Julian Scadden

So, you’ve invested in training your employees, and they are trained. Now what?

How important is it to have an ongoing training process? Do your employees ask for more training when they need it?

I have yet to meet the residential service company that has a high percentage of employees asking for more training. A few individuals may inquire or request classes or training from time to time, but overall most people are comfortable right where they are. They figure you’ll let them know if they are off-track or need additional training. By having a consistent training schedule, your actions will show your team ongoing training is important and is part of your company culture.

So how do you decide on training topics? I suggest looking at your employees in a 360 degree fashion and identify areas to train, ranging from safety issues, technical skills, sales, and customer service. Vary the topics but also make sure you train on measurable core company procedures. If you have a performance indicator that is lagging or off-target you can also develop training for that area.

Once you identify your training needs, go one step further and always have some form of follow-up for your training. Not just a pop quiz at the end of class but an ongoing measurement of the skill or behavior employees learned. Have a consistent process for following up with employees to update them on their performance in relation to the training.

Training is not a one-time investment, it is a continued process. Feel free to share your thoughts or questions on the training process in the comment section below.