How to optimize the training and employee development process in an organization?

The development of technological solutions and widespread access to the Internet has meant that a lot of modern solutions for employee training have appeared on the market. Technology also provides great opportunities to optimize training processes.

Why invest in employee development?

Investing in employee development has become a standard. Today, almost every company invests in employee training. Why?

Increased company competitiveness

First of all, human capital is crucial for increasing competitiveness of the company. An employee who has high professional qualifications directly affects the quality of implemented processes and thus the final quality of products or services.

Increased employee motivation

Secondly, providing employees with a training program tailored to their individual needs results in increased motivation to work. And a motivated employee works more efficiently. He/she also shows more creativity and is more committed to the process of change in the organization.

Making less mistakes

And thirdly, a well-trained employee makes less mistakes. And when he or she does make a mistake, they know how to react so that the consequences of that mistake are as minor as possible for the company.

Improved Employee Turnover rate

The feeling that the company is investing in the employee makes the employee himself feel more attached to the workplace. This has the effect of improving the company’s employee turnover rate.

Better employer image

Additionally, a satisfied employee is the best business card for an employer. An employee who speaks well of their workplace is the best “advertisement” for the company.

Opportunity to get a better employee

Often, already at the stage of the recruitment process, employees directly ask about the employer’s attitude towards investing in employee development. Not without reason – this is one of the factors on the basis of which the employee decides to work in this particular place.

Opportunities to optimize training processes in the company

Now that we know it’s worth investing in employee development, it’s time to answer the question “how do we do it best?”

To start, consider what training a company should provide to its employees, and then look for opportunities to optimize training in those areas.

• Initial training

First, initial training. Every organization hiring a new employee should provide him/her with an initial training program. Usually they are organized on the first day of work. Then the employee gets to know the organization – its structure, co-workers as well as standards and rules applicable in the company. You should also remember about safety training and training in the workplace. How to conduct the initial training well? A person responsible for the introduction of a new employee should be appointed in the company. Usually it is the direct supervisor. He or she will be responsible for scheduling the initial training and making sure you are comfortable in your new job. The person responsible for initial training should also take care of all the paperwork associated with hiring or have it done by the human resources department.

• Basic training

Second, basic training. Basic training includes a set of trainings on methods and tools used in the company. These will be for example trainings in 5S method, principles of Lean Management concept, Problem Solving tools or Total Productive Maintenance. It is important for a new employee to have basic knowledge about process optimization already at the beginning of his/her work. It often happens that the “fresh look” of a new person allows to identify losses which were not noticed by the “old” employees.

• Specialized training

Specialized training allows employees to broaden their knowledge and acquire new skills. For employees with longer work experience this type of training is particularly important and often affects their commitment and motivation to work. In practice, however, in many organizations specialized trainings are not organized. This is due to the fact that “internal human resources” do not have enough competences to provide high-level specialized training to other employees. A good solution in this situation is to look for external companies that offer specialized training for employees. There is also great potential for optimizing the training process in this area.

Use of modern training solutions

The development of technology, widespread access to the Internet and the impact of COVID-19 has influenced the rapid development of e-learning platforms around the world. Today, every company can more or less afford to invest in employee development. Modern training platforms make it possible to train a large number of people with specialized knowledge at minimal cost. In addition, many companies (including Opexity) offer not only a database of professional courses. Training solutions for companies provide a comprehensive system for managing the training process in organizations. The systems enable creation of personalized training programs for employees, additionally offer knowledge tests confirming the effectiveness of learning, allow for quick and easy setting of training goals and monitoring them. Additionally, everything is done automatically, in one place – without unnecessary paperwork and time-consuming reports.

Effectiveness of online training

The effectiveness of online training is also confirmed by an international study published by the American website ThinkImpact. Here are some of the statistics on online training:

• Nine out of ten employees are champions of flexibility saying they would do training from anywhere or at any time.
• 85% of employees prefer to have training plans that slot into their schedules.
• 80% of employees see frequent and regular training to be more important than formal workplace training.
• A third of employees find training methods employed by their companies to be outdated.
• 91% of employees prefer having employee-specific training, with the opinion that it is more beneficial and relevant, and 75% of training professionals believe their companies are taking steps to achieve that in the future.
• While three-quarters of employees believe employees should receive training on digital skills, only under half of them have received such training from their employers.

Source: Think Impact