How an LMS improves employee training
Equip your employees with the skills and knowledge they need to improve their job
performance. With an employee training software — or learning management system — your
employees can undertake virtual training wherever they're based, to grow their expertise,
complete courses and earn certifications.
Onboarding training is essential —
for both employee and employer — during those first weeks
and months.
During onboarding training, a new team member learns about the work environment, the
organisation and their role within it. By the end of the employee onboarding process, a new
employee should feel like an integrated member of the team, able to work productively and make
progress towards their objectives.
How onboarding benefits employees
Let’s look at what employees stand to gain from good onboarding…
-
Helps new hires to understand the company and its culture
It’s much easier for new hires to adapt and assimilate to a new job when they
understand the wider context of the company. Employees who experience effective
onboarding are 30% more likely to be integrated into their workplace culture.
-
Builds autonomy and confidence
At the same time, effective onboarding training also creates a better level of
awareness of job roles and responsibilities. Employees will require less
supervision from management and feel more confident to thrive in their new
roles.
-
Improves happiness
Onboarding sets the scene. By onboarding effectively, people feel included from
day one. Employers can better manage expectations and employees will experience
a more welcoming reality as they are able to integrate into the organisation at
a quicker pace.
-
Staff retention
New hires want to feel like a productive part of the team, as soon as possible.
Strong onboarding programmes improve staff retention by up to 82% by helping
employees to feel engaged and useful during those first few months.
-
It helps new team members to hit the ground running
When you lose an experienced member of staff and hire someone new, productivity
inevitably dips. Efficient and effective onboarding training (that starts as
soon as a contract is signed) helps to reduce that dip, ensuring that your new
employee has all of the skills and info they need to hit the ground running.
-
Ensures consistency
With a well-managed onboarding process, employers can provide a consistent
experience across the board. Regardless of seniority, background or location,
companies can rely on a seamless experience for every individual.
What does successful employee onboarding look like?
Your onboarding plan should help an employee feel like a valued and productive member of the
team, right from the start.
Whether you’re delivering your onboarding training in person or online, your onboarding plan
should always include the following elements.
-
1.
Practical information and tools
What does your new employee need to get started at your workplace? Give them all
of the practical information and tools they’ll be using.
For example:
-
Any tech — such as smartphone, laptop or mouse
-
-
A map of the office and travel information
-
Details of benefits, holidays and policies
-
Login details for email and software programs
-
A schedule for their first few weeks on the job
-
Any home working equipment — such as an ergonomic chair or laptop
stand
-
2.
The employee’s role: what is expected of them?
It’s much easier to work productively and successfully when you know what’s
expected of you. Whilst details of the role will have been shared during the
recruitment process, now is the time to remind your employee of what their new
job entails.
Let them know their day to day responsibilities and suggest a few
meaningful tasks that they can get started with. You should also provide
training on relevant skills, software and knowledge. And set clear goals and
objectives for their first months in the role, detailing how their success will
be measured and by whom.
-
3.
Company mission, vision and values
When new employees feel immersed in company culture from day one, they find it
easier to become an integrated part of the team.
So how do you share your company ethos with new starters? When you’re onboarding
staff, make sure their first tasks are tied to company values. You might also
like to provide a few welcome gifts that reflect your brand. It’s important to
offer training on your company’s vision, mission and key values – and then work
to demonstrate those values in action.
To do this, think about your company values and schedule events that reflect
them. During your new hire’s first few weeks you might like to plan:
-
-
-
A free afternoon for innovation
-
An additional L&D opportunity
A chance to meet the team
Get team communication off to a great start by involving your existing team in the onboarding
process and preparing them for the new starter’s arrival.
You’ll also want to conduct:
Team introductions
Provide opportunities for an employee to get to know their new teammates. Dedicate
time to this process so that your employee gets to know more than just their
colleagues’ names.
You might also like to make introductions in other departments, then your new hire
gets a better sense of how the company fits together.
Buddy and/or mentor meetings
Who can your new starter turn to for support and guidance?
Whilst an LMS may be able to provide a lot of the info they need, sometimes an
employee will have questions that only an experienced staff member can answer.
By appointing a buddy or mentor you make it clear who your new hire can go to with
their queries and concerns.
Steps in the onboarding process: Month 1 and beyond
How long should the process of onboarding last? The best programmes are still running months and
even years into an employee’s time with a company.
Beyond that first month of orientation, onboarding team members should involve:
Scheduled check-ins
Regular check-ins, with people at all levels of the team, help a new starter to give feedback on
what’s going well — and anything they could use some extra help with. It also gives you the
opportunity to gather feedback on the onboarding process so you can continually improve your
onboarding training programme.
Celebration of milestones
Your employee should never feel like an anonymous cog in the company machine. Take the
opportunity to celebrate them and their contribution to the company at important milestones –
like their year anniversary at your organisation.
Regular training opportunities
As an employee becomes more familiar with a role, they may discover gaps in their skills or
knowledge. Provide training opportunities to make employees feel valued and to help them become
more productive.
