According to Training Magazine’s 2015 State of the Industry Report, 42 percent of responding companies increased their training budgets last year. Another 43 percent kept their budgets about the same, and only 15 percent decreased their training expenditures. Many companies are evidently discovering the value of effective training in boosting productivity and profits; many more are holding steady, perhaps not risking a cut that could potentially derail teaching employees the skills they need to be successful.
Yet, spending more on training doesn’t necessarily translate into more successful training. The quality of corporate training materials is an important factor in the overall effectiveness of companies’ programs. Too often, organizations throw money into training, hiring more staff or investing in dynamic digital platforms, but are satisfied with the same learning content that has seemingly worked for years, not realizing that perhaps the content is part of the problem. Here are four signs that your corporate training materials need a refresh:
They don’t cover current innovations
For sake of example, say a retail chain has had a new inventory system in place for a couple years. Employees received training on it immediately after implementation, but no permanent training content was internally created to teach workers who were hired or transferred after the upgrade. These employees subsequently must rely on shoulder-to-shoulder training, which isn’t always available, and they might not have an outlet to look something up if they have a question a few weeks into their new role. In the meantime, an obsolete how-to file for the old system is still available in the company’s training library. If your company has too many outdated corporate training materials or doesn’t offer anything new for innovations that may already be a couple years old, a refresh is definitely in order.
It’s all printed materials
For decades, printed corporate training materials were the learning stalwarts of many industries. Video was too expensive and too technical to produce and distribute, and any sort of interactive training such as podcasts or PowerPoint programs were beyond the capabilities of the average trainer. Technology has evolved and become more accessible for training departments, yet many stick with printed content. Unfortunately, the millennial workforce is far from impressed by training manuals and three-ring binders and may instantly tune out such methods. Video is easier to produce, creates more of an impact, and, with today’s mobile training solutions, is simpler to update, distribute, and access.
The styles are out of style
This may seem superficial, but if the people featured in your 2006 corporate training materials look like they are from 2006, current employees will think the content is outdated and not take it as seriously. Although clothing and grooming styles haven’t changed much in a decade, the technology and the pop culture has changed; a video of an employee referencing N*SYNC and using a stylus to send a text on an “antiquated” cell phone may create a negative impression with a new hire. If, upon your viewing, corporate training materials feel old, they probably are and should be updated.
There’s no means of feedback
Another characteristic of the millennial generation is that the chance of being a contributor to the training process is important for younger employees. If millennials—who now comprise the largest segment of the American workforce—have a question with corporate training materials, they want to able to ask it and receive a thoughtful answer. If they see an improvement that can be made with content, they want to be able to suggest it. Unfortunately, the training strategies of the past—and, too often, the present—don’t facilitate this kind of feedback, thus leaving employees feeling disconnected and unengaged. Any strategy to refresh your corporate training materials should include the means to ask questions, offer opinions, and take an active stake in the learning that is occurring.
Do you feel your corporate training materials are out of date?
