Organizational success depends on your ability to provide quality training to your staff. It helps your staff feel empowered to give their all, contribute positively to the company culture, and realize their full potential, all while reducing attrition and increasing productivity.
Remote and hybrid work models are here to stay, so it’s important to consider not just how your business has changed but also how your workers’ expectations have shifted as a result. That requires thinking about how to adapt your L&D for the digital era.
Employee training is more complicated than gathering your staff in a conference room, lecturing them, and expecting them to apply the information. Traditional learning doesn’t help workers like it used to. Some companies have difficulties with staff training because they operate on the assumption that it can.
Thus, businesses still find their training unproductive (or partly successful) in reaching their objectives. There are a few standard issues with training and development that cause this. These training difficulties include a time-poor and frequently distributed workforce, cost reduction, engagement, and various learning preferences.
Fortunately, Moliere was correct when he said, “The greater the obstacle, the greater the glory in overcoming it!” In order to increase the efficacy of your training, we’ll discuss the most typical problems that arise during employee orientation and provide simple solutions.
The Most Frequent Problems With Corporate Training and Development
Training programs for employees have always been important, but they are especially crucial in the post-pandemic, hybrid economy we now inhabit. But how do workers feel about it in reality? What difficulties are they having in training? And how satisfied are they with their education so far?
According to a recent poll, 96% of workers said they would remain with their current employer for longer if it provided opportunities for professional growth, emphasizing the importance of proper employee training.
Here are some of the most common problems encountered by workers, along with suggestions for addressing them.
Not Enough Time for Studying
People are busy. An already demanding workload is compounded by the uncertainty of employees’ new hybrid workplaces and the impact on their ability to strike a healthy work-life balance.
It might seem tough to carve out time each week to dedicate to training. However, if you expect them to do their training in their spare time, they may end up opposing or even resenting it.
Microlearning, or brief instruction in the form of videos, infographics, quizzes, and checklists, will revolutionize education for those with limited time and attention. By breaking down training into bite-sized chunks that can be completed in as little as ten minutes a day, you can help your employees fit training into their busy schedules.
In addition, the brain’s working memory is better suited to episodic learning. Consequently, microlearning facilitates better long-term memory retention.
Mobile learning is also critical for your staff training and development initiatives. With microlearning and information delivered through professional employee training software, students can study or view courses anywhere, anytime. However, the investment in employee training software goes far beyond its mobility function. Because of the way its organizational components work, it is crucial for any business that wants to boost the development of its workforce.
Problems Grasping the Material
The use of too technical jargon is a leading source of trainee boredom and subsequent difficulties during training. Using abstract notions or technical jargon can turn off learners and reduce understanding, especially when the subject matter is complex.
This is an even bigger issue if any of the people on your team aren’t native English speakers. Non-native speakers already have a harder time comprehending jargon, acronyms, and buzzwords.
In addition, individuals have varying styles of learning. Many of your staff members could have trouble reading lengthy passages of text and would rather get their information in video format instead, or the opposite can be true.
Using simple English in training makes the material more accessible to everyone and saves your learners time and effort. If the language that is being used is straightforward, then it is more likely that the person will grasp what they read (or hear) on the first try, without the need for them to go back and figure out the meaning.
Providing a range of content formats may help ensure your students are exposed to what they need to fully understand and remember the material. From interactive quizzes and downloadable PDFs to video lectures and in-person workshops.
Workforce Dispersion
Training is becoming more difficult due to a fragmented workforce and the increasing increase of remote and hybrid employment.
When you have a staff that is spread out around the globe, it can be difficult to teach everyone consistently because of language and cultural barriers. To provide one example, not all cultures value open discussion on internet forums equally.
Building trust and sympathy among dispersed teams is possible with the use of modern technologies like video conferencing, webinars, discussion boards, social media, and communication channels. Discussion boards, for instance, may be used as a secure location to raise questions or concerns or to exchange experience and information, which makes training far more successful.
It also helps to have a plan for your training from the start. Participants in training need clear guidance on what is expected of them and how their successes in the classroom will translate to the job at hand.
Employees (particularly those who work remotely) can’t receive a poke on the shoulder with a quiet “complete your training“, so communicating the importance of each training session is essential. Sending out emails to your staff before, during, and after training is a great way to get the word out and keep everyone interested.
Final Thoughts
Training and development initiatives for staff members are dynamic and always changing. Since new employee training obstacles will undoubtedly arise in the future, it is essential to approach training with the proper frame of mind. It’s more than simply a formality; it benefits both workers and the business as a whole.
Learning new abilities and information is the ultimate goal of training, not passing a class. It is a process that can and should be improved upon at every stage.
