You need to be smart about assigning learning responsibilities. Unfortunately, the job of training a new employee is often assigned to someone who is in close proximity to him and to someone who has more free time. For training to be effective, it is imperative that the person providing the training has the necessary skills. Mentor training is the first and most important step in the successful training of new employees.
Provide the new employee with both social and professional mentoring. A friendly, competent, and positive employee may well be a suitable mentor to help new hires fill in the experience gaps.
Assign it formally, in writing. Find or create a written preparation guide with specific instructions and reference information. This will be a valuable support for the employee and accelerate successful training.
Create a safe learning environment. It is the responsibility of the mentor to create a safe learning environment. The most effective way to accomplish this is to build friendships with the trainee. To create a friendly and relaxed learning environment, a simple manifestation of humanity is required. Spend time chatting with the newcomer, ask about his family, activities and hobbies, and don't forget to mention yours. Professional business is about human compromise, so treat a new employee the way you would like to be treated.
Make indulgences. Give new hires some leeway in choosing the pace of learning and mastering new tasks, especially when training is provided by several employees who need to combine their regular duties with training newcomers. Anxiety and confusion in the educational process will only create unnecessary problems.
Provide equipment for successful training. Give the new employee a laptop with basic instructions and detailed job descriptions. It is a very useful tool in terms of skill assessment. Evaluating a new employee by measuring the performance of work assignments will build confidence and help determine the level of accomplishment of the newcomer.
Remove obstacles. Negativity interferes with learning. Praise and positive feedback strengthens and inspires everyone. Set yourself a goal and develop positive relationships and feedback. It's not worth pushing results, so give your employees enough time to revisit and complete their assigned tasks. Avoid the temptation to dictate and manage training times. Setting deadlines and setting unreasonable goals is one of the most common barriers to successful new employee training.
Carry out the training in stages. Along with the knowledge and skills to perform a complex task, the trainee gains confidence in his abilities. Confidence is a powerful catalyst that helps the trainee move forward at an accelerated pace towards the next part of the training.
Be generous with praise and nimble with criticism. As the popular wisdom says: the one who does nothing is not mistaken. Always keep this in mind when it comes to beginner mistakes. Nagging a new employee who is trying to learn in a short time what the rest of the staff took months and years to do will greatly interfere with the learning process as a whole. This approach is completely counterproductive.
Now it is no longer necessary to prove the need for training and advanced training of employees. Highly qualified personnel significantly affects the survival and profitability of the enterprise.
Factors influenced by employee training:
- to improve the quality of managers' work, replacing old ineffective management techniques;
- to the level of qualifications in professional activity;
- to increase the volume of production activities;
- to develop communication skills and others.
Is it worth spending money on external training and training centers to constantly maintain the professional level of employees?
Perhaps you can implement internal training of personnel on your own, because there is nothing outrageously complicated in this. Just get started.
How to organize staff training on your own
The process of organizing internal staff training should be implemented in stages.
1. Tasks and goal setting for personnel training.
2. Approval of training formats.
3. Highlighting the need for staff training.
4. Creation of training courses.
5. Search and training of training trainers (mentors).
6. Training of employees of the enterprise.
7. Consolidation and assessment of the passed material.
8. Analysis of learning outcomes.
Let's take a look at some of the steps.
Highlighting the need for staff training.
When identifying the need of employees for training, it is necessary to identify exactly the gap in the qualifications of employees that reduces the effectiveness of their work.
It is determined in the process:
- analysis of the results of the work of the personnel;
- certification of employees;
- at the request of managers and employees.
The head of the department should take the leading role here, identify the need for training and suggest topics for training programs.
However, employees must independently analyze the effectiveness of their own labor. And, if necessary, contact the HR department or the manager with an application for thematic training.
Personnel training format.
The ideal option is to organize in the company its own training and professional development center. In this connection, it is required to equip the educational process with technical means, information systems and educational materials.
In addition to equipped offices, conference rooms, with a distributed structure of the organization, there may be a need for distance learning. In this case, it is necessary to introduce a distance learning system, webinars, and develop electronic training materials.
In this case, serious financial costs will be required, but you can start introducing personnel training and simple means.
Small companies can build a learning process that is easy to manage and implement, requiring minimal costs, with the proper quality of training, without creating special infrastructure and classrooms.
1. Organization of a network storage of educational and teaching materials, reference books, instructions (a folder on a shared network drive).
2. Implementation.
With any method (face-to-face or distance) of training, you will need to create an interactive training course containing:
- theoretical course of lectures (text material, presentations);
- video material with recordings of a lecturer, trainer, specialist;
- practical tasks, cases, simulators;
- trainings;
- control test.
The Internet has accumulated a huge amount of educational material on various professional topics, use them.
At the initial stage, the training manager can assemble the training course from the training materials that are freely available.
Build a training course using materials from electronic library sites, professional communities, free educational projects, etc. Educational or thematic videos from YouTube channels, etc.
You can organize testing according to the passed course in a free program or in an online testing service, of which there are also a large number.
All this should be collected in one folder with the topic of training and instructions with links to the course or in an electronic course in.
Encourage and encourage employee self-training. It is enough to conduct public, hosted conferences, and other events. The HR manager needs to regularly monitor the events on the Internet and announce them to the staff, in any convenient form for your organization.
Search and preparation of training trainers (mentors)
The stage of training your own coaches and mentors is carried out for each unit. Department leaders should assign staff to review performance and identify ongoing learning objectives. At the stage of training trainers, the company may involve the personnel of third-party organizations (outsourcing).
Often, the most qualified employees of the enterprise, experienced foremen, become mentors in production. When choosing a trainer, however, one should take into account not only the level of skill, but also the ability of the employee to teach.
Human Resources employees should use the following criteria:
- high level of professionalism;
- consistently high assessment of indicators of labor results;
- the ability to train employees;
- loyalty to the company;
- excellent communication skills.
Implementation of internal training and staff development(albeit the most primitive and simple) will give an impetus to the self-development of personnel, increase the productivity and efficiency of employees.
Having received new knowledge and skills, each employee who has undergone training begins to gradually introduce them into daily work. By gradually systematizing the approach to organizing the work process, an employee can very soon be convinced of the effectiveness of the training he has completed. The quality of the work increases markedly.
Of course, the introduction of new knowledge and their application in practice is a matter of time. Not every employee is able to immediately implement the knowledge gained into actions, since he is used to working from his own experience. But knowledge is present, and over time, the approach to organizing work and applying the acquired new knowledge and skills begins to change.
- What are the goals of training employees.
- What types and concepts of training are practiced.
- What is special about training staff on and off the job.
- How to evaluate the result of employee training.
Training the company's personnel is the only way to always be ahead. Success in the market and making a profit depends only on how well your employees are able to create, present and sell a product. In this article, we will look at the basic methods of personnel training.
Personnel training in the organization
The market environment creates ever new conditions for business promotion, and success often depends on how well you train and develop your staff.
Aims and importance of staff training
The importance of continuous employee training in a modern enterprise can hardly be overestimated. Just look at the following factors:
- New technology is constantly being introduced, the production of new goods was introduced, new infocommunication technologies appear.
- The world is becoming a market and competition between countries is constantly increasing. The better the system of continuous education and labor of workers is established in the country, the more likely it will become one of the market leaders.
- The continuous process of training personnel who already work in the company and know the specifics of production and sales of products is ultimately more efficient and economical than hiring new employees.
At the same time, the views on the issue of personnel training from the point of view of the employee and the employer may differ significantly. From the point of view of most employers, the main objectives of the training are:
- Reproduction and integration of personnel.
- Employee adaptation.
- Implementation of innovative technologies and other innovations.
- More flexible staffing.
- Acquiring skills in identifying, understanding and solving emerging problems.
The employee has more practical goals:
- Maintaining professional skills and qualifications at a sufficiently high level.
- Acquisition of additional professional knowledge outside the main field of activity.
- Acquisition of additional knowledge about everything that affects the work of the company - suppliers, customers, banks, etc.
- Acquisition of knowledge in the field of organization and planning of production.
How to identify the need for staff training
Training of employees at the enterprise is primarily aimed at developing their professional knowledge and skills. Ideally, this is part of the company's strategy, and should be planned: during technical re-equipment, modernization of production, expanding the scope of activities, etc.
There are additional reasons - a sharp decline in the production or financial performance of a company or specific departments, changes in existing legislation, etc.
In medium-sized companies, the staff training program and rules are developed by the employees of the HR department. Large enterprises have a special training department, which is responsible for the development of professional knowledge and skills.
For the competent organization of employee training, it is necessary first to find out how necessary it is. For this, standard methods are used:
- Audit of personal files of employees of the enterprise... In the process, it is specified how long ago the employee received basic or additional education, whether after that he underwent retraining courses. Some professions require advanced training on average every 3-5 years.
- Probation... Upon completion, a decision is made to conclude a contract with subsequent advanced training, or to refuse to hire.
- Collection of applications... Sometimes requests for staff training in an organization come from below - from the workers themselves. Sometimes the leaders of structural divisions act as initiators. Sometimes the process of training employees is initiated by the administration of the enterprise.
- Worker certification... It happens another, unscheduled, can be carried out after a probationary period or during a transfer. After certification, a special commission develops individual recommendations for each employee on training, self-training and skills development.
Types and concepts of personnel training
Depending on the needs of a particular enterprise, the results appraisals etc. a decision is made on what type of personnel training should be used in this case.
- Staff training. There is specific work to be done. For example, new equipment arrived. Employees should receive special knowledge, skills and abilities, which should be enough to master the new realities and complete the work efficiently and on time.
- Retraining of employees... If an employee changes his profession, as well as with a significant change in the requirements for the profession itself, a radical retraining of employees is required, the acquisition of completely different knowledge and skills than those that he had initially.
- Training... The employee remains in his profession, in his place, and receives additional knowledge and skills that will help him in performing work, moving up the career ladder, etc.
In accordance with these types of employee training, domestic and foreign specialists have developed 3 concepts for the education of qualified personnel of the enterprise:
- Specialized education... It has a limited horizon of events and is limited either by the present moment or by the immediate future, as well as by the unchanging workplace. It is ineffective in the long term, but it is popular among workers as a way to strengthen self-esteem and maintain their place in the moment.
- Multidisciplinary training... More efficiently from the economic point of view and directed to the future, it increases the mobility of the employee. This creates some risk for the enterprise: the mobile worker has the opportunity to choose, and, in comparison with specialized employees, is less tied to his workplace.
- Personality-oriented learning... Each person has a certain set of qualities, both innate and acquired. This concept provides for their development and direction for specific activities.
How to save money on employee training
What if the company's deteriorating financial situation forces you to cut your employee training budget? Implement a culture of self-learning. This way, you will reduce personnel development costs and be able to quickly respond to market changes.
For more information on how to do this, read the article in the ezine "General Director".
Choosing the form of staff training
Professional development of employees can be organized both by the enterprise's own resources, and it can be given to outsourcing... Let's consider in a little more detail.
Internal option... Possible if the company has a personnel development department. It is also possible if the staff has a sufficient number of reputable and experienced mentors who are able to train less experienced workers, supervise their work, and draw conclusions. The main advantage of the internal approach is non-separation from production, the ability to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. In addition, there is a link to the needs of a particular department and company.
External approach... If the company does not have an appropriate department and there are no reputable specialists, employees can be sent to specialized courses. You can also invite outside teachers. Sometimes this approach is more costly than organizing training within the company, sometimes less. It all depends on the number of trainees, the specifics of the company's work, etc. Another nuance - with an external approach, training is more general, without reference to the specifics of a particular enterprise.
The choice of a particular form, or their combination, depends on the strategy of the enterprise, its plans, goals and means. For example, a company is going to enter the international market, in connection with which some employees need to improve their level of proficiency in a foreign language. The certification carried out showed that the level of proficiency among employees is at different levels: some need to master it from scratch, others need to refine their professional vocabulary, and still others need to improve their speech. In the first case, training of employees of the organization is carried out within the company, in the second, the passage of third-party courses is suitable. In the third - multidisciplinary work, as well as self-education.
Workplace employee training
Each form of education has its own set of methods. Some forms are possible only in a specific enterprise - for example, training for jobs that are rarely required in the production process, and there is no need to take additional courses to complete them. Also, the company uses such techniques as rotation, coaching.
Consider the main methods of training personnel on the job.
Mentoring
If the company has experienced employees, they can be assigned to newcomers. They will give assignments, check the student's level of training and the quality of work, give advice.
Rotation of personnel
Rotation is a change of activity, temporary or permanent. In this case, with a very specific goal - to acquire new experience, knowledge, skills, professional qualifications... Depending on the needs of the company and the employee, the degree of training, etc. a person can spend in a new place for himself from several days to several months.
Complicating tasks
First, the beginner is given the simplest task - for example, grind a bolt or write a small part of the source code of the program. If he copes, the next task is given. And so, gradually complicating the tasks, they make a professional out of him. After a while, he will perform new work at a qualitatively different level.
Production briefing
The student receives minimal information about innovations, gets acquainted with the working environment, new equipment, and adapts to new conditions. If additional training is required after this, you can use any of the described approaches.
Shadowing
Personnel training methodology in practice. This method is used in companies that oversee colleges and universities, recruiting graduates. Graduate students are given the opportunity to spend some time next to a specialist, observing his work in real conditions. Thus, the beginner gains a little experience of real work, and those who do not like such work are automatically eliminated.
Off-site employee training
In production, practical training and coaching for specific operations is possible. Any theoretical program remains either on the conscience of the employee for further self-training, or is conducted in special courses outside the workplace.
Let's consider the main methods of training employees outside the enterprise.
Lectures
On the one hand, this is one of the most popular ways to improve the qualifications of employees. On the other hand, it is one of the most difficult. To achieve maximum efficiency, the lecturer must not only thoroughly know the subject, but also be able to work with the audience, control the attention of the audience.
Another nuance - the lecture teaches you to automatically accept someone else's opinion. Most of the listeners take notes after the lecturer, without further checking facts and figures.
Seminars
A classic seminar is a discussion with a predetermined topic. The trainees exchange opinions on this topic, ask each other questions, argue. The lecturer acts as a moderator. The seminar is most often held after the lecture to consolidate the material.
Depending on the subject, the discussion can be alternated with business games, group assignments, etc. This allows you to better master the topic under discussion, to work out specific issues. Unlike a lecture, where the number of listeners is quite large, the seminar is intended for a limited audience - no more than 20-25 people.
Training
Training is analogous to a seminar, but with an emphasis on practice. At the seminar, they talk about a specific problem or issue (for example, about cold sales), at the training they apply the acquired knowledge in practice - for example, they make a call to a real client of the company. In this way, both newcomers and old-timers of the company are trained.
Distance learning
Most large companies practice distance learning, or eLearning. According to the most conservative forecasts, the global e-Learning market will reach $ 240 billion in a few years.
Distance education is as follows. The company opens a training course on the Internet site and uploads all the necessary materials there: books, presentations, video tutorials, regulations, e-courses. Each employee of the enterprise receives his own username and password. At any time, he can go to the site from any gadget - computer, smartphone, tablet - under his credentials, study the proposed material, and then take a test. Reports are sent to the manager on the desk, in which he can see how much time employees spend on taking lessons and tests, what courses they are interested in, in which they make mistakes.
The main advantage of the remote approach to personnel training is the ability to train employees from several branches. All data is stored in one place, and every employee gets access to it. The disadvantage is that you have to expand the staff a little. For the creation and maintenance of the site and the development of electronic courses, you will need separate specialists.
Business games
Another method of training personnel outside the enterprise is conducting business games. The training is carried out in conditions as close as possible to real ones. Real practice is taken as a basis. For example, employees in real time must solve a specific problem - sell a product, present a new product, reassure an inadequate client. It all depends only on their professional orientation.
As a result, employees learn to behave in a variety of industrial and other situations, conduct negotiations, and substantiate their point of view.
Mixed approach in employee training
In the traditional formulation, a combination of distance and face-to-face approach is called mixed. For example, a face-to-face lesson is held, after which employees study electronic materials and take the course online. At the same time, all materials are available to employees, they can be studied at any time. In another approach, employees first thoroughly study the whole theory, after which they undergo a face-to-face master class, during which the trainer does not touch on the methodology and focuses exclusively on practice.
There are other combined techniques that combine several methods. The main ones include:
- Demonstration and practical implementation of any operations under supervision... The teacher shows the student how to do it. After that, the same operation is performed by an employee, but under supervision.
- Programmable learning... The employee works independently, with the help of a book or a machine, and periodically performs tasks or answers questions encountered along the way.
- Secondment. An employee can gain additional experience not only in his office, but also in another organization. For example, managers of a company go to some charitable foundation to learn from their experience. Interestingly, this method is used much less frequently in Russia than in European countries.
Training of qualified employees can be considered effective if the costs associated with it are in the long term lower than the costs of improving work efficiency due to other factors and costs associated with inadequate qualifications of personnel.
Personnel development system
The personnel development system will help to understand the whole variety of training methods and use them depending on the specific situation, that is, a set of techniques, resources and processes that are necessary to effectively solve production problems and meet the current needs of employees.
The functions of the personnel development system include:
- Analysis and assessment of the professional level of employees.
- Analysis of the personal level of employees.
- Determination of the need for training activities.
- Motivation of staff to study.
- The choice of specific forms and methods of training and control.
- Organization of training events, sending employees to take courses, etc.
- Organization of control activities, checking the assimilation of new materials.
- Analysis of the results and conclusions for further work with personnel.
How to evaluate the results of staff training
Improving professional skills affects several important factors at once. The employee receives a guarantee that he will remain in his workplace, will receive the prospect of promotion and additional opportunities for self-realization. The organization will receive additional income, clients, and will be able to conduct more efficient activities.
For a competent assessment of the results of training events, several factors must be taken into account:
- Benefit learning is expressed not only in effective work.
- Costs It is relatively easy to assess the wrong approach to personnel training: it is enough to calculate the cost of marriage, damaged materials, customer complaints, and evaluate the work required to correct errors.
- Expenses It is easier to estimate the costs that will be needed to increase the qualifications of an employee while away from work than the costs of organizing the training process for personnel in an enterprise without interrupting the main activity.
