Considerate Coaching Develops Higher Staff
Well thought-out training develops better employees
Developing a new training program for employees or updating an existing training program is a huge expense in many companies. However, these efforts often do not meet the business needs or the needs of the employees, or both. Why? While most training activities have some budget for learning development, they often skip the first step – analyzing training needs – to save time and money. However, without the guidance and direction that emerges from the needs assessment, the entire program can derail and become wasteful.
Today we focus on the often overlooked approaches needed to balance company and employee training needs. (Read more here for a deeper look at analyzing training needs from an instructional design perspective.)
Consider these three perspectives to balance company and employee training needs:
- Companies
- Department
- Employee
Company-level training needs mainly consist of onboarding programs that introduce employees to the company’s values and organizational culture, as well as compliance and / or legal training.
A department’s training needs depend on its role (sales, accounting, customer service, etc.). An organizational chart and a clear and explicit job description are essential to identify these needs.
The employee’s training needs are related to their specific personal competencies, desired career plan, and personal needs that support the business needs. Analyzing training needs is extremely important and can have an impact in many areas of a business.
When this is done, training needs analysis has been dictated top-down in many organizations. Now is the time to be a little bit more revolutionary and give the people the power so maybe we can turn the training needs analysis on its head. Instead of a traditional top-down approach where managers or learning and development departments assess training needs and create course materials, take a bottom-up approach and empower employees to say what they want to learn.
A training needs analysis starts with the organizational goals but then focuses on the tasks and people required to get there. Gather some basic data to know where people are starting the process so you can give them the tools they need to meet business goals and their own needs. Training programs must empower employees and support their development, which in turn supports departmental and corporate goals. Without this alignment, there is nothing concrete available to employees, and in the end everyone gets tired and gives up.
This is how you determine the training needs of your employees
Where do you start And how do you identify employee training needs?
1. Define the right goals
Some organizations set corporate-level goals without reference to the basic knowledge and development needs of employees. Setting an organizational goal that requires certain skills that your employees may not have is unsuccessful, and setting unachievable goals demotivates employees. Instead, clearly identify the strengths and needs of the employees to support and support the organizational goals.
2. Talk to the staff
Take the time to ask employees what they need to advance their careers. Are you happy with your work and if not, what could make you happier?
Encourage open feedback. Show that you really care about setting goals so that training meets employees’ needs, rather than deciding who will get the next pay cut. This can help you find training deficiencies that you would otherwise never have thought of checking. Developing training that truly meets their needs and wants can build retention so your investment in people will continue to pay off over time.
3. Assess your current training resources
Once you have figured out what your employees know and what they need, it is time to evaluate existing training resources that could aid progress towards achieving the goals. What needs to be refined? What does an overhaul need? What is missing? Use the blended / distributed learning approach to identify the learning outcomes that best meet the needs. Reuse and reuse if possible. Use some of the duplicate learning outcomes as performance support.
4. Prioritize your exercise program based on the major pain points
Remember that training means investment which means profit later. For this reason, do not try to solve all training problems at the same time. Consider cost optimization and logistical issues to focus on the training needs that are most urgent and offer the highest return.
With employees having very busy working lives, you definitely want to make sure they get what they need when they need it. Focus on giving employees the specific training they need without a lot of distracting or unnecessary information.
Carefully review how the learning process will keep employees, managers, and executives from becoming frustrated and overwhelmed.
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Obsidian creates custom, interactive learning programs that engage learners, accelerate skill development, and increase overall business performance. We are a team of professional learners with a passion for creating effective learning experiences.
