In a business setting training up new employees can be a long and tedious task, especially if they are starting at an already busy time. There are numerous different methods which can help you efficiently train up new team members without making them feel stressed or overwhelmed straight away.
Having good, well trained employees is key to ensuring that your business runs as smoothly as possible without overworking other staff members. This article will provide you with some of the best ways you can train up new employees, as well as tools which can help with this process.
Utilise Your Experienced Staff
Most business settings have staff members which are more experienced and know the workings of the company inside and out. Making use of these employees to train up new people is one of the best ways to ensure that they are trained up in the correct way. Not only can you be sure they are learning the correct methods, it also takes some of the pressure off of you as manager.
One way in which a more experienced staff member can help train a new employee is by using a method known as shadowing. This is the name given to a new employee following around and observing what another employee does. This allows for the new employee to take notes on what they are doing, pick up skills that they will be required to do and ask questions as they go along. In most cases this is very successful as the training is often based on real life scenarios as they occur.
From this new employees can then begin to take on smaller tasks as they become more comfortable with the process of completing them.
Record and Video Conversations & Tasks
Recording certain aspects of the business can be really helpful when it comes to hiring a new employee. This is due to the fact that these can be referred back to. Any type of audio file can also be transcribed and used as a textbook to learn from.
Services from a transcription company can include transcribing any recorded phone calls or business meetings. This can teach a new employee the way in which the business responds to phone calls from clients as well allow them to catch up on any recent business meetings they were not present for.
You can also get the more experienced members of staff to record themselves completing important tasks. There are many ways this can be done, for example using loom allows you to screen record and talk over the screen recording producing a video which is easy to follow and share with a simple link. This can be watched by new employees when they start and allows them to make their own notes based on the steps they need to follow.
As well as this, these types of conversations can make the training process more organised for business.
Have Regular Checkups
There will be a point where any new employee will be able to go and do tasks on their own using the support of the other team members if possible. But, it is important to check up on them regularly and make sure they are staying organised and managing their time correctly.
A new employee is going to want to succeed, and in some cases they will not speak up if they feel as though they are overwhelmed or struggling. By encouraging them to be honest with how they are getting on in catchup meetings is really going to help track their progress as well as make them feel supported in their new role.
You can also use these checkups to set them goals to work towards and provide constructive feedback on how you think they are getting on at that point. These meetings will also help you identify their strongest and weakest points and help you support their training moving forward.
You can also use these catchups to ask if they have any questions or concerns which they feel as though need to be addressed. This will make them feel listened to and supported within the business environment.
Conclusion
When a new employee starts you want to make sure that they feel supported and encouraged as they transition into their new role. By checking up on them and giving them time to learn the skills required of them will ensure their transition is as smooth and as stress free as possible.
By giving them as much on the job training, whether it be from shadowing a more experienced team member, or providing them with training material to learn from. This, in conjunction with allowing them to ask for support where needed will ensure they settle in to learn the ways of working within your business.
