PCA Articles

Effective Employee Training

Making Training Stick

Employee training can be a burden for companies, but it’s an investment worth your time and money. While your training content is important, Michael Smith of Teach Initiative explains how focusing more on the process of training can help make the most of your money spent.

To make the most of your training efforts, you should:

  • Create a positive work environment to make your employees feel supported and willing to learn. Be sure to teach the best practices, not just the fast practices.
  • Make sure you are providing employees enough time to learn and practice their new skills. Many things cannot be perfected overnight.
  • Be or provide a mentor to teach your employees skills and lead by example. Keep in mind, mentors should share knowledge in a positive way— a high level of skill does not always translate to good communication.
  • Teach, don’t tell. Training should include hands-on work with time for employees to watch their coworkers complete tasks, learning for the future.

To learn more about training, check out the recent PaintED podcast with Michael Smith.