Why You Should Have An Employee Training Manual

Why You Should Have A Training Manual
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Summary: An employee training manual can help establish the role of employee training in your company. Not only is it the best way to document and communicate training opportunities, but it can also motivate less engaged employees and get them to pursue learning and development initiatives.

The Importance Of Employee Training Manuals

Investing in employee training will help you build a financially healthy organization with an efficient, future-ready workforce and low turnover rates. Employee training can have a lasting impact and bring positive change in your organization under one condition: it needs to become part of your company’s identity. Training and development opportunities should be diverse and readily available to all employees, at all times.

This article explores the different ways an employee training manual helps you achieve your company goals by turning your workplace into a lifelong learning hub.

eBook Release: Creating An Employee Training Manual: A Complete Guide
eBook Release
Creating An Employee Training Manual: A Complete Guide
If you want to know everything about building an employee training manual, this comprehensive guide will give you a very good idea of how to pull the task through.

4 Reasons Why You Should Have A Training Manual

1. Inform Employees About Training Programs And Policies

Your employee training manual should answer all your employees’ training-related questions. The minimum information to include is a list of all available courses with their detailed description and schedule. Of course, the more information you offer, the better.

For example, be clear about which courses are mandatory and which are optional. Usually, compliance and job-specific training fall under the first category, while soft skills under the latter.

Another breakdown could be between department-specific and company-wide training. If your company is large and offers multiple programs, you can list your courses per department, so that employees can navigate the manual more easily. Then, you can have a separate section with courses offered across the company.

Synchronous courses, especially when they’re mandatory, can become a problem for busy employees. However, with a training manual at hand, employees will know in advance when mandatory or synchronous training is taking place. This is a huge benefit as they will be able to plan and manage their workload better. This way, they will attend training without upsetting their schedule, getting overwhelmed, or missing a course deadline.

In an employee training manual, employees will also learn about the procedures to follow, when required. For example, they might need to inform their managers first before joining a course. Or, they might be granted leave or more flexible work hours to participate in a training session.

2. Organize Training And Maintain Transparency

Whether you’re a large enterprise or a small business, a training manual keeps everything in order and also out in the open. To create and use a training manual template, HR and management work together to organize training events and resources, find opportunities for interdepartmental training, and share ideas that can lead to new and interesting offerings.

At the same time, all employees are aware of their options and the training courses that every department is entitled to. Employees shouldn’t have to hear about a training course from a colleague from another department. Maintaining openness and transparency in all aspects of the business will help you build a relationship of trust and honesty with your workforce.

3. Reinforce A Culture Of Lifelong Learning

Having a training manual spreads the message that training is part of your workplace culture and also of the experience working with you. Here are two examples of how an employee training manual motivates even unlikely members of your workforce to try new courses.

Let’s take Anne, a junior content writer, who reads in the employee training manual about an introductory course in digital marketing. It sounds very exciting and relevant to what she’s already doing. Plus, the course is online and asynchronous, so she can complete it at her own pace.

She thinks “why not learn what digital marketing is all about since I can do it for free with no time commitment?” She, then, seeks advice from her manager, who encourages her to take that course. A few months later, Anne has added a new skill to her arsenal and is able to produce more effective marketing content.

In another example, Greg is a rather shy customer support agent who feels comfortable speaking with clients only over the phone. That’s why he takes the course “Speaking to persuade.” Noticing an improvement, he decides to work on his negotiation skills, as well.

A few months later, after completing a sales training course, Greg leaves the customer support department and starts working in sales. At the same time, this journey of self-improvement, which also led to a career change, has helped him become a more confident professional.

The moral of these (fictional, but very possible) stories? A training manual reminds employees that L&D is always available in your company and that there are plenty of opportunities for career and personal development. If you follow through with benefits and accommodations for those who participate, as well as support and guidance from management, your employee training manual will be the glue that ties training together.

4. Streamline Onboarding

When a new employee joins the team, the HR department gets very busy preparing the paperwork and, most importantly, orientation and onboarding activities. You probably know that the honeymoon period for new hires often comes abruptly to an end. Turnover rates are reaching 50% during the first six months of employment. So, if you are going to onboard new hires, you’d better do it right.

A training manual is a valuable tool for HR, management, and new employees alike, as it can put the training part of the onboarding chaos in order. With the employee training manual as their “cheat sheet,” HR and managers can create a training plan that matches the new employee’s experience and position. A good onboarding plan will help new hires transition to their new role more easily and become productive faster.

For your new employees, a training manual can be motivating as much as it is informative. On the one hand, new hires will know what to expect during their first months in their new job. They will also learn about further opportunities that await them after they complete their basic training.

On the other hand, a training manual provides tangible proof that there’s a tailored training plan in place for them. What better way to help a new employee feel welcome and excited about their future in the company? Again, the benefit for you is substantial, as getting on the right foot with new employees sets the ground for a long-term collaboration.

Conclusion

An employee training manual helps you organize and streamline training and onboarding across your company. It also offers employees a concrete picture of your training offerings and plays a key role in establishing a lifelong learning culture. So, the real question is, why shouldn’t you have a training manual?

Download the eBook Creating An Employee Training Manual: A Complete Guide for insider secrets to keep employees in the know and motivate them to expand their skillsets.

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