Keeping your team well-trained and flexible enough to survive and thrive in the 21st century economy is no easy feat, but businesses that refuse to frequently onboard new members and train existing employees are routinely those companies which fail first in the market. If the market is going to force your hand and demand your continued investment into training and onboarding operations, then, it’s best that you spend your money wisely; so, how can entrepreneurs and managers cut their onboarding and training costs while optimizing their results?
Here’s everything you need to know about making your operations run smoother and cheaper than ever before while providing better results all the while.
Start with the basics
First and foremost, entrepreneurs and managers trying to either retrofit their existing teams or train an entirely new set of team members should cover the basics, as too many simple mistakes are still being made in the contemporary marketplace. Too many companies are refusing to embrace a digital approach to training, for instance, which is doubtlessly one of the leading reasons for their failure; if your employees aren’t up to date on all things tech, and you haven’t extensively invested in the digitization of your operations, you can’t hope to remain relevant when compared to the competition.
Check out the perks of converting your training process into a digital one if you haven’t already, and you’ll come to see why most companies are viewing it as an essential part of success in today’s market. Digital training operations better connect your employees to one another, for instance, and lengthen the training process so that it can always be initiated when your employees have access to their digital devices, rather than merely being possible when they’re in the office or training space. Similarly, digital training operations routinely produce better results while often costing companies significantly less than traditional training and onboarding operations.
Managers and would-be training experts shouldn’t make the foolish mistake of thinking they can take a one-size-fits-all approach to their training and onboarding processes, however. It’s important that you view these two things as being distinctly different, and approach them each with a unique strategy tailored to fit the specific nature of your business. The kind of tips you’ll rely on when retrofitting your training process are different from the advice you should be following when it comes to your onboarding process, for instance.
Leveraging the computing power of modern apps to better train or onboard your employees is an important part of staying relevant in the rapidly changing marketplace of today, but you have to do more than rely on the shiniest new tools if you want your training to truly be impactful. That’s why you need to consider embracing a mentorship-based approach to training, as pairing some of your new employees up with your existing veterans is a great way to ensure they get first-hand learning experience without forcing your managers to bring in dedicated training specialist.
Tapping into the power of mentorship
If you’ve yet to dabble with employee mentorship programs, your training process is sorely lacking. Creating a culture of learning where your newest workers always have someone to look up to and ask questions to is an essential part towards equipping your new employees with the tools and knowhow they’ll need to succeed in your industry. Check out some of the ways companies around the nation today are leveraging mentorship programs to succeed, and you’ll soon be adopting a mentor-based approach yourself.
Of course, to have an adequate mentor and peer-based training system, you’ll need a savvy HR department capable of bringing in a diverse array of educated workers who are compatible with one another. It’s vital that executives and small business owners alike don’t lock their HR professionals out of the training process, as they’re an essential part towards any onboarding or training operation that hopes to meet its objectives without having to dive deep into the company’s coffers.
It’s important you understand that cutting training and onboarding costs can only go so far, however; every company should aim to cut whatever unnecessary, wasteful costs they can, but too much parring of your investment is likely to negatively impact your company’s workplace morale, not to mention the efficacy of your workers. When it comes to investing in the tech and software you’ll need to facilitate the modern training process in particular, don’t shirk your spending responsibilities and leave your cherished workers out to dry.
Follow the tips discussed above, and you’ll have a savvy, low-cost, and effective training regime established in no time. Don’t forget the importance of leveraging tech to succeed in today’s market, and emphasize the importance of mentor-based learning, and your workers will soon have the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century economy.
