How to Improve Training and Development in an Organisation

In 2023 the seeds to growing successful businesses point to having ongoing training and development for employees. This is to ensure that employees stay on top of the changing dynamics of their job, industry changes, employee loyalty and to ensure that the business is getting the best results from each employee.

In fact, our research shows that employees now rate training and development among their top 5 reasons to stick with an employer. How do you know if there’s something missing from the training programme? You’re probably losing a lot of people. The “great resignation” continues to define workplace culture at the moment, and when 94 per cent of employees say that they would stay if their employer invested in their development, it’s clear that training is the greatest shield a company has from losing its own skilled people.  

So how can we improve training and development in the workplace to retain and attract top talent?

The following blog outlines key areas for consideration…

How to improve training skills as a manager

Managers often have the responsibility to ensure their team members are adequately covered by the company training programmes and have the skills they need to perform well in their roles. The managers are the ones “in the trenches” with their employees, so have the best sense of each employee’s capabilities, and are best placed to provide feedback and encourage training.

Research shows that managers are struggling to meet the training needs and goals of employees. Too many expect that the employee will take training on themselves. While some personal responsibility is reasonable, it still falls on the manager to drive a culture of learning across their teams and ensure that the tools the employees need to do their training are available and accessible.

This can be broadly achieved in two ways:

Communication

Managers can be the champions in showing the value of training. Performance reviews and one-to-one meetings should be opportunities to make the employee aware of upskilling opportunities and mandatory training. It’s with great and regular communication that managers can document informal feedback about how an employee feels they are performing in their role. Group communication channels are also a great way to get everyone to collaborate and share knowledge and book in times to discuss any further development opportunities.

Coaching

Managers can effectively drive a culture of training by establishing “safe to fail” spaces to encourage experimentation and discovery. Implementing gamification, such as performance charts and avatars, to keep learning top of mind and maintain it as an ongoing practice is a great way to coach employees through the learning journey.

Ways to improve training and development in the workplace

Guiding and supporting employees is one part of the jigsaw but the other is training delivery and constant iteration to ensure the best rates of efficacy. 

These are the key areas in learning how to improve employee training:

1. Know what their learning preferences are

In a recent study of Deskless workers and HR heads, we found that 74% of workers, (that included all generations and those that performed jobs outside an office) preferred a combination of face-to-face training and online learning. Only 12% favoured online learning in isolation. This shows a clear demand from workers for the continuation of in-person training. We believe this is to do with how we learn. Science shows that when we are learning practical skills, the hands-on demonstration and application of these skills create clear pathways to the brain for retention rather than sitting through an online tutorial at a computer.

The term for delivering both face-to-face and online learning is blended learning. 

2. The feedback loop

When creating training programs for your employees it is always a great practice to send feedback forms throughout the program to gauge how well they are doing not just from a comprehension perspective but also consider asking questions about how accessible and engaging the program is and consider adding a net promoter score question – “Would you recommend (Your employer name) to a friend or family member”. You’ll see whether the training is having an impact on company loyalty.

3. Transparency

Using fit-for-purpose software for employee training & development will certainly help you continuously improve. Think skills matrices, learner dashboards and competency ratings of your staff. You will be able to make quick decisions on workforce management and training program design at a glance.

How to communicate the value of employee training and development

It’s important that training comes across as a collaborative engagement between employee and employer, rather than mandatory and dull. It may well be the case that the training is essential for compliance or accreditation purposes, but the outcomes will be better if the employee understands the benefits that it provides to them.

Employees will get on board with training if certain things are pointed out like career progression, future leadership potential and a way for them to negotiate pay increases.

Training & Development in a Post-Pandemic Economy

Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a rapid shift to remote working and digital technologies. While this does have its advantages, our studies have found almost one-third of employees find it has negatively affected their workplace training. Not only is this decreasing their satisfaction, but it puts businesses at risk of skill gaps and operational interruptions.

With the disruption to regular work routines, it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to meet the training needs of their staff. Dont fall foul to the false efficiencies of delivering learning online. Ultimately your employees dont particulalry like it and the efficacy of their learning is low. By incorporating the strategies we have highlighted above alongside digital workplace training software, you will be able to grow your team’s skills using the delivery methods that work for your staff and company whether that’s on the job training, coaching or online learning.. 

Not all learning systems are built the same. Be sure to verify if they will support you in developing, monitoring, and assessing your employee’s skills. Cloud Assess is one such solution. Not sure how this software can help? Find out the true value of on-the-job training with software.

Making employee training and development easier

It’s important for any organisation to find learning management software that can support each unique aspect of your training programme. A single platform that can handle workplace skills, accreditations, and other training measures across the whole of the organisation allows managers to focus on motivating their employees and powering a successful business. 

Learn more about our software that was built to enable real learning and skills management. You can also jump straight into a free trial to see how it can benefit your organization.