Getting new employee onboarding right is challenging. You need to figure out how to make them feel settled and prepare them for the tasks ahead.
Therefore, developing a training plan for recruits is essential. Showing them the ropes improves their productivity faster and helps to avoid costly mistakes.
Training A New Employee Checklist
Every hiring manager instinctively understands the importance of training new employees. 69 percent of employees stay with companies for more than three years if they have a good onboarding experience. However, they don’t always go about it systematically – and that’s a problem. The less rigorous you are, the lower the quality of your onboarding service will be, and the more likely talent is to make mistakes or leave you in search of better firms.
Here’s your new employee training checklist:
1. Determine where you will hold training
Firstly, you’ll want to consider whether you want to train employees on-site or remotely. Some employees may require online training so that they can begin doing useful work safely from day one.
2. Identify the tasks that employees need to know
Next, you should write down a list of critical tasks that new employees need to know before they join your firm. Make it as comprehensive as possible and then cross-check it with a colleague who works in a different department or area for clarity.
3. Assign someone to conduct the training
A single person in your organisation might have all the skills to train employees, but that’s unlikely. Therefore, you’ll need to assign trainers for each step of the onboarding process, using e-learning and third-party trainers where necessary.
4. Allocate the necessary resources
Training requires significant resources, time, and effort. Therefore, you’ll need to make sure that you properly budget for everything you need. Factor in the fact that new employees won’t be perfectly productive from the start.
5. Make Sure That Employees Understand The Training
You’ll also want to put in place strategies to confirm that employees understand their training. For example, you might issue assignments or test them on the job to see if they can apply what they have learned.
6. Consider how you will measure ROI
Measuring the return on investment (ROI) of employee training is important, too. Financially, you want to make sure that it is worth the expense.
Try to compare the productivity of the employee before training to afterward. Track key metrics, such as sales per quarter or revenue per employee, to do this. Use this information to calculate whether training programmes are worth the overall investment or not.
7. Adjust your training plan when necessary
No training plan is perfect from the outset. Therefore, you’ll want to adjust it where necessary – for instance, if your industry changes or old teaching methods don’t work as you expect.
What To Consider When Developing A New Employee Training Program
While going through the motions (as described above) will generate some results, you also need to give careful consideration to your training plan. Failing to do so could lead you to develop employees in the wrong direction.
To this end, make sure that you set the right goals for training new employees from the start. Prioritise the things that matter most to your firm first while relegating the rest.
For instance, you may need to:
- Train employees in matters of safety before they can begin a new task in your organisation
- Encourage employees to become proactive problem-solvers instead of resorting to management
- Reduce employee frustration by showing them how to perform various tasks and tools
- Build the skills they need to learn for career advancement
You’ll also want to train them for your culture, not just the job. Employees who understand the social landscape of your organisation are more likely to stay.
One way to do this is to promote promising leaders in your organisation and give them responsibility for onboarding. Include them in the training process to provide new recruits with a model of what they should be aiming for.
Another helpful strategy is to accommodate each new employee’s preferred learning method. If you can leverage the right learning culture & styles, recruits will learn more and have a better experience to boot.
Summary
Learning how to train an employee with little to no experience is no easy task. Therefore, always follow a rigorous training plan that you can adjust flexibly over time. Abiding by the steps outlined in this article will help you smooth and streamline your onboarding process, improving talent retention and your employer brand.