8 Tips for Training your Business Employees
Business Consulting for Women Entrepreneurs
1. Join Associations or Trade Groups. - Many industry associations offer training programs for members at annual events,
online, and at seminars. Check out your trade association website or newsletter for training opportunities that may be included in your membership.
2. Find Trainers Within Your Organization. - Got someone in your organization who has strong communication and interaction skills and the patience to help others learn? Consider appointing them as a trainer. Have them attend classes and come back prepared to share what they’ve learned. You can also buy training materials and use them to equip your trainer
3. Host Weekly or Monthly Brown-Bag Lunches. - These are a great way for team members to get involved in new things and help educate the wider team about how each employee contributes to the business. Ask employees to come prepared to talk about a topic. You’d be surprised how little the different teams know about what the others do and how it benefits everyone.
4. Use Online Training Courses. - Online courses are a great way for employees to learn at their own pace and select from a wide variety of courses, some of them free or at low-cost. Organizations such as Learning Tree, Dale Carnegie, BizLibrary and the Business Training Institute all offer a large selection of online classes.
5. Cross-Train Employees in the Workplace. - This is common practice in businesses that need an agile workforce ready and equipped to take on other roles should business requirements change. You can do this by looking at different jobs in your organization as hands-on training opportunities for others. Give employees new roles or responsibilities.
6. Start a Mentorship Program. - Consider partnering new or less experienced employees with mentors. For example, an up-and-coming sales rep might benefit from sitting in on sales planning sessions or attending important off-site customer meetings with a more senior employee.
7. When You Need to Bring in the Pros. - These options can all be fulfilled at a low cost, but what if you need to solve very specific problems? You may need to invest in an off-site training program where employees benefit from fewer distractions and an interactive classroom environment. If you are training multiple people, a more cost-effective and time-saving option might be to bring a trainer on-site.
8. Set Goals and Measure Success. - Lastly, before you embark on any training or mentoring program, be specific about what you and your employees want to achieve. Use annual performance reviews to gauge competency gaps as well as your employee’s desired areas of improvement. Then put specific training goals in place for each employee. Let your employees know that you will assess the impact the training has had on their overall job skills and performance on a six-month and annual basis.
Source: sba
Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. Charting the course for impactful, sustainable, profitable businesses, the beacon is control: of your strategic direction, your money, your time, your staffing, and your ability to bring in business. The Block Group brings together the people, resources and ideas that build results.
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