Employee Training Activities
Every organization has different needs when it comes to training. We can’t paint all types of front-line workers, companies, or personas with the same brush. Finding the specific training activities that work best for your front-line staff takes brainstorming with management, leaders, and front-line employees. Find out what people want to learn!
There are four fundamental categories from which all organizations can start building employee training:
- Product/Service: front-line employees should know the ins-and-outs of the product or service they supply.
- Compliance and safety: front-line workers often have to deal with hazardous materials or situations. They can also be responsible for the health and safety of others. Minimize risk and keep everyone safe with routine compliance and safety training.
- Leadership development: leaders in the front-line often work their way up to managerial positions. Digital leadership development training ensures that organizations are giving their managers the tools and skills they need to succeed.
- Team effectiveness: team building takes effort from all sides. Empathy and respect among team members can be nurtured through team training activities.
1. Product Or Service Training
Front-line employees work directly with people. This can be clients, patients, partners, or anyone they come across while on the job. They are the face of the organization on the front-line and need to be up to speed on the latest products or services.
Digital workforce training solutions offer companies a direct and immediate way to keep their employees trained on the latest updates. Launching a new product? Schedule a training session for front-line salespeople. New protocols in the hospital? Make sure healthcare professionals get the information as soon as possible.
Employee software solutions with integrated Learning Experience technology allow organizations to quickly get training material into the hands of front-line staff.
2. Compliance And Safety Training
Keeping front-line workers’ licenses up to date is imperative to protect them, the organization, and—of course—the end-user. Managers can keep track of compliance training in a training software to have a holistic view of all licenses and mandatory training. Flags can be set to remind the employee and employer of upcoming license expirations.
In a digital workplace, we don’t have to worry about office fire drills. That said, fire and emergency training is still very important for many front-line workers. Digital training on what to do during emergencies, and also specific rules depending on where the employee works, can save lives.
In the same vein, general safety training—from CPR refreshers to COVID protocol—is a necessary activity for all front-line staff.
3. Leadership Development
Everyone’s favorite time of year: the annual performance evaluation!
Digital performance reviews can be a very effective method to give feedback to front-line workers. Instead of going to where the worker is, or having them come to the central hub (if there is one), a digital performance evaluation makes the process more efficient.
In order for front-line managers to have meaningful performance review meetings, they need to be trained on how to lead the meetings. Managers on the front-line often work their way up to leadership positions, and may not be naturally comfortable with the evaluation process.
Scheduling mock digital performance evaluations with managers can be a great way to get these leaders up to speed on how to effectively perform a worthwhile employee review.
Continuous training of front-line workers in leadership roles is imperative to make sure their development is heading in the right direction. Digital training on topics such as organizational behaviour, emotional intelligence, and communication skills will all have an instant positive impact on their teams.
4. Team Effectiveness
Front-line employees are often very busy, on their feet all day, and away from their laptops or smartphones. This is in contrast to their desk-based colleagues whose days look rather different.
To help desk-workers understand a day in the life of their organization’s front-line staff—and vice versa—consider organizing a digital walk in the other person’s shoes.
Training doesn’t always have to be about changes to the business, protocol, or new products. Organizations can also think about training as a way to convey their core values, elevate team spirit, and boost employee morale.
Digital hangouts where employees can discuss non-work-related themes or play games can help strengthen inter-team bonds.
For the front-line, where shifts might not align time-wise, consider breaking out into smaller groups on different days. Just make sure that meetings outside of work hours are not imposed on anyone. Flexibility, autonomy, and respect are key for these types of virtual gatherings.
Striking the fine balance between an essential meeting and fun is a challenge. Start slowly, see what works, and ask the front-line workers what they’d enjoy doing moving forward.
Digital Workforce Development, Simplified
An all-in-one employee platform can give your organization the tools to efficiently reach and engage front-line staff. Offering a blend of asynchronous training and virtual group-based meetings may be the perfect mix that fits your organization.
Contrary to popular belief, digital workplace transformations aren’t just for large organizations with global teams. Even SMBs can reap the rewards to cut training costs and improve overall workflow. Download the eBook Spark A Digital Workplace Transformation (Without Blowing Everything Up) to launch your future-ready digital transformation. You can also join the webinar to explore the golden rules to train and engage employees.
