Beyond hiring the right people for the job, training your employees to do their jobs the right way is one of the most important things you can do to help them achieve success and grow your business. Continue reading to learn how to make it happen.
Obtain the Appropriate Certification
No matter where an employee works within a company, they will require training to use proprietary software or operate machinery. Ensure you understand what type of training and certification each team member will need so they and the company are in compliance with specific standards and so everyone can perform their job to the best of their abilities.
To illustrate, if your business uses forklifts, training is necessary to operate this equipment safely and efficiently. It is not so simple as handing someone the keys to the forklift and telling them to start working. Instead, it is required under standards and regulations to ensure every employee whose job description states they will operate a forklift receives the appropriate forklift certification. When employees are properly trained, they have more confidence and will perform their jobs with higher levels of skill and competency and fewer lapses in safety.
Focus on Customer Service
No matter which area of the company your employees are working in, good customer service skills are essential to have.If you do not think the back-of-the-house team needs to be aware of how they present themselves and interact with customers, think again. Consider this: an employee is working in a big box store ferrying pallets of merchandise around while driving a forklift throughout the store. While they may not be frontline employees, when they step off the forklift to do anything in the store, they are easily identifiable as employees. As such, customers may approach them to ask questions. This is when customer service matters. Even if they do not know the answer, they should still be trained in the appropriate ways to handle customer interactions.
Every employee in your company should attend mandatory customer service training. Not only will this content be beneficial for customer interactions, but it can also help with how team members relate to and work with one another. The basic tenets of customer service touch on human behaviors along with kind and competent responses.
Remember to Communicate and Orientate
Keep an open line of communication with the people in your company. This is crucial for you, the management team, and any supervisors within the company. By talking and being available, you can assess whether everyone is performing their respective jobs as envisioned. Sometimes, there is an expectation that a job description is enough to bring new employees up to speed when they begin working.
Unfortunately, that is not always the case in many companies. Pay close attention to everyone’s performance and keep an open door so people can ask questions if they need clarification or more training to do their jobs. But first, ensure they receive proper training.
Watch this video on the topic of why workplace orientation is not the same as training.
Remember Recertification Dates
In any business, it is more effective to have one person be in charge of training topics, content, scheduling, and tracking rather than expecting each employee to keep track of their own training renewal dates. Of course, individuals should be aware of this information; however, to ensure your company is in compliance with training regulations and best practices, it is better to task someone else to track this crucial information.
In a small company, you should assign training and tracking to a current employee as an extra duty. In a large company, you probably already have a training manager whose responsibility this role is already under. They will have a comprehensive tracking system that shows when each employee initially received training and any related certifications, is due for every type of pertinent training, what the training is, and how and where to obtain it. The training manager should schedule all training and work with the company scheduler to ensure employee’s shifts are covered while they are in training.
Photo by Christina Morillo
Pay attention to the types of necessary training and certification your employees need to do their jobs effectively and safely. Ensure they receive education on the skill sets and best practices of their roles and then schedule recertification or re-training as needed throughout their tenure with your company. When you pay attention to all aspects of training, from running equipment to caring for customers, your business will be better for it.
