Almost every organization needs a training and development department to grow their people.
Did you know Amazon pay their employee $10,000 and 3 month's salary to quit their job and start their own Delivery Service Partner business? Amazon also has a "Pay to Quit Program" which pays full-time associates at Amazon fulfillment centers up to $5,000 to leave the company after training.
That's insane for many companies. Paying staff money to quit but it is not for Amazon. Their rationale is the company only wants employees who want to be there (not unmotivated and unhappy staff).
Jeff Bezos, leader of Amazon said, “Pay to Quit is pretty simple. Once a year, we offer to pay our associates to quit. The first year the offer is made, it’s for $2,000. Then it goes up one thousand dollars a year until it reaches $5,000. The goal is to encourage folks to take a moment and think about what they really want. In the long-run, an employee staying somewhere they don’t want to be isn’t healthy for the employee or the company.”
Therefore, there are no best employee training and development models as the needs of people and organizations evolve. Previously, people are money-minded but people in this generation are becoming purpose-driven.
Nevertheless, departments like sales, marketing, finance, production, and HR can’t survive without proper training. Basically, training is a transformation process in which some input produces output in the shape of skills, knowledge, and attitude. Training must be provided to all employees, irrespective of their skills and qualifications.
Importance of Training
In any organization, environments keep on changing, so does the requirements. So, all the employees, including managers, must be given proper training. Training is mandatory as it can improve the competency of the employees. The organization can achieve lots of benefits by training its employees, such as efficiency improvement, development of soft and technical skills, and self-management. All these benefits can increase the success and turnover rate of organizations.
Training is mandatory for the stability of the organizations. During any expansion or diversification process, training becomes compulsory. Timely training can improve productivity and reduce waste. Employees must adapt to a constantly changing environment, and it is only possible by everchanging training models.
Commonly Used Types of Training Models
These are the common types that are practiced in almost all organizations.
It is a one-time training and considered to be the most common type of training model. In this model, all the employees receive a formal welcome and given the proper introduction of the company. It mostly happens during the first week of the job. The purpose of this training is to provide awareness about company rules and regulations. This training is prepared by HR, and the contents of training include:
- Mission, vision, and values of the company.
- Introduction of leadership and organizational structure.
- Overview of the production and marketing departments.
- Key policies of the organization.
- All the administrative procedures.
It is mostly conducted in a seminar room. All the new employees must attend this training.
People have a misconception in their minds about this training. One thing that should be clear is that orientation and on-board are two different types of training. Orientation is one-time training, and employees are given the complete agenda while on-board training held frequently, and it helps employees to be successful in a short time.
On-board training usually starts on the first day and continues for the first year. The top leadership of the different departments prepares this training, and all the ways to achieve departmental goals are discussed. Employees are given access to all the information and skills they need to perform their job efficiently. It usually focuses on the technical aspects of the job. This training can help to enhance the engagement and productivity of employees. A useful on-board training session will allow leadership to spend their time in other activities because all the questions will be answered during this training.
It doesn’t matter how much technical skills employees have, and there is always space for improvement. It is fundamental training that will help employees to do their jobs right. Some employees have lots of technical experience, but believe me; they can still learn lots of technical skills. I believed that a man could never be perfect. This training is mandatory to keep employees up-to-date with the latest skills. This training program can be included in on-board training or can be considered as a separate one. So, this training model is mandatory because there is always something new for employees to learn.
As technical skills development is essential; similarly, the development of soft skills is also mandatory. Soft skills are the personal attributes of employees and play a major role. It enables people to communicate effectively with another workforce in the organization. If the employees don’t have solid soft skills, it can affect the turnover and success rates of organizations. It is mandatory training for all the existing and new employees. It can help to build a respectful, efficient, and collaborative culture. Soft skills development training must focus on:
- Communication and presentation skills.
- Problem-solving and leadership skills.
- Conflict resolution and time management.
- Teamwork and ethics.
All these soft skills can play a big role in the success of any organization.
It can be a part of the onboard training for new employees. Or it can be a refresher for the older employees about the company’s services and products. This training is important to keep all the staff updated about the new products and services.
This type of training depends on the industry. Some industries require training in occupational safety and health training. Some states have laws to educate employees about sexual harassment. The government itself provides these types of training. The policy has changed, and these training are available in slides and video formats. You can integrate all these trainings to your website’s centralized hub.
Why the Need for Training Arises?
There can be several factors. Why training becomes essential.
Automation has brought many changes, so now the training becomes crucial. Employees need to be taught technical skills to deal with this automation. Employees need to be trained to stay up-to-date with the latest knowledge.
Technology is changing, and processes are becoming complex. So, to deal with this complexity, training is mandatory.
In any organization, employees need to have a good relationship between them. So, it has made training essential for the employees. For human relations training programs regarding soft skills development are mandatory.
If at any point in time, the scope of the job changes, then training becomes essential. Some examples of changes in job scope can be, transfer of an employee to another department, promotion to another department, etc. training is also required to keep all the old employees up-to-date with the latest knowledge and skills.
So, training models can be different in different organizations, but you can deny the importance of training models in any organization.
Best Training Models
Employee training is essential for better job experience. When a new employee joins an organization, he/she is ready to absorb information about company rules, policies, and responsibilities. Training models are not only for new employees, but existing clients also need to be trained to learn new skills. But the question is which best training models are? What should be the methods to facilitate the training process? Technology has changed, and it has offered industries and managers more training options than ever. Now companies can use traditional classroom training, online computer-based training, or video-based training models.
Top 5 Best Training Models
There are so many training options available, so it’s not easy to find out which one will be best for your company and employees.
This type of training model is the most widely used and traditional training model. The biggest advantage of this training model is employees don’t have to pay for additional college courses. A senior manager or expert prepares a PowerPoint presentation and delivers a lecture in front of the new and existing employees. The instructor-led this training model, so it is also known as an instructor-based training model.
This training model offers lots of excellent benefits. The main advantage is personal interaction. You can ask your queries or questions from the instructor. It can help to establish a relationship between trainees and trainers. Although it has the biggest disadvantage, this training model lacks scalability. When the class size gets bigger, things become complicated. If you are choosing this training model, make sure the trainers have high energy because these training sessions can go long without breaks. In such training sessions, trainees are likely to lose interest quickly.
It is much like classroom training, but it involves group activities, so it takes training sessions to a new level. Some popular interactive training models include case study reviews, quizzes, demonstrations, and group discussions. This approach can be fa un and engaging experience for both employees and trainers. It is an effective training model because employees learn from trainers and also from group interactions.
It is not good for quiet employees because they feel reluctant to speak in group sessions. In this way, they couldn’t learn properly. So, for this type of training model, make sure that all the trainees are equally involved and getting most of the knowledge. Some people get lost during shuffle. So the best way to do is to make groups and add people to those groups where they feel comfortable. In this way, the chances of learning and gaining knowledge are high.
As it is evident by its name, employees quickly dive into practical and perform those activities that they have learned. Most of the employees loved this approach because they feel that the best way to learn is through active participation. Hands-on training also has lots of other advantages. It is a quicker learning process because you can start practicing right from day one. It boosts the learning process. In long and consecutive training sessions, employees get tired. It is different from other training models and requires full attention and focus.
However, it might not be straightforward for some employees. Most of the clients struggle to understand their role without getting full training. Whenever you are deciding to choose this method, ask your employees whether they are ready for it or not? It is the most effective training model, but it depends on how a person learns. Give your trainees some time so that they can understand the job requirements and complete the job training.
If you are looking for a training model that doesn’t require an instructor, then this one is right for you. However, there is a difference between computer-based and e-learning training. E-learning will take place using an app or website, while computer-based training takes place on a computer. It is different from classroom-type training. Trainees are presented with visual content with the instructor’s voiceover. This training model can also include reading material and videos that you might have in a classroom environment.
Modern companies are adopting this type of training model. In America, almost 77% of employers are using this training model. Many companies prefer this training model because of its scalability. Nearly 500 people can get a computer-based training course at a time. More importantly, this training model offers ease to stop and start at any time. This freedom is good for employees, and they can learn and go deep and take their time for learning. While quick learners when getting bored, they quickly moved to coursework.
The biggest disadvantage of this training model is the monitoring process. You are not sure whether the trainees are genuinely engaged in learning material or not? So, the best thing to deal with this situation is to introduce quizzes into this digital experience. These tactics will help you to understand whether the trainee has completely gained information or not.
As technology has revolutionized, the video training model becomes critical. The video method is playing a vital role in both internal and external use, such as marketing and sales. Modern employers believe that after five years, the video will be a “de facto” form of internal communication. According to 96% of businesses, videos help to train employees faster and better. 75% of employees like to watch videos instead of reading emails or documents.
Video training involves lots of different approaches. The most common video training style includes:
- Live-action
- Screen recorded
- Animation
- To-camera
So, whatever video training method you choose, it will replace the boring documentation and handbooks with engaging content. It has lots of benefits. Video training is easily accessible. Video training can save your time and money. Your top leadership can perform the job for which they were hired. More importantly, it makes the learning process easy and engaging. You can change your video at content at/ any time.
So, all these training models have several advantages and disadvantages. Whatever training model you choose, make sure that it is employee-friendly.