Types of Employee Training Programs Every HR Should Know

In most fast-paced business environments, developing your workforce is no longer a choice but a strategic necessity. If you are an HR leader, empowering employees through effective training programs is the key to building a resilient and high-performing organization. These programs enable individuals to reinforce the critical skills they lack. This can help them grow in their roles and contribute directly to business outcomes like productivity, innovation, and retention, while bridging the knowledge gaps.

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The effect of training is beyond individual performance. Firms that have established a strong learning culture are 52% more productive and 92% more likely to innovate by using new products or processes. Nearly 59% of workers have disclosed that they were not given any formal training at their workplace, and they are frequently left with no choice but to rely on skills they have learned by themselves to be successful. The disconnection is an error reflecting a mindset existing in some organizations, as they still think of training mainly as a cost rather than an investment that they have to make if they want to be competitive in today's market, which is simply no longer sustainable.

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In this article, we are going to dive into the employee training programs that every HR professional should know and implement in their company for long-term success and growth.

What Are Employee Training Programs?

Employee training programs are learning and development activities that organizations systematically plan to provide their staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to execute their jobs more effectively and efficiently. For instance, creative roles might benefit significantly from specialized courses offered by reputable art colleges, enhancing employees' creativity and innovation capabilities.

These programs are mainly directed towards employees, who are the ones that need to be provided with the technical skills required for solving complex problems, creating new career paths, and the improvement of institutional knowledge. In addition to these, the programs also have an important place in the improvement of employees' interpersonal and leadership skills to create a future leader capacity from within, at the same time, it is ensured that employees are always compliant with the latest compliance and regulatory standards. 

Benefits of Employee Training Programs

Training is highly correlated with a company’s long-term growth and success. Good training programs in your organisation not only improve your team’s productivity, efficiency, and flexibility, but also enhance their communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. These are the key benefits of employee training:

Makes Employee Morale Higher 

If employees lack the necessary skills, they may feel frustrated and less productive. Training equips them with the right skills, thereby increasing job satisfaction, morale, and confidence. Motivated employees are usually a good source of new ideas and contribute to improving work quality.

Decreases the Number of Mistakes

It is common knowledge that every profession presupposes having specific skills, without which employee mistakes can be more frequent. Effective training is the means of assisting workers to become skilled, and thus, mistakes that may hurt productivity become minimal.

Boosts Productivity 

Training gives employees a sense of confidence and enables them to have various skills. If the members of a team understand the tasks clearly and have support, they will work more efficiently, thus the whole team’s productivity will increase.

Fills Skill Gaps 

With the technology entering the market at such a rapid pace, companies must help employees gain new skills. Most failed projects are due to the team being insufficiently trained. The offering of upskilling and reskilling programs can help employees be on the same page with the new tools and processes, so that companies do not fall behind in a digital world environment.

Reduces Staff Turnover 

Companies that provide employees with ongoing learning opportunities are proven to keep employees 30-50% longer. The fact of being recognized and appreciated for their work and growth is very important for the workers. Using training as an incentive not only prevents turnover but is also an effective way to keep top talent motivated.

Types of Employee Training Programs That Every HR Should Know

Employee training is definitely a wide experience with varied topics which may start from introducing to company for newcomers, safety procedures, and even more. Such training can be direct, online, individually, or in groups. These are some common types of employee training programs that can have a great impact on your company.

Orientation

Starting a new job can indeed be a big issue if we do not take into account all the preparatory work of HR. New employees will, of course, perform better if the orientation sessions are properly done, and will thus enable them to become part of the team more quickly and efficiently.

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In general, a duration of 2 to 3 days is sufficient for orientation, which should cover presenting company policies, familiarizing oneself with the work to be done, understanding the hierarchy and company culture, and learning the company goals. Apart from these, orientation is also about providing the new team members with the necessary means and equipment for the job. This might be the case with ID badges and laptops for on-site workers or helping remote employees set up their technology and communication tools.

Onboarding

The terms 'onboarding' and 'orientation' are often interchanged; however, the two are different in their objectives. According to a Gallup study, there is only about 10% of the total workforce thinks their companies are doing the onboarding task properly.

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Onboarding is a prolonged process that may range from weeks to months or even up to one year, during which new hires are familiarized with the company's mission and vision, their position is deeply discussed, and they are continuously given support for their self-improvement.

The usual onboarding program consists of:

• Training that is customized to the staff member’s job, either individually or in group sessions.
• Periodic discussions with supervisors, mentors, and colleagues for setting and receiving advice.
• Keeping track of development with well-established objectives and collecting comments for the evaluation of the onboarding program’s success. 

Compliance Training

Compliance training makes sure that employees are aware of the legal requirements and company policies that are applicable. The main purpose of compliance training is not just to avoid legal issues but also to create a working environment that is respectful, safe, and fair. 

The following illustrates the compliance training programs for government-imposed and industry-specific policies:

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• Anti-harassment: Anti-harassment compliance training programs provide information, policies, and procedures for how to respond to incidents such as bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment. 
• Cybersecurity training: Cybersecurity training shapes employees ' ability to handle sensitive and confidential information. Management also provides training, strategies, tools, and systems that help protect personal data. 
• Business ethics: The ethics & compliance training programs include employee risk assessment training, employee whistleblowing encouragement methods, employee accountability systems, and reporting gray areas/conflicts of interest. 
• OSHA training: OSHA compliance training raises workers ' knowledge of the potential hazards in the workplace, how to circumvent occurrences, what to do if an occurrence does take place, and their rights as workers.                                 

Soft-skills Training

Soft-skills training is aimed at equipping employees with the necessary personal characteristics. Among all these skills, communication, problem-solving, and conflict management are the most important. These skills are handy in every job and department because they make employees better at working with clients, collaborating with others, and increasing the company’s overall success.

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Ways to design a good soft-skills training program:

• Determine which soft skills your employees need the most.
• Use self-assessments to find out employees' current skill levels.
• Choose an appropriate training program and methods that will best help.
• Decide what progress indicators are suitable to set clear goals.
• Make it clear how the program benefits most to get the maximum number of participants.
• Regularly give feedback to help employees become better.

Team Training

Team training primarily seeks to trigger the maximum potential in every team member through improving project team collaboration and building a positive team culture, hence making the whole team grow, become motivated, and work better together.

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How to successfully conduct a team training:

• Survey the team about the new skills they would like to gain in the future.
• Set a mutually convenient time for everyone to carry out the training sessions.
• Use activities that promote teamwork and are consistent with the company’s goals.
• Show how each person contributes to team success to boost commitment.
• Include exercises that build trust and cooperation.
• Tailor training to different learning styles.
• If any problems arise, always be ready to help and check progress during follow-up sessions.

Conclusion

A company that values and implements various kinds of employee training is the one that can build participants who are competent, motivated, and adaptable. The most important are those who improve performance along with the support of growth over a longer period of time, no matter if we speak about introductory orientation and compliance or more specific programs such as product knowledge, sales, soft skills, and team training. 

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Human Resources departments can be very productive if they recognize the different role-specific requirements and set the training programmes for their employees that are compatible with the business's objectives since they can motivate the personnel to get up to speed, provide the necessary skills and knowledge, and be confident — this, in turn, will result in higher retention, better teamwork, and stronger business outcomes.

FAQs 

Why is onboarding different from orientation? 

Orientation is just a short period (a few days) in a company and a role introduction. Onboarding implies a more thorough and longer period (weeks or months) of getting to know the company culture and directing for long-term success.

How can HR select the best training for different teams? 

Assess the skills lacking in each team, their tasks, and goals. Pick or create suitable training programs tailored to each team's needs, like sales training for sales teams, safety training for warehouse teams, or leadership coaching for managers. 

Why is compliance training important? 

Compliance training helps employees grasp company policies, industry rules, and safety guidelines to recognize and address legal matters, fostering a safe and respectful workplace.

Do employee training programs improve retention rates? 

Yes. The offer of continuous learning and development opportunities boosts the interest of employees and keeps them longer in the company by supporting the improvement of their skills as well as by making them feel that they are part of the team.

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