02 - Employee Training Methods & Techniques.

(wisestep.com, 2016)

Introduction

As per studysmarter.co.uk (2023) training methods are defined as techniques which used to teach person of the necessary skills and knowledge to perform a task. According to the Gupta, (2023) employee training is one of the plays a major part of an organization’s growth and success. Since well-trained workforce is more productive and efficient at their position, it will enable them to add a high level to their organization. Since the importance of effective employee training, the next step which has to consider is to choose the suitable employee training methods that are ideal for overall organization structure, as well as the individual team perspective. Each types of employee training method bundled with various benefits, challenges, and goals. Also learners are different with each other and also consist of different learning styles. As an example, some are interested on visual learning, some require hands-on experience where some require an instructor to guide them. To identify an employee training method which suites for your employees, L&D teams need to understand their employees’ learning styles – and consider other factors such as their training objectives, goals, cost, and timeline. To identifying the most suitable training method for your employees requires a lot of information and planning. So good understand of employee training methods will be a very important factor and will beneficial for the organization also.

Different Training Methods

There are multiple ways to train employees. According to the studysmarter.co.uk (2023), those training methods can be classified into two main types.

1. On-the-job training or internal training –

Lerner’s/ employees are trained at their workplace. This is easy and cost-efficient way for the organization. The organization has significant control over what is being trained. This training method can include job rotation, coaching, apprenticeships, temporary promotions, etc.

2. Off-the-job training or external training –

Organization uses external resources, people to train their employees. Like On the job training this method doesn't impact the organization regular operations. Most of the time this method take the form of computer-based training, which offers the advantage of conducting it anywhere in the world. This training method can include lectures, seminars, conferences, business simulations, etc.

(flexiprep.com, 2023)

Effective employee Training Methods and Techniques

Following are some of the common techniques described by Gupta, (2023) and EdgePoint Learning LLC, (2023).

1. eLearning

Call this as online training and this is one of the most recognized employee training methods, especially in the post-pandemic situation, where employees are remote and can’t attend physical training sessions. This enables employees to learn in the comfort of their homes, according to their individual learning styles and needs.

Pros 

• This allows you to learn with any platform or situation and this is scalable.
• Some components of this method can be automated, lowering overhead and decreasing the instructor’s need to be involved in the training continuously.
• Employees can easily manage work with learning by taking the online courses at their preferred time.
• Learning Management Systems provide adequate data to efficiently calculate the return on training investment, allowing L&D teams to measure the success of different training programs.

Cons

• Time consuming to design training materials and keep them update.
• Due to the lack of face-to-face interaction with lecturers, learner might feel isolated.
• Requires stable internet connectivity.

2. On-the-Job Training

This enables active participation for employees by permitting them to learn in the flow of work. The main goal of on-the-job training is faster user adoption of new tools or newly released features.

Pros

• This will leads to better results as it is easier for learner to learn while working on a project themselves.
• Cost saving factor rather than off site learning method.
• Employees can adapt new skills without upsetting to their daily routines and productivity.
• Allowing employees to focus on the skills most relevant to their job.

Cons

• Will not be much suitable for those who prefer face-to-face interaction or guidance.

3. Instructor-Led Learning

This is one of the most common and popular types of employee training techniques that require physical classroom spaces with an instructor present to lead the training session. This type usually using presentation with associate visual components.

Pros 

• Direct interaction with trainers.
• Questions can be raised and responses will also receive quickly and effectively.
• Suitable method for complex topics which require personal guidance.

Cons

• Trainees cannot move at their own pace. 
• Rented spaces, travel, and catering costs make it non-economical.
• Employees might find it boring due to the lack of flexibility.
• Limited data to calculate ROI.
• Not a proper method for remote workers.

4. Roleplaying

This technique is when a learner and an instructor both act out their roles in potential workplace scenarios. This style is most effective for employees whose job roles include direct client or customer interaction, as this will them some experience in handling difficult situations with customers.

Pros

• Boosts employee engagement.
• Encourages learners to apply problem-solving and develop critical thinking skills.
• Prepares for difficult work scenarios.
• Improves customer interaction skills.

Cons

• Time consuming approach.
• Not suitable for simple and straightforward topics.
• Majority not comfortable with role-playing scenarios where that can affect performance.

5. Coaching

This method includes an experienced professional, such as a supervisor, mentor, or veteran employee – who mentors or coaches an employee on specific job tasks and responsibilities. The coaching method can be implemented both in-person or virtually, making it ideal for both in-office and remote workforces.

Pros

• Improves connection between employees.
• Allows employees to ask questions they may not feel comfortable asking in a classroom during instructor-led training.
• Employees learn by watching their mentor do things in real-time.

Cons

• Requires more time from the supervisor/mentor.
• Successful training session depends on relationship between the mentor and learner.

6. Simulation Training

Simulation training is different scenarios that allow employees to practice tasks that imitate the actual work of their specific job’s role. This training can be a necessary method for employees working in high-risk or high-stakes fields such as pilots or doctors.

Pros

• Improvement of problem-solving and critical thinking under pressure.
• Learners can make decisions in a risk-free environment and experience the consequences of different decisions.
• Offering trainee participation keeps the learners engaged and focused.
• Allows learners to improve their skills by learning from their errors.
• Learners gain a better understanding of the consequences of their actions, and the importance of reducing mistakes.

Cons

• An expensive.
• This will not be able to completely recreate real-life situations.
• Rapidly changing environment direct more changes.

7. Collaborative Training

This training is a methodology where employees share their knowledge and expertise, teaching and learning with one another at the same time. This technique helps improve the overall training experience for employees by capitalizing on their skills, ideas, and knowledge.

 

Pros

• Creates a shared learning culture.
• Reduces time investment and costs.
• Promotes better learning retention.

Cons

• Slow learners will result the entire class to fall behind.
• It can be challenging to get everyone in one place, at the same time.

8. Video Training

This training is one of the most effective employee training methods to involve employees and deliver very good learning experiences with minimal cost than traditional methods. This will enables them to abstract information in an easy way to understand format that is easier to retain, and that employees are able to refer it at any time.

Pros

• Onetime cost until the content is outdated.
• Better engagement which will resulting in a higher likelihood of information retention.
• Enables employees to learn at times that are convenient to them, without delaying their workplace productivity.
• Videos provide better knowledge retention, employee engagement, and learner attention.

Cons

• This does not offer the in-person level of human contact.
• This can be time-consuming when it comes to any information changes.

9. Cross-Training

Cross-training involves teaching an employee hired to perform one job function the skills to perform new job functions. This allows your employees to offer support in the time of need instead of having to outsource work. Employees find cross-training beneficial for their personal growth as it makes them learn new skills to enhance their value within the organization, or switch to a role that they feel is more aligned with their career aspirations.

Pros

• Organizes employees to fill a vacant position temporarily when required.
• Upgrade the current skill set of employees with an enhanced set of skills.
• Teams become more collaborative by helping each other more actively.
• More ability to promote from within the organization.

Cons

• It takes more time, effort, and resources to accomplish cross-training, for larger organizations.
• Additional duties.
• Employees might end up feeling overworked.

10. Job Shadowing

This will provide employees to follow and observe other professionals working in different job roles to gain insight into their work area. This method is also implemented to allow lesser experienced individuals to work alongside experienced professionals to improve their skills from those who have already leading that function.

Pros

• Increases communications across different sections.
• Increase continuous development and improvement for employees.
• Allows employees to explore different potential career options for themselves.
• Excellent way to share their experiences with others.
• Less time-intensive than an internship.
• First-hand information or knowledge provided to the observer.
• Builds strong relationships between new recruits and tenured employees.

Cons

• In the beginning, the observer will need to shadow their mentor for a long length of time to fully understand the information.
• Before the observer starts learning about a specific job, they need to have some initial knowledge of the field – as well as the workplace behavior required of it.
• There might not be enough time for in-the-moment questions, meaning some important answers may be lost due to the fast-paced nature of job shadowing.

11. Case Studies

With this method, employees are offered with a real or fictional complex situation to analyze and use as a reference for their resolutions. While it is vary in complexity and detail, trainees should be given sufficient data and information to analyze the situation and present with their solutions.

Pros

• Improves data analysis, decision-making, and problem-solving skills for employees.
• Working on case studies constantly, will make less difficult to handle similar situations in real life.
• Increases employees’ capability.
• This is an inexpensive.

Cons

• This is a labor-intensive method of collecting data.
• Time-consuming for employees to analyze the data.

12. Peer-to-Peer Learning

This is a mutual learning and training strategy that will include the participants of the same level engaging in collaborative learning. Simply this method is when one or more learners teach other learners. This encourage employees to work through new concepts and share ideas with their teammates working on the same project. So this is an effective way for organizations to grow stronger employees that work together efficiently.

Pros

• Encourages connectivity, collaboration, and teamwork.
• Increases the productivity.
• Promotes knowledge-sharing culture within the organization.
• The peer-learning method is inexpensive.

Cons

• Time might be wasted on discussing irrelevant topics.
• Needs dedication and commitment from peers.

13. Spaced Learning

This will breaks down long training programs into several sessions/ modules to shorter durations, with spaced intervals in between. Parts of these sessions are reintroduced multiple times over the course of the next few days or weeks for learners to recall data, driving long-term knowledge retention.

Pros

• Providing learners with periodic review and reinforcement of previously learned knowledge will overcomes the effects of the forgetting curve.
• Incorporates interactive and real-world scenarios into your training programs.
• Prevents fatigue, reduces mental exhaustion, and keeps learners engaged with the content.

Cons

• Retrieval knowledge exercises can be challenging for some people.

(EdgePoint Learning, 2023)

Selecting the Most Suitable Employee Training Methods for your Organization

One training method will not be always suites for the situation, where it has both advantages and disadvantages. So better way is to select the most suitable one that and apply. To select appropriate method there are several steps which company can follow to determine what will be ideal for this situation.

1. Determine the objective

As the initial stag of training is to determine company goal. Basically this define the skills or knowledge your employee should acquire. In this step, it will clearly define your organization's goal and what the training must accomplish.

2. Determine your workforce's needs

Since all employees are not with the same skills or the same level of expertise, HRM must adapt the training method to the employee's level of knowledge in a way that is easy for them to learn.

3. Evaluate the company's resources

Once you recognize your objective and what your employees require, it's is better to identify the company's resources, what it can afford and how it can teach its workforce.

4. Select the best training method

Finally HRM must select the best training method based on above three steps.

Conclusion

According to the hrshelf.com, (2023), training is no longer a one-time task, where companies must constantly upgrade their employee’s skills and foster workplace training to survive and prosper. Various employee training approaches will benefit most circumstances. Once with the improvement of staff’s skills and talents, organization’s revenue will also improves continuously.

However, According to the Gupta, (2023), when it comes to choosing the best employee training methods, factors like organization’s culture, size, employees’ learning preferences, remote or office-based environment, and such other factors influence the choices heavily. So HRM has the authority and major power on selecting the most suitable learning method and technique for their organization towards their goals and objectives and continuously monitor the end result so that objectives and goals were achieved.  

List of References.

EdgePoint Learning, 2023. 10 Types of Employee Training youtube.com [Online]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uji5lBlykA. Accessed on 9th of August, 2023.

EdgePoint Learning LLC, 2023. Top 10 Types of Employee Training Methods edgepointlearning.com [Online]. Available at https://www.edgepointlearning.com/blog/top-10-types-of-employee-training/. Accessed on 9th of August, 2023.

flexiprep.com, 2023 Human Resource Management Training: Training Methods flexiprep.com [Online]. Available at https://www.flexiprep.com/NIOS-Notes/Senior-Secondary/Tourism/NIOS-Class-12-Basic-Tourism-Chapter-17-Human-Resource-Management-II-Part-2.html.  Accessed on 9th of August, 2023.

hrshelf.com, 2023. Top 10 Types of Training Methods for Employees & Its Benefits hrshelf.com [Online]. Available at https://hrshelf.com/training-methods-for-employees-and-its-benefits/. Accessed on 9th of August, 2023.

Gupta, 2023 14 Best Employee Training Methods & Techniques (2023) whatfix.com [Online]. Available at https://whatfix.com/blog/employee-training-methods/. Accessed on 9th of August, 2023.

Studysmarter.co.uk, 2023. Training Methods studysmarter.co.uk [Online]. Available at https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/business-studies/human-resources/training-methods/. Accessed on 9th of August, 2023.

wisestep.com, 2016, 9 Different Training Methods and Techniques for Employees content.wisestep.com [Online]. Available at https://content.wisestep.com/different-methods-techniques-training-employees/. Accessed on 9th of August, 2023.