Employee training from “A” to “Z”: Step-by-step algorithm for adapting “newbies” and “shot sparrows” to new requirements and technologies

Evgeny Sevastyanov

Evgeny Sevastyanov

systems business expert
E-Mail: [email protected]

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Personal information: Consulted in the field of regular management of more than 70 companies: from 10 to 9,000 people (including: holding companies, chain stores, factories, service companies, builders, government officials, web agencies, online stores). Student of Alexander Friedman.

One of the co-authors of the book “Social Technologies of the Tallinn School of Managers. Experience of successful use in business, management and private life": https://www.ozon.ru/context/detail/id/140084653/

systems business expert

business management

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“You can only learn what you love.”

Johann Wolfgang Goethe

to whom:

owners, top managers, HR director

When, instead of adaptation and training, you throw an employee into the whirlpool of your company’s business processes.

About employees

Employees are responsible for the quality of work.

If you do not improve their skills, the competitiveness of the business will decline, employees will no longer cope with tasks, lose motivation, and their methods of solving problems will become outdated and lose relevance. You should invest in the development of all employees, since everyone’s contribution affects the overall result.

Let's get acquainted with the goals, forms, types, effective methods and the best companies specializing in personnel training. This way you will have an understanding of this practice and will be able to apply it effectively.

Grade

At the end of the study, the effectiveness of staff training is assessed, which is organized in the form of an exam that includes several tasks. For example, tests and reports. But performance assessment is not limited to testing knowledge. At some enterprises, after study, active monitoring of labor efficiency indicators is carried out, and various indicators are taken into account. Starting from the speed and productivity of work, increasing economic indicators, ending with positive feedback from clients and partners.

Why is it important to train staff

Let's figure out why it is important to constantly develop and invest in the development of your team.

Factor #1: Change. We live in an age of technology. New technology, powerful equipment, and more functional software are constantly being released. Employees must be able to work effectively with technological innovations, quickly adapt and keep up with the times.

Factor #2: Competition. The market is growing and developing, new companies and specialists are appearing, competition is growing exponentially. To not only stay afloat, but also take a leading position in your niche, you need to be better, more prepared and more knowledgeable than others.

Factor #3: Rationality. It is much more rational and efficient to train existing staff rather than hire new employees. Finding new specialists takes time and resources. Newcomers need to be brought up to speed and familiarized with the responsibilities and specifics of your company’s work. To avoid wasting time and money, it is more logical and economical to improve the qualifications of your employees.

Factor #4: Motivation. New knowledge not only makes the work of employees more efficient, improves performance, but also charges them with motivation. Engaging in monotonous work, using the same methods of solving problems, brings boredom and depressing. New methods, perspectives, types of thinking, etc. help staff take a different look at their routine duties and make the work more interesting and its quality higher.

Factor #5: Personal growth. Personnel training also includes training of managers. This will allow you to become better and more professional too. As you know, the environment determines a person. The smarter your employees are, the smarter you become.

Factor #6: Benefit. Improving the efficiency and quality of the company's work will increase overall profits and award bonuses to employees, and money is an excellent motivation for growth.

Factor #7: Interaction. Personnel training is not always aimed at professional skills; the subject of study may be relationships at work, coherence and cohesion, and the ability to work in a team. Collaboration is the most important part of teamwork, so it is important to be able to interact with each other to achieve a common goal.

Traditional teaching methods

Lectures

Lectures remain one of the most popular training methods for trainers. It makes it possible to transfer large amounts of information to a group of specialists.

To increase the effectiveness of the method, the following tools are increasingly being used:

• Whiteboard or flipchart. This is one of the more “old-fashioned” tools, but it can still be effective in a number of cases. The method is especially effective if you invite participants to write on the board themselves or ask questions to the audience, the answers to which are recorded on the board or flipchart.

• Projector. This tool is increasingly being used with PowerPoint presentations. They make it easy to prepare for training and quickly set up presentations even during the training process. Presentations are used to create individual trainings; they help place the right emphasis, saving the trainer’s time on writing. Employees can also use these programs individually, making it easy to catch up with professionals who miss a group session. This tool is one of the most popular during lectures and can be combined with handouts and other interactive methods.

• Videos. Lectures can be broken up by video segments that explain sections of a teaching topic or case studies for further discussion.

• Quizzes. On the one hand, this is a banal tool, but when used correctly it becomes very effective. If the course is long and complex, stop periodically to conduct short surveys on the information presented. Training can begin with a warning that there will be periodic quizzes to make participants more attentive.

• Active resumes. Create small groups and choose a leader. Ask the group to summarize the main points of the lecture, and each group leader will present the resulting summary in front of everyone. By reading the summary aloud, participants can compare impressions and insights.

• Questions and answers. Informal question and answer sessions are most effective with small groups and for improving or updating skills rather than teaching new ones. For example, management changed the reporting procedure. New information is accompanied by a short explanation, followed by a question session and discussion period.

• Question cards. During training, ask participants to write questions about the topic. Collect them and review the answers yourself, or make a quiz out of them, perhaps one of the participants can give the answer themselves.

• Control of participants. Create a themed menu of what will be covered during the training. Ask participants to review it and select points they want to know more about. Let participants explain their choices. As you go through the topic, ask people who made a choice in its favor to summarize and explain whether they learned what they wanted.

• Demonstrations. Whenever possible, bring tools or equipment that are part of the teaching topic and demonstrate them to students. If you are studying technology, then ask it to be demonstrated by those people who are fluent in it.

Advantages: – Lectures are an effective method of presenting a large volume of material to large or small groups of employees. – Ensures that everyone receives the same information at the same time. – Cost-effective, especially when carried out in-house rather than by hired personnel. – When using tools, the material attracts people's attention and is well remembered.

Disadvantages: – Not always interactive. – Too much of the success of training depends on the effectiveness of the lecturer. – Scheduling classroom sessions for large numbers of trainees can be difficult – especially when trainees are located in different locations. – Such training may not take place very dynamically in some cases, which affects the memorization of the material. You can use lectures effectively by making sure your audience is engaged throughout the training, for example by using interactive techniques with them. – The use of a number of tools, such as participant monitoring, may be less structured and trainers will need to ensure that all necessary information is given and requests are closed.

Seminars

The method involves a group discussion of previously studied topics or the search for other options for solving various problems. It makes it possible to compare theory with practice and understand the material more deeply. To successfully implement the method, you must divide the participants into small groups. The facilitator will give each group examples or work situations to discuss. The group's task is to find a solution. This is a good way to pass on experience from old employees to new employees.

Advantages: – A good way to assess the mastery of the material covered. – Helps to connect theory and practice.

Disadvantages: – The method is only effective if carried out with small groups of participants. If the group of students is large, it has to be divided into subgroups, which increases the cost of such training. – It is necessary to attract presenters with extensive experience in the area under discussion to conduct a seminar; this also increases the cost of the event.

Mentoring

Some call it more modernly coaching, although formal definitions differ from each other. For example, mentoring involves managing the mentee, but coaching does not require this; the mentor can give his assessment of the work, and the coach asks him to independently evaluate the result.

Mentors often use coaching tools and techniques in their work. Typically, mentoring focuses on the individual needs of the employee and is less formal than other types of training. The trainer is a manager, supervisor or more experienced employee. It is accepted that a mentor supervises no more than 2 people. The peculiarity of the method is that it is applied without interruption from work. The mentor’s task is to convey the most effective and efficient ways to solve daily problems.

Advantages: – Quick adaptation to the team and work processes. – Newbie motivation is high, because he understands that all the tools given to him really work and helped the mentor reach this level. – Motivating the mentor with career growth. – A good opportunity to evaluate the manager’s potential in a mentor.

Disadvantages: – Possibility of management errors due to the mentor’s lack of such experience – The need to be very careful when choosing a mentor, because he will lay the “foundation” in the heads of the recruits. – Personal coaching can be destructive to a coach's performance.

Trainings

Trainings involve concentration on developing skills and abilities; the theoretical block in this method takes a minimum of time. The training involves developing the necessary attitudes and practicing the use of tools. Practical exercises are a good way to practice skills. For example, working through objections helps the client handle them more competently and confidently.

Benefits: – Increased employee motivation. – Willingness and ability to act, understanding how to use proven tools.

Disadvantages: – The effect of motivational and emotional uplift after training lasts, on average, up to 4 months. For this reason, it is effective to conduct training quarterly. – In order for participants to apply acquired skills in practice, support and control are necessary (essentially, as when transmitting information by any method).

Internship

This method is very similar to mentoring, the key thing that distinguishes it is the need to show more initiative. An internship presupposes a probationary period, following which the employee is either added to the staff or bid farewell to him. Most often, the mentor takes part in drawing up the internship program and helps the recruit successfully master it in order to achieve the desired result.

Advantages: – Helps a specialist understand the functionality and gain initial work experience. – If a stream of internships is organized for students, it is possible to find talented specialists with a modern view of the profession and open eyes.

Disadvantages: – If you recruit into a company only from young interns, there is a possibility that over time the aggregate intelligence of the company’s personnel will decrease. – Long-term investments.

Self-education

The method makes it possible to independently select material on the topic or use the recommended one. The advantage of the method is that you can choose a suitable intensive training and obtain new knowledge on a fairly budget. Today, self-learning has been greatly simplified by the emergence of video courses or other multimedia materials. The method works effectively in conjunction, for example, with lectures, in the case when the allotted time is not enough for the lecturer to give the material in full.

One of the types of self-study can be considered “Case Studies”. Adults and experienced employees often have difficulty accepting new information and believe that their own experience and knowledge are much more effective. Case studies are a great way to help these employees make new information their own. By analyzing the real situations of their colleagues, information from the Internet, the old people will “themselves” find a solution and thanks to this they will be able to more easily perceive and apply the new technique. And beginners can learn to cope with such situations on their own.

Advantages: – Development with virtually no financial costs. – The ability to independently regulate the depth of study of the material. – Frees up the time of experienced and qualified people in a specific area of ​​activity.

Disadvantages: – Feedback on the material studied is not always visible (if this process is not built separately). – There are fewer opportunities to correctly direct and place the right emphasis, because employees study the materials on their own. – Less motivation to use. – There is no opportunity as it occurs, which may affect the assimilation of subsequent information.

Learning Objectives

Let's look at learning goals from different perspectives.

When a manager hires a company that organizes staff training, he sets himself the following goals:

• improve the quality of work and efficiency of your team;
• master team management skills;
• learn to motivate, lead, set an example;
• be a leader;
• effectively solve problems and set tasks for staff;
• learn to reward and punish employees.

When an employee participates in a program to improve his skills, he has other goals:

• become better;
• learn new skills, gain fresh knowledge in your field;
• develop organizational skills;
• interact more effectively with others;
• analyze your mistakes, find weaknesses in your work and improve them;
• master time management skills in order to rationally spend working time and achieve better results in a shorter time;
• learn about and take into account other factors that influence the workflow.

The benefits of staff training are obvious to both parties. The manager will manage more effectively, and employees will work more efficiently. Well-coordinated interaction will lead to increased profits and improved all indicators.

Who conducts it?

If a company or enterprise has established a mentoring system, a mentor is assigned to the newcomer - a more experienced colleague who is financially interested in the career and professional growth of the new employee.

Managers who are interested in retaining workers on the staff of an enterprise or organization also take part in adaptation.

The team and the manager have a significant influence on the newcomer. Colleagues are required to actively participate and support. A good leader must be open to communication.

In rare cases, external specialists are invited for adaptation, who, for a fee, help to efficiently and quickly introduce a new specialist to the position.

Personel assessment

Before deciding what training is required in your case, it is necessary to evaluate the staff. The work of each employee and department should be carried out based on the following criteria:

1. Professionalism: skills, abilities, indicators, level of efficiency, experience, qualifications;
2. Business qualities: organization, discipline, responsibility, punctuality, initiative, ability to act in emergency situations, team work;
3. Personal qualities: the ability to soberly assess one’s successes, balance, resistance to stress, honesty, diligence;
4. Other: authority, attitude to work, opinion of other employees about the candidate under consideration, personality traits, health status.

To make the assessment most accurate, you should adhere to a certain algorithm:

• Stage 1: Describe the functions of the employee in question and evaluate how he copes with them. It's best to look at each job responsibility individually to identify areas of weakness.
• Stage 2: Determine the requirements for the employee, what you want to achieve after advanced training.
• Step 3: Go through all the evaluation criteria listed above.
• Stage 4: Evaluate the quantitative results of the work: concluded contracts, successful negotiations, completed transactions.
• Step 5: Interview colleagues to create an overall profile of the employee.
• Step 6: Analyze all the data received and summarize.
• Step 7: Give the results of the assessment to the employee and discuss.

If you do not have time to conduct a personal assessment of each employee, you can use more general independent assessment methods:

1. The assessment center is one of the most accurate methods of personnel assessment, using various complementary tests to determine the level of competence of the subject in question.
2. Aptitude tests help assess a person’s psychophysical qualities and how suitable they are for his field of activity.
3. Personality tests determine the personal qualities and psycho-emotional state of an employee.
4. General ability tests allow you to determine the level of development of various aspects of an employee: thinking, attention, memory, etc.
5. An interview is a personal conversation with an employee to assess his professionalism.
6. A best-to-worst ranking method to identify a team's weak links.
7. Questionnaires and comparative characteristics, various rating scales. Everything is relative, so it is easier to evaluate by comparison.

The object of assessment can be not only an individual employee, but an entire team or department. Then the performance of the work will be assessed based on general indicators.

How to organize staff training - step-by-step instructions

If you are not a professional in the field of personnel training or you have never acted as an organizer of training programs, then my step-by-step instructions will be useful for you.

Read and put into practice.

Step 1. Determine the purpose of the training

First of all, it is necessary to determine the purpose of the proposed training.

Decide what you need:

• improving the quality and productivity of employees;
• creation of a personnel reserve;
• staff development;
• training of personnel for a new direction of the enterprise’s activities;
• increasing staff motivation.

Step 2. Select and approve the training format

Often the format of training directly affects its effectiveness. How to choose it correctly?

If you have a large company, its divisions are scattered throughout the country, and your employees have good computer skills, choose distance learning.

If the company is small, then perhaps a more acceptable form is training with an instructor. Direct contact promotes better digestibility of the material.

Make the right choice, and then learning will be not only useful, but also enjoyable.

Step 3. Create or select training courses

Companies that have their own training centers usually develop their own training programs.

Such programs fully meet the needs of the company. But only if they are done professionally. Otherwise, it is better to choose courses offered by specialized developers.

Step 4. Find and prepare training trainers

Staff training is carried out by both full-time trainers and invited ones. If the company has its own mentors who are capable of teaching, do not forget to check their level of training and regularly send them for advanced training. After all, they are the same employees, and the relevance of their existing knowledge is also important to them!

The option of training with invited trainers is quite common. Select such specialists carefully: collect reviews, request documentation confirming their level of professionalism, check licenses.

Step 5. Train company employees

Review and approve the training schedule and program. Create conditions for its passage.

Some companies offer courses on weekends. Then these days are compensated by adding them to the next vacation.

When training employees, do not shy away from controlling this process. Knowing that you have your finger on the pulse, employees will be more responsible, and coaches will not relax.

Step 6. Consolidate and evaluate the material covered

Reinforce the material you have covered using situational tasks. This method will allow you to identify gaps in training and correct them in a timely manner.

The best way to test knowledge is testing: the answers are strictly recorded, any disagreement with the results is easy to refute.

Step 7. Analyze the learning results and summarize

Any training ends with a summary. I recommend that everyone who has completed the training be asked to fill out a questionnaire that will determine the level of staff satisfaction with the course completed, find out the needs for further training, and identify bottlenecks in the course.

Based on the results, personnel changes are made, wages are changed, some of the employees are included in the personnel reserve, etc.

Only in this case will employees be motivated to further learn and improve their skills.

Forms

Staff training can take various forms. By number of participants:

• group;
• individual.

Individual training requires more funds, so group training is more often practiced.

Depending on the location they are distinguished:

• internal training;
• external training.

Internal training involves completing educational programs compiled by the organization itself. External training takes place outside the workplace and is compiled by other companies.

The effectiveness of external training is many times higher than internal training, because educational companies specialize in training and introduce the latest techniques into the program.

Managers who order personnel training specify goals and objectives in advance. An educational company prepares material based on the customer’s goals, providing only the necessary information.

Depending on the time, the forms of personnel training are:

• short-term;
• long-term.

The short-term form does not mean full-scale training, but attending a 1-3 day course of lectures or even attending one educational event, for example, a master class.

Long-term staff training includes a longer course that goes deeper into the topic.

Depending on the distance, the following forms of personnel training are distinguished:

• remote;
• traditional.

Remote forms can include the same techniques as traditional ones, only the lecturer will not broadcast in a room in front of an audience, but through the screen of a device, be it a laptop or a smartphone.

Distance training for employees

To the question “What to teach?” answered unusually. All employees of Russia's largest financial company undergo mandatory training. The subjects are very different - from studying stock markets to... courses to develop horizons.

Employees of the Management Company and partner banks not only learn how stock markets work, but also learn to understand wine and collectible drinks, art, watch speeches by famous speakers at TED conferences, as well as master classes on leadership. The company's specialists have created a distance learning system (DLS), including 126 courses. Each e-course includes a video, textbook, and tests. Courses are available to all company employees.

It is noteworthy that at the time of the start of cooperation with iSpring, it had already been successfully conducting distance courses for employees for two years. The new LMS was chosen according to the following criteria: ease of maintenance, simplicity of tools, wide functionality, rich visualization and the client-oriented approach of the development company. We settled on the iSpring Online platform, on the basis of which Alfa Capital employees continue to study today.

The system has three certificate programs and several modular programs that include more than 40 courses. Professional knowledge courses are mandatory and must be completed within a certain period of time. Courses to broaden your horizons are optional, but practice shows that this is the most popular section. Alfa Capital plans to regularly add new courses to the training system.

Read more about how Alfa Capital employees receive a “black belt” in the stock market →

Kinds

Personnel training has not only forms, but also varieties. There are three of them:

1. Employee training;
2. Retraining;
3. Training.

Let's look at each type separately using examples. The first type involves preparing an employee to start work.

Situation: A high school graduate decided to give himself time to rest and go to university in a year. But his goal is not just to lie around and do nothing, he wants to work, gain experience, meet new people. Yesterday's schoolchild has no experience or qualifications, he gets a job, and there they conduct three-day courses to train employees. During the course, they talk about the goals, tasks of each employee, work responsibilities, necessary skills, introduce life hacks and answer questions from newcomers.

The second type is retraining. It is carried out if an employee changes his activity profile, or the requirements for his position are updated and require changes.

Situation: Economics and accounting are closely related to each other, but are not identical. If an accountant wants to change his occupation and become an economist, he will have to take a retraining course.

The third type is advanced training. It is used in many areas of activity, it allows you to update your knowledge and skills, gain experience and become more professional.

Situation: The job market is saturated with graduates and experienced professionals. The employee wants to keep his job, qualify for higher wages and remain a master of his craft. To do this, he needs to regularly take advanced training courses. Employers want experienced and educated employees, and clients will be happy to work with a highly qualified professional, so completing such programs will ensure loyalty from management and clients.

Modern teaching methods

Video courses

Using this method, spending time once (on preparing a video course), you can save it for a long time. Each type of training is most effective for the appropriate audience; this one is most suitable for visual learners who have difficulty perceiving information aurally. And in general, information supported by visual images remains in the memory of most people for a long time, which is why the video training method is one of the most effective.

Advantages: – Low financial and time costs on the part of the training specialist. All he has to do is consolidate his knowledge with exercises, practice and discussion - in this way, the specialist will be ready. – As a rule, everything learned is forgotten sooner or later; video training makes it possible to independently return to the topics studied, if necessary, and repeat the material.

Disadvantages: – Makes training standardized, without the ability to take into account the individual characteristics of the group. – If the video material was not shot with high quality (for example, without motivation for application or the material was presented by a specialist unknown to the students), this will negatively affect the result. – During viewing, viewers may have questions and objections. Of course, they can be worked on after watching the video, but this will affect the quality of perception of the material.

Distance learning

Nowadays, distance learning systems (DLS) are becoming increasingly popular. Many companies already rely on more modern training technologies, and they work especially effectively in companies that have a large distribution network in different cities. After all, it is very difficult and financially expensive to gather all the specialists to conduct a development event. SDOs help organize a unified development space.

A number of systems have the ability to organize not only group training, but also select an individual program. In this case, the student is offered information blocks, exercises and tests for mastering the material. This method is becoming increasingly popular as the Internet becomes more accessible every day.

Elements of distance learning: • Video conferences and webinars. These methods allow the trainer to be in one place, while the students can be scattered in different places, and possibly cities. Employees connect online at the site and can ask questions to the trainer by phone or web chat. Using this method, you can effectively use lectures and screen sharing at the same time. • Audio conferences. This method is similar to video conferencing but only involves audio. Participants tune in at the scheduled time and listen to the speakers present. A question and answer session is usually held at the end of the sessions. There are options where participants can email questions or call and speak with the host. • Online courses. Both internal courses and external ones, from universities or private educational institutions. • Forum and chats. Socialization of learning. General discussion of the subject of study between students.

Advantages: – Online or distance learning programs are effective for learning in multiple locations. “They save the company money on travel expenses.” – They can be a less expensive way to train specialists outside the company. – They are convenient for retraining. – They are good for independent learning. “They can be easily updated with new company procedures, federal regulations, and compliance issues. “They offer trainers a wide range of options to match training programs depending on the knowledge and skill level of employees. - Because This direction is now actively developing; this form of training allows the use of modern educational technologies.

Disadvantages: – These programs require students to be computer literate. – Some employees may not like the impersonal nature of this training. – Employees may be alarmed by the remoteness of the trainer, because many people want to be able to constantly ask questions. – Inadequate or outdated hardware devices (such as sound cards, graphics cards, and local networks) can cause programs to malfunction. – Your company's Internet servers may not have sufficient bandwidth to receive the materials. – Self-study offers limited opportunities to receive advice on specific contexts or answer questions in a timely manner

Modular training

Involves the creation of an individual learning path from independent training modules. Modules can contain both theoretical parts and practical tasks. The program is assembled as a constructor, depending on the employee’s level of proficiency in the material.

The modules are standardized because all students will use the same information. The materials are also easily updated, so your training will always keep up with the times and industry specifics. Modular training programs are organized in a learning management system (LMS), which allows you to create an individual trajectory and track the progress of trainees, which facilitates record keeping for the training administrator.

Advantages: – Ability to create an individual learning path from standard training modules. – Saving time and money on organizing and conducting training events. – Identification and elimination of gaps in knowledge or skills individually for each employee.

Training with case studies

Cases can be used as examples of correct and incorrect ways to apply knowledge and skills. The method helps you figure out how to act in a given situation. To do this, it is important to analyze the results of each described case.

This method is most effective with debriefing questions such as: 1. How does this story relate to learning? 2. What feelings did the choice of the main character cause, what did it influence? 3. What assumptions did you make while listening to the story? Are they correct? 4. What would you do differently, how could you get out of the situation more effectively?

Cases may be anonymized or associated with people the trainees know. If the trainer's practice is not extensive, you can find many teaching stories on the Internet.

Case studies can also be used in other ways, for example, as evidence of the successful use of technology. Many people now call this method “storytelling.” In this case, the stories may be slightly distorted and the results exaggerated. This is necessary to create a higher level of motivation. Storytelling especially helps newcomers when they have to master large amounts of information and generally decide whether it is worth continuing to work in the company, whether there are examples of success that can be repeated.

Advantages: – Increasing the variable base of participants and readiness for various situations during work. – The opportunity to compare your opinion with the opinions of colleagues. – If the cases are live and the situations described are topical, the group’s activity is very high.

Disadvantages: – High requirements for the qualifications of the presenter, because you need to ask the right guiding questions and evaluate the feasibility of applying the options proposed in the discussion.

Business game

A business game is a training of actions within the conditions set by the game, which simulates situations encountered in work. Each game must have rules, initial data, a scenario and time for discussing the results.

Advantages: – The ability to assess the knowledge and skills of employees as close as possible to reality – The ability to analyze solutions to practical situations ensures the rapid build-up of the required minimum knowledge and skills even among new recruits. – Formation of skills and abilities in solving production problems. – The format of the game involves and immerses you in work, and due to this, even the most difficult to understand elements are easier to assimilate.

Disadvantages: – Composing a high-quality business game is labor-intensive and time-consuming. – Requires a certain level of knowledge among participants.

Metaphorical game

This method allows you to use the creative potential of employees to find a non-standard solution to a problem situation, get rid of stereotypical thinking and change attitudes. To organize a metaphorical game, it is necessary to transfer a real work situation onto a metaphorical plot. A metaphor can be stories from fairy tales, legends, films, etc., which convey similar issues. For example, if the issue of working out an objection to refusing to purchase a product is urgent, then you can divide the participants into 2 groups. One group will be the Ivanushki and their goal is to find all sorts of ways and arguments so that Baba Yaga does not eat them, but rather welcomes them. The task of the Babok-Ezhek group will be to find a way to prepare lunch. In this case, Ivanushka is sales managers, and Baba Yaga is a company that is looking for a way to optimize costs. At the end of the game, a discussion is held to transfer the methods that worked from the game to the real situation.

Advantages: – Gives a team-building effect. – Encourages participants to find ways to solve problems on their own. – Helps to find a non-standard solution and win, for example, among competitors. – High involvement in the process, elimination of barriers.

Disadvantages: – Long and labor-intensive preparation – The presenter must have great competencies in this area and the ability to think outside the box.

Role-playing game

By taking on roles in situations that might arise in the workplace, employees practice how to handle different situations before they find themselves in them on the job. Role-playing is an excellent technique for teaching many soft skills such as customer service, interviewing, management and supervision.

Benefits: – Helps sharpen skills. – They provide the opportunity to play the role of the opposite side or another person, as a result of which they come to a deeper understanding of the importance of technology, knowledge or skills.

Disadvantages: – If the game is poorly prepared and doubts arise about its realism, then participation in it will be formal.

Brainstorm

The method helps to select a large number of ideas on a given topic. The key rule of brainstorming is not to criticize ideas, but to mark everything that comes to each participant's mind for further analysis. After all the ideas are recorded, they are grouped by topic.

To prevent the application of the method from turning into a farce, it is recommended to carry it out in small groups, rank and select the most promising options. The lion's share of the method's success depends on the facilitator, who must not only clearly understand the purpose of the event, but also constantly bring the group back to it and set the dynamics of the discussion.

Advantages: – When correctly forming a group for brainstorming (with different levels of knowledge, experience, etc.), a synergistic effect is created – The ability to find a non-standard and most effective idea.

Disadvantages: – If the group’s work is not set up correctly, then the participants will spend a lot of time, but will not come to a result.

Behavioral modeling

Otherwise, this method can be called “do as I do.” The essence of the method is that the mentor shows the correct model of behavior, for example, communication with the client. The task of the mentee is to exactly repeat this behavior model. This method allows you to effectively train newcomers and formulate correct standards of business behavior.

Advantages: – Beginners can act similarly to experienced fighters, thereby achieving greater results.

Disadvantages: – The method will only work if the training participants fully trust the experience and skills of the mentor.

Action learning

The essence of the method is that key people in the company solve real production problems in front of a group of students. They analyze the situation, come up with a plan and implement it, explaining their actions and their reasons. In this way, the company’s top managers help, for example, novice managers to gain experience in making complex management decisions

Advantages: – Participants gain invaluable experience that is difficult to convey in theoretical lectures. – Developing the ability to make decisions and follow a plan.

Working groups

Using this method, a group is assigned to solve a routine task or problem that has arisen. The group consists of employees of different levels and functionalities, their goal is to offer management a well-developed action plan to solve a specific task. To effectively organize the work of a group, a leader is selected who supervises and controls the implementation of tasks within the framework of the set goals, and monitors deadlines.

Advantages: – Formation of the ability to organize work to solve problematic issues.

Disadvantages: – If there are failures or improper organization of the group’s work, there is a risk of not solving the problem within the required time frame.

Basket - method

The method helps you learn to set priorities, solve unexpected problems, and take on the role of a manager. The student’s task is to sort out the blockage and make appropriate decisions, taking the role of a specific leader. A situation is simulated that is as close as possible to reality; before taking action, the student receives information about the manager whose role he will perform and the situation in the company.

Advantages: – The method helps to understand a specialist’s ability to work with information: systematize, analyze and make decisions based on the available data. – High motivation and involvement of participants. – Lots of insights based on the results of using the method. – Real practice in prioritizing the urgency and importance of things.

Rotation

Rotation allows employees to learn the functionality of their colleagues. The method not only improves staff skills, but also gives the company the opportunity to create a staff that can perform more than one job. This is convenient when hot replacement is needed or force majeure occurs.

Benefits: – Gives staff a deeper understanding of what colleagues are doing, thereby increasing respect for each other’s work. – Increases the value of your workplace. When an employee sees that his own workplace is suitable for other people, he realizes the possibility of replacement and strives to do better work. – The use of rotation gives an understanding of who else can be effective in a particular position to achieve the company’s goals. – Reducing the turnover of line personnel who do not have the opportunity to climb the career ladder.

Disadvantages: – If the employee is not effective in the new position, this can serve as a demotivator.

Shadowing

Translated from English, this method can be called staying in the shadows. The training method is effective when employees change positions, grow up the career ladder, or adapt to a new profession. Its essence is that a novice specialist becomes the shadow of an existing specialist for several days. His task is to understand how the work is structured, what the scope of the tasks is and how he has to solve them, what information is missing to begin to act similarly, etc.

Advantages: – In a short period of time, you can gain an understanding of the range of tasks and find out what to do in a number of situations. – When transferring things orally, some information may be forgotten or lost, but being a shadow, it is possible to record all the nuances that seem important.

Supervision

Supervision abroad is called “buddying”. Using this method, a person is assigned to the employee who must constantly provide feedback on the procedures being implemented, be it planning sessions or meetings. Sometimes it is very difficult to objectively look at your work and determine what works well and what needs improvement. Supervision provides an opportunity to grow through feedback. It is most often used when new operating technologies are introduced, but it is also appropriate as a systematic prevention of failures. Participants in this method are equal partners; they are not in the role of leader-subordinate.

Advantages: – Competent and objective identification of bottlenecks and growth opportunities

Disadvantages: – When using the method, it is important to make sure that you are proficient in feedback technology and, if necessary, train employees in this, otherwise misunderstandings are inevitable.

Subjects of study

The subject of personnel training is:

• knowledge: theory necessary for high-quality performance of one’s position;
• diligence: the ability to perform one's functions in the workplace;
• skills: ability to apply theoretical knowledge at a high level;
• personal qualities: a set of individual personality characteristics required to perform the job;
• ability to work in a team: the ability to work in a team, interact with colleagues for a common goal, and benefit the department.

What types of personnel training exist - TOP 3 main types

Personnel training is classified according to various criteria. By type, it is divided into training, retraining and advanced training.

It is with them that I will introduce you in more detail.

Type 1. Personnel training

The purpose of employee training is to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to perform certain tasks.

Example

Dasha graduated from school this spring and tried to enter the university. However, I didn't get enough points. The girl decided not to go to the paid department, but to prepare and try again next year. In the meantime, we need to go to work! Of course, she had no profession.

Based on the situation, Dasha chose the nearest supermarket for her employment. Convenient schedule, “live” work close to home, plus training and staff training right at the workplace. And you master the profession, and the salary comes.

Type 2. Personnel retraining

From the name of this type of training, it becomes clear that retraining is the acquisition of knowledge by employees in connection with a change in profession or changes in requirements for it.

Example

Natalia Kozina had a higher education in economics and 4 years of experience as an accountant. As part of her job, she closely interacted with the economic planning service. Therefore, when a position as an economist became available in the company, management decided to offer it to Kozina.

But Natalya did not have the necessary knowledge. The management decided to send her for short-term retraining to their own training center.

Type 3. Advanced training

This type involves employees obtaining additional knowledge in connection with changes in qualification requirements for a particular position, specialty, etc.

Such training will help the employee adapt to new conditions without loss and continue to perform his duties at the proper level.

Sometimes advanced training is the only way to keep your job.

Techniques

There are many effective methods for training staff. The choice depends on the goals, objectives, and convenient format. Let's look at the most popular methods.

Method 1: Lecture. The advantage of this technique is its large audience coverage and the ability to convey an impressive amount of information. The downside is the impossibility of feedback. Listeners can occasionally ask questions, but it will not be possible to explain something separately or get into a discussion.

Method 2: Workshop. There is already an opportunity to discuss, argue, and answer questions. But despite the advantage in the activity of participants, you will have to sacrifice quantity.

Method 3: Video tutorials, webinars. This particular format is gaining increasing popularity due to the development of technology and lack of time. People don’t want to waste time on the road, they want to gain knowledge here and now, which is why video lessons are in demand.

Method 4: Business games. Using games, they help train employees to solve real production problems and work in a team. The downside is the number of participants, but the knowledge after such games is stored for a long time and is actively used.

Method 5: Training. 20% - theory, 80% - practice, this is approximately the percentage of information in the trainings. A large part is taken up by various situational practical tasks that help participants learn to work better and solve work problems.

Method 6: Instruction. Instruction before starting the work process, highlighting the main nuances is also one of the training methods. Deep knowledge is not given here, but you can get a general idea of ​​the work.

Method 7: Temporary rotation. One way to learn new things is to take the place of a colleague. The technique consists of changing the activities of employees. One takes on the other's work responsibilities. This helps to look at the situation from a different angle and gain new knowledge.

Method 8: Mentoring. The bottom line is that an experienced employee trains and supervises a less experienced and qualified one.

Method 9: Distance education. Taking various online courses has an effective impact on the work of employees. Typically, such courses are taught by various eminent professionals in their field.

Method 10: Business coaching. A person hired from outside who motivates employees and helps them resolve work situations.

Basic methods of training personnel in the workplace - 6 main methods

Various methods are used to train personnel. Their choice depends on the method of acquiring knowledge: on-the-job training or off-the-job training.

We will consider methods related to both methods. Let's start by looking at 6 methods used in on-the-job training.

Method 1: Copy

Everything is very clear here. A new employee observes the actions of a more experienced employee, repeats all his movements, as if reading them.

The more accurately he repeats them, the faster the beginner will develop the necessary professional skills.

Method 2. On-the-job training

Surely you remember how, when you were hired, you were given on-the-job training.

On-the-job training is generalized information about the upcoming functionality, making it easier to get into a new position and soften getting used to the new workplace.

Method 3. Mentoring

This method has its roots in the distant years at the dawn of the young Soviet republic.

Mentoring is the training of a young specialist by an experienced employee, who is assigned to the newcomer for a certain period and takes patronage over him.

A distinctive feature of this method is that training is carried out directly at the workplace during working hours, under the supervision of a mentor and with his constant support.

Mentoring goes through 5 stages in its development.

Mentoring as a method of staff training is especially relevant where the role of practical skills is great. For example, in the banking sector.

Method 4. Rotation

Rotation is the temporary movement of an employee to another workplace in order to gain new skills, knowledge, and experience.

Benefits of rotation:

• increases motivation;
• helps overcome stress from monotony of work;
• expands your social circle.

This method is especially in demand in companies where complete interchangeability of employees is necessary.

Example

In most commercial banks, the development of new areas of work occurs through rotation.

So, for example, an employee-operator serving individuals is temporarily transferred to serving legal entities. After some time, he becomes a universal employee of the bank's operational department. The bank did not incur any training costs, and the benefits are obvious!

Very often rotation is combined with mentoring.

Example

Chief Specialist of the Operations Department Marina Lapteva was going on another 2-week vacation. She will be replaced by Olga, a leading specialist in the same department.

So that Olga could fully perform her job duties in the new place, she was transferred to this site for 2 weeks ahead of time, where the girl, under the guidance of the experienced Marina, mastered the main aspects of the job responsibilities of the chief specialist.

When the time came and Lapteva went on vacation, Olga, taking over her responsibilities, worked for those 14 days without any problems.

Method 5: Delegation

Delegation is the transfer of authority in decision-making on a specific problem.

Example

The manager of the operations office, Petr Vasilievich, left on a business trip after 2 months. The replacement was entrusted to Svetlana Ivanovna Kolosova, the head of the operations department, a competent specialist with extensive work experience.

However, she has never been in the role of office manager! In order for the replacement to be successful, Pyotr Vasilyevich began to instruct (delegate) Svetlana Ivanovna on a daily basis to resolve various issues.

Yesterday Kolosova single-handedly went to Mechta LLC to present the possibilities of the salary project. Today, Svetlana Ivanovna independently deals with office bills for utilities issued by suppliers. Tomorrow, according to Pyotr Vasilyevich’s plan, she will instead interview a candidate for the position of credit inspector.

So, in a fairly short time, Svetlana Ivanovna will master the basic powers of an office manager without stress or problems.

Method 6. Method of increasingly complex tasks

With this method, the student is given increasingly complex and voluminous tasks over and over again.

Example

When a new bank employee is on a probationary period, they usually load him up gradually.

First, he gets acquainted with the basic internal documents necessary for him to perform his official duties.

Then he practices the skill of opening the trading day. Then he is entrusted with servicing 1-2 client accounts. This is how every day an employee learns all the intricacies of the profession.

Organization of the learning process

To increase business efficiency and organize employee training, you must adhere to the following algorithm:

1. Define learning goals and objectives. Decide what results you want to achieve: improve the quality of work, increase staff motivation, prepare employees for new responsibilities.
2. Choose the form, variety and teaching method. Above you have become acquainted with all formats of staff training. Based on their goal, choose the most optimal option for the learning process.
3. Now it's time to look for courses and companies that provide training. We search the Internet for the best companies specializing in training in your sector.
4. We negotiate with them, select trainers, and develop a training strategy. At this point, it is important to clearly define the previously prepared goal, describe your wishes and expectations.
5. When the training program is ready, read it carefully. if necessary, make changes, ask for changes.
6. Choose a venue. Either in your office or on the territory of a training company.
7. We conduct staff training, monitor employee engagement and reactions, and collect reviews.
8. We evaluate the results of the material covered by the productivity and efficiency of staff.

Training of sales representatives in Efes Rus

Training of sales representatives has a number of features, read in a separate article in which we talked about the experience of 6 Russian companies.

The Efes brewing company is one of the four largest players on the Russian market. The company employs more than 3,000 people. Efes tried to engage in distance training for staff since 2010, but then it was not possible to correctly integrate the LMS with the SAP system. In 2020, after internal changes, the company was faced with the task of optimizing employee training “in the field” - especially in remote regions - and bringing staff training to a single standard. We began to look for a new system in which to create courses. HTML5 support was needed so that courses could be launched on mobile devices for sales representatives in remote regions. Ease of use, localization, and technical support in Russia were also important.

Watch the video of the speech of Alexander Galenko, senior trainer for distance learning at Efes Rus, at the iSpring Days 2020 conference in St. Petersburg.

Read more about training Efes sales representatives →

Attributes of a good training program

A valid educational program must meet several requirements, described below:

• Requirement 1: Relevance. Information, techniques, ways to solve problems must be effective at the moment. Giving knowledge of past centuries is ineffective and useless. Offering methods that are valid abroad also does not always work, since Russia has its own specifics of work and this must be taken into account.
• Requirement 2: Employee Engagement. It is important that employees actively participate and are not distracted during the training process. If they are bored and the information is not useful, they will automatically begin to get distracted or communicate with each other. It is necessary to ensure that there is interaction during training.
• Requirement 3: Motivation. In addition to useful information, during training the trainer must be able to motivate employees to apply it, set goals, and grow professionally. This is very important, because labor efficiency and productivity rest not only on skills, but also on the desire to use them.
• Requirement 4: Repetition. It is necessary not only to impart useful knowledge in one gulp, but also to regularly repeat key thoughts and conclusions during the training program so that this is imprinted in the minds of the listeners. Make sure this is included in the prepared material. Usually this stage is discussed when the finished program is shown to the manager before approval.
• Requirement 5: Feedback. It is important that employees provide feedback during and after training. Participation in the educational process shows interest in the development and prepared material, and feedback after staff training and reviews of the program will help make it better next time.

How to use a blended approach to employee training

Blended learning means using more than one method to develop staff on a chosen topic. Blended learning is now literally a common sense concept that is leading to great success and results. A mixed approach helps solve the problem that one method does not suit all employees equally.

There are several reasons to use blended learning: 1. A blended learning program reduces both training time and cost by more than 50%. 2. Practice shows a 10% improvement in learning outcome compared to traditional methods. 3. A variety of teaching methods keeps the attention of both trainers and trainees.

Chances are you're already using blended learning, perhaps without even realizing it. If you have ever: – Used PowerPoint presentations in your training and included quizzes, small group discussions or role-playing at different stages of the training. – They gave a living example.

As a rule, employee feedback some time after training indicates that those blocks of information that were taught using a mixed approach are better remembered and retained.

Three best personnel training companies

If you do not have people on staff who specialize in personnel training, then you need to turn to third-party companies. In order not to waste money and time in vain, you need to carefully consider the selection process and turn to the leaders of your niche. Let's look at three companies that have proven themselves in employee training.

1. "Granit-Consulting". Helping others improve their knowledge and professional skills for over seven years. Provides consulting services throughout the vast territory of Russia. More than 13 thousand companies use the services of this help in the following areas:

• accounting services;
• lawyer consulting;
• SRO;
• certification;
• expertise;
• personnel selection;
• employee training;
• training and retraining of personnel and more.

2. "Triumph". It has existed since 1997 and has been helping companies with personnel issues all this time. Provides high quality services and has managed to gain a foothold among the leaders. The help of this company is used by such mastodons as Gazprom, RBC, Otkritie Bank, Raiffeisenbank, HimInvest, etc.

Triumph specialists are highly qualified and have extensive experience. After their training programs, companies' performance levels increase and employees become motivated for many years.

List of main services:

• recruitment upon request;
• assistance in adaptation of new employees;
• advanced training via distance learning;
• development of individual personnel motivation systems;
• employee evaluation;
• assistance in resolving conflict situations.

3. MegaPeople. The training center provides services in all major cities of Russia.

Service list:

• increasing employee motivation;
• improvement of abilities, skills, knowledge;
• conducts effective trainings;
• offers to take effective advanced training courses;
• works in various directions.

What is staff training and why is it carried out?

We constantly hear: “staff training, staff training.” But not many people can clearly explain what this process actually is.

So let's start with the basic definition.

Personnel training is the development of professional skills, abilities and knowledge of employees in accordance with the goals and strategy of the company.

As I wrote above, employee training is important not only for the employer, but also for the employees themselves.

Benefits for the employer:

• highly professional personnel capable of solving the most complex problems;
• reduction in staff turnover;
• formation of a personnel reserve;
• reducing recruitment costs;
• increasing employee motivation.

Positive points for the employee:

• acquisition of new professional knowledge and skills;
• salary increase;
• promotion;
• confidence in the future;
• no fear of losing your job;
• increased respect and appreciation;
• increasing work motivation.

Adviсe

To ensure that the training process is effective and the chosen company is professional, follow the following recommendations.

Tip 1: Influence several channels of information perception. In other words, make sure the trainer or coach doesn't just talk, but shows. Research has proven that the use of visuals, presentations, and videos help to better assimilate and remember the material.

Tip 2: Choose your educational services company carefully. Study the reviews, ask your manager friends about their experience in staff training, ask for contact details of companies, pay attention to their experience and the list of companies that work with them on an ongoing basis. Successful cases with well-known market leaders in their field will be a big plus; this indicates the quality of the work.

Tip 3: Familiarize yourself with the material and the trainer. Study the prepared program, make adjustments if necessary. Meet the trainer conducting the training. Evaluate his oratorical skills, diction, charisma. It is important that he is able to convey the idea briefly and clearly.

Tip 4: Sign an agreement and do not forget to clarify all the nuances of the work. Describe the timing, goals, objectives, training format. Clearly indicate the time of classes, the cost and method of payment, the type of document issued confirming completion of the educational course.

How to choose a provider and training program - 4 simple tips

Making a choice is always difficult. Good advice in such a situation will come in handy.

To help you, I have prepared a few small tips that will allow you to correctly navigate the personnel training market.

Tip 1. Pay attention to the visual aids that accompany the process

“It’s better to see once than to hear a hundred times” - this popular expression perfectly conveys the importance of visual aids in learning.

It has been scientifically proven that about 60% of the world's population are visual people - people who perceive the world around them through vision.

Layouts, posters, slides, presentations, films - all these are visual means used to accompany the learning process. Such tools make learning visual and “live.”

Tip 2. Get to know the teacher and read reviews about him

The choice of a teacher should be approached with all responsibility. The learning outcome largely depends on his skill, level of training, professional flair, ability to present material and convey it to the audience.

According to the innovative teacher V.F. Shatalov, the teacher, in addition to high professional qualities and deep knowledge of the subject of study, must be able to launch the so-called “pickle cucumber” mechanism.

“The main thing is to create a brine, then no matter what cucumber is, good or bad, once in the brine, it will be salted!”

The ability to create such an environment, such a “pickle” among students is the most important quality of a good teacher-mentor.

Have you chosen professional retraining or training courses? Before making a final decision, find out who will lead it. Try to meet him personally before the start of training. Remember the first impression is the most correct!

Tip 3. Determine the relevance of the program

Check out the training program. See how relevant and useful it is for you now. Perhaps most of the topics are already familiar to you, and you simply get bored in these classes.

Tip 4. Check the terms of the training

The learning conditions are the circumstances under which it takes place.

Basic conditions to pay attention to:

• deadlines;
• time of classes (daily, on certain days, evening, day, weekends, etc.);
• course cost;
• form (daytime, evening, full-time, remote, individual, group, etc.);
• what document is issued upon completion of training?

Find out useful recommendations for choosing a training company from the video.

See also the article on a related topic: additional vocational education.

Training of employees in specialized banking programs at BINBANK

The corporate university of PJSC BINBANK has been working with iSpring software for more than three years. The tool for recording screens with audio accompaniment, video lessons and lectures is actively used. With its help, specialists create video instructions for working with banking software. Previously, training was labor-intensive and required significant material and time costs, but now the process has become much simpler. All categories of personnel are trained. Employees practice customer service skills in interactive simulators.