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<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAs an experienced HR professional, you know that employees are more likely to stay at companies that are willing to invest in their professional development. Yet those Lunch and Learn meetings to learn about new Excel hacks often go unattended\u2013or maybe employees are interested, but can’t find the time to attend.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Either way, it’s not an ideal situation. Here\u2019s how to get your employees excited to improve upon their skills and learn new ones.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Before you can start promoting training courses to employees, you must make sure that senior leadership is on board. Because if they don\u2019t see the value in training, no one else will either.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
In 2018, employee turnover cost $600 billion<\/a>. In the age of the Great Resignation<\/a>, these numbers are only increasing. Training and development can offset these costs.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When presented with more opportunities for career growth and professional development, employees are more likely to stay<\/a> with a company. They’re also more likely to be promoted to leadership roles.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When you look at it this way, leadership should agree that you can\u2019t afford not<\/em> to promote training courses to employees.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n The best way to get employees excited about training is to get their input on what they want and need to be trained for. This is especially true if you have a wave of employees who are new to your industry, new to the workforce, or if you’ve recently implemented a new product or process.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Upper management may assume that their employees are all on the same page when in reality, they’re struggling. The struggle could be fixed with training, but you never know until you ask. One way to do this is through a training needs assessment<\/a>. This is a more formal approach and works best for technical skills and job safety.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another way to do this is through a simple survey distributed to employees. Include questions such as:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Don\u2019t underestimate the value of these simple questions. They could bring big insights and even greater value to your organization.<\/p>\r\n If you have senior leadership on board and you\u2019re providing the training that employees have asked for, but you aren\u2019t actually making time for the employees to do the training, you\u2019re missing the point.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This is where you may have to bridge the gap between the buy-in at the top of your organization and the needs of employees. Make sure management understands how valuable it is so that they can make sure employees have time for it. Why promote training courses that no one is given the time to attend?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If training temporarily takes employees away from their work, remind management of the long-term benefits<\/a>: better employee engagement and retention, increased productivity and innovation, and enhanced leadership potential.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Make time for training now and reap the rewards later.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n If you really want employees to take advantage of training courses, consider the role of accessibility.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The learning platform that you use needs to be easy to log into and navigate. When deciding on a platform, take time to research and use it yourself and evaluate its user-friendliness. Once you\u2019ve selected a platform, make sure the instructions for using it are clear and easy to follow.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Training courses should be easy to integrate into employees’ schedules. This might mean utilizing a Lunch and Learn format or offering microsessions\u2013bite-sized learning modules that can easily be scheduled into a workday. The easier a learning program is to integrate, the more likely its adoption.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Training courses should also be adaptive. Think of adaptive learning<\/a> as a tutor with an algorithm, a technology-based educational system that adjusts to the learner\u2019s needs and interests. This style of learning will keep the employee interested, engaged, and more likely to complete additional training courses.<\/p>\r\n We\u2019ve all had to sit through less-than-enthralling slide decks and presentations. Even if the information is important, if it\u2019s boring, no one will pay attention, learn anything, or sign up for future training.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you\u2019ve decided to offer an online learning platform, be sure it offers content that’s relevant, challenging, and adaptive. Make sure the modules are short enough to easily fit into your employees’ schedules.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But technology isn\u2019t the only way to make training more engaging. Bring in guest speakers to talk about exciting news in the industry. Plan hands-on demonstrations for new technology. Host competitions if you\u2019re hoping to stoke the fires of creativity and innovation!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Variety is the spice of life and people love novelty, so think outside of the box and promote training your employees will be excited to sign up for.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n It’s not always a good idea<\/a> to offer incentives for every good behavior you want to see. But it’s a good idea to incentivize training courses that directly benefit the employee and the organization.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Cash incentives like bonuses are an easy solution. But what employees really want is to feel appreciated<\/a>. This means taking a more personalized approach to your company culture and your employees to see what incentives would work best.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Here are some great non-cash incentives to offer:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One benefit of non-cash incentives is that they’ll create excitement, whereas employees may not be comfortable discussing cash bonuses or pay incentives. Whichever option you choose, be sure to mention the incentives when you promote training to employees.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Similar to incentives, a great way to promote training is to connect it to promotion and advancement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n When employees are seeking (and completing) training opportunities, they’re more likely to be productive and engaged. When they get promoted to management, they’ll likely do the same for their employees. Your employees are rewarded for their efforts and your organization attracts and retains good talent.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As long as everyone receives equal opportunities for training, connecting it to promotion and advancement is a great way to promote training. This is also a great way to demonstrate a clear path to advancement to new employees.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n One way to promote training courses to employees is to celebrate when other employees complete courses. No one likes feeling left out, and this could be just the nudge you need to get others on board. Think of it as a type of positive peer pressure<\/a>. If all your coworkers were being celebrated for doing something, wouldn\u2019t you want to be celebrated, too? One way to do this is to include the course-completion rate in the company-wide email.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another option is to provide a token upon completion. A certificate or card is most common and in some cases most appropriate. But for others, you can take a more creative or personalized approach. This could be as simple as a pen, travel mug, or a credential added to the employee ID badge.<\/p>\r\n This can be a hard needle to move, but it’s worth moving. A company that doesn\u2019t value employee training may not understand why you want to promote employee training courses. If that’s the case, focus on the culture before you focus on the training.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n First, show the value. Companies that make an effort<\/a> to understand what their employees need and create more on-the-job opportunities through training and development experience greater employee engagement, productivity, and retention. In other words: less turnover, better cost-savings. Training equals profit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Next, build excitement. Promote training courses as opportunities for incentives and advancements. Show employees how training connects to the organization’s values and the work they do. Identify enthusiastic employees who are early adopters<\/a> regarding the value of training courses and let them help build the hype.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Finally, create a standing appointment. Put your training on the company calendar. Make sure everyone knows (and is excited about!) the second Thursday Lunch and Learn where the CEO shares industry news and what it means for your organization. Consistency will build trust and create change.<\/p>\r\n This one may seem counterintuitive. Why spend the time and money to help employees develop skills that they can use somewhere else? Employees appreciate it when organizations invest in them. And when an employee appreciates the organization, they usually stay there.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If an employee knows that a course provides information that will be valuable for the duration of his or her career, they’re more likely to take it and remain engaged. This can be a huge benefit to recent graduates and new hires, as well as people who’ve had an extended period of time out of the workforce.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Lack of Time<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you want employees to take the time to complete training courses, you must take the time to promote them. Make a schedule and be intentional about how much time you invest in promoting training to your employees.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Poor Perception of Training<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If employees don\u2019t see the relevance or value in the training you\u2019re promoting, they probably won\u2019t commit to completing them. Make sure you’re selecting and promoting courses that are highly relevant to the employee and the organization.<\/p>\r\n Inefficient Marketing<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If you promoted the employee training course by posting a paper flyer on the dusty corkboard in the employee break room, don\u2019t be surprised if no one attends. Find a better, more engaging way to promote training, such as in-person announcements, posting QR codes, or sending out internal newsletters with updates.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n Check out some of our most popular KnowledgeCity courses for employees below:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Leadership<\/a>: Learn the resilience, agility, and communication skills required by strong leaders. This course will teach employees how to inspire confidence and influence others.\u00a0<\/p>\r\nAsk Employees What They Want and Need<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Make Time for It<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Make Training Courses Easy to Access<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Make it Engaging<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Offer Incentives<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Connect Training to Promotion and Advancement<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Celebrate It!<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Make Learning a Part of the Company Culture<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Make it Transferable<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Barriers to Promoting Training Courses<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n
Top Training Courses<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n