Which Employee Trainings Should You Offer?

There are dozens of employee training programs available, but not all of them are applicable to your organization. To get the most from training, you need to balance the amount of time, employees spend on training and the time they spend engaging in revenue-generating activities. Employees shouldn't invest too much time in training, but you also want to train them as much as necessary.

Regardless of how you conduct your training, you should host five core programs for your employees.

5 Employee Trainings You Should Offer 

With so many training programs available for employees, it can be challenging to decide on the right ones to offer. However, some of these programs are more critical than others. The following are five of the most important employee training programs to consider for your business. 

1. Onboarding

When bringing new employees onto your teams, onboarding training will help with successful integration. Onboarding training optimizes the new employee's experience to give them the start they need when joining your company.

There are many aspects that onboarding training can cover. These include communication practices, training for various software and tools, resources that offer support to employees, and coordination with different teams and staff members. If an employee requires a certain resource, tool, or best practice to help them start at your business, it's worth including in an onboarding training program. 

2. Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment training entails teaching employees about the difference between appropriate and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. While sexual harassment mainly refers to unwelcome sexual advances and other conduct of a sexual nature, it can also refer to other forms of misconduct based on a person's sex, such as misogynistic comments made toward women.

Some states require sexual harassment training, such as California. If employers in these states don't host sexual harassment training programs for all employees, employers may be held liable. Sexual harassment training can also help ensure that employees feel comfortable and show that employers value a safe, harassment-free environment. 

3. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution gives two or more employees the ability to resolve a disagreement, which may be work-related or personal. This is crucial as conflicts frequently develop in the workplace, making it essential to resolve them as efficiently and safely as possible.

If employees know how to resolve conflicts, they are less likely to escalate problems to HR or management. There's also a significantly decreased risk of violence in the workplace, making the work environment safer. Conflict resolution training will also help increase productivity and collaboration among employees since they'll spend less time resolving conflicts when they arise. 

4. Compliance Training

These programs ensure employees understand all relevant laws and legislation that applies to them, which will enable them to maintain compliance more easily.

In addition to covering responsibilities directly related to the job, compliance training can cover various safety and security topics. For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has specific guidelines that employees must follow. The type of compliance that employees must maintain will differ significantly from industry to industry and from company to company, which is why this training is so critical. With sufficient training, employees will better understand how to keep the workplace safe and secure for everyone. 

5. Anti-Bias and Diversity Training

This training teaches employees how to remain respectful and work with people from all backgrounds. For instance, anti-bias and diversity training may educate employees on reporting harassment toward others. It can also instruct employees on how to advocate for other employees and properly react in the event of discrimination in the workplace. 

This training often involves exploring hypothetical scenarios that reveal how some phrases, comments, or actions may offend people of diverse backgrounds. From there, employees will learn how to handle those situations and prevent them. 

Anti-bias and diversity training is necessary to avoid accidentally violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which "prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, and national origin." This type of training will also make employees of all backgrounds feel as though their employers and fellow employees genuinely care about creating a healthy environment. 

Taking Employee Training to the Next Level 

These core training programs are vital for keeping the workplace healthy for everyone. While you can conduct in-person training with your entire workforce, this requires massive coordination for employers. 

Grou in-person group training can waste the time of individuals who have already received relevant training. This also means that training will take time away from the daily work of senior employees or managers who need to perform training. While an alternative is available in the form of hiring professionals to perform in-person training, this is often expensive. Lecturing employees also risks losing their attention when covering crucial topics and talking points.

Instead of in-person training, consider online video training. By implementing this solution, individuals can take training programs at their own pace. It also eliminates the need to hire instructors or delegate work. Additionally, the right online video training solution comes with quizzes to ensure that employees have internalized all lessons. Once completed, employees then receive a certificate as proof of training.

Having a reliable training program will equip new and existing employees with the knowledge they need to maintain a safe, secure, and productive work environment. To facilitate this, harness the power of online video training to optimize these programs' effectiveness, convenience, and affordability.