When your employees don't have desks to sit behind each day, training them is a complicated combination of hands-on training and providing them with key information that will help them in the daily course of their job responsibilities.
Shaping the training for deskless employees is a more complicated process than simply sending them through a training module or providing them with a stack of papers that will teach them about their job--and in many cases, you'll find that your paper manual is holding these employees back from reaching their full potential. Shifting your training strategies to incorporate these methods will help reshape your employee success rates and set them up to accomplish everything they're capable of.
Provide the Right Information
When deskless employees have a question about the normal operations of the company or the procedures they're expected to follow, how do they handle it? Where can they go to get that information? While asking questions can and certainly should be encouraged, having a ready source for that information will make it easier for most employees to accomplish their goals and carry out their normal job responsibilities without a trainer standing over their shoulders. In order to provide that information, consider using a mobile platform. A mobile device can contain as much information as necessary in a comparatively small amount of space, allowing each employee to access whatever information they need in just a few clicks--whether that's the restaurant's specials of the day, specific ingredients used in a dish, or a cleaning process for an unfamiliar item.
Using mobile information sources also means that employees will be able to access that information long after their training is complete. They won't have to be obvious about it, since it's a simple glance down at a mobile device, but they'll continue to have ready access to whatever information they need no matter what job they hold within the company.
Keep Training Within the Work Environment
Whenever possible, train employees with the actual devices that they'll use on the job. Allow them to interact directly with customers, work with registers, and take other steps within the job environment, rather than stuffing them in a back office or insisting that they complete the learning process in a classroom. Putting employees--especially deskless employees who spend most of their shifts on their feet--in a classroom separates the learning from the actual task at hand. As a result, information absorbed in the classroom may be more difficult to put into play in the actual environment. This is another situation where mobile content becomes particularly useful: instead of a clunky handbook to flip through, trainees can easily access all of their information from a single, simple device that fits in the palm of their hand.
Make It Short
Most students learn best with short bursts of information, rather than trying to absorb large quantities of it all at the same time. Instead of bulk training days when trainees are expected to develop a strong understanding of their job, try offering information in short, easy-to-digest bursts that will be easier for students to manage and recall.
Keeping up with the changes in employee training isn't an easy task. If you're ready to learn more about how to transform your training efforts, check out our ebook, 10 Reasons to Leverage a Modern Learning System. This content will help you prepare your learning environment and transform the way you interact with new employees.
