
Not all of your employees are effective teachers, and they might not be capable of educating fresh recruits. You can invest in employing the services of training and development managers. These professionals can efficiently manage organizational leadership jobs by helping employees enhance their knowledge. They allow newly-hired workers to interact positively with their supervisors, colleagues, and customers. So, this investment can help make your firm productive in the long run.
- Make it continuous
The purpose of holding these sessions is to upgrade an employee’s efficiency. So, training should be clear, concise, and easily-comprehensible. Moreover, these training programs must be conducted regularly. Providing one-time learning opportunities won’t have the same effect as regular and continuous opportunities. Frequent programs enable your employees to advance quickly. Making training an ongoing process will continue the workers’ development and understand the content thoroughly.
- Measure the results
The final portion of every project involves recording the results and measuring the success of your employee-training endeavors. If these sessions aren’t as productive as expected, it means that the company needs to change its teaching methods. Content is critical when it comes to teaching your workers. Educators need to design the content and empower their lessons masterfully. That’s why keeping a register of the results enables you to track the training goals’ progress.
Conclusion
What are the benefits of investing in employee training programs? For starters, such an investment enables workers to reach their maximum potential and feel motivated about staying. LinkedIn reported back in 2018 that 94% of employees would stay if the company invested in their career development. Similarly, around 70% of workers considered training and development as the company’s “most important policy.” Since training programs improve an employee’s performance, improves his/her engagement, and cures internal weaknesses. Effective schooling transforms meagerly-performing workers into efficient problem-solvers who can contribute more to the company’s success.
Leave a Reply