training Archives

Xeny Lopez Matos, Creative Manager (US)

Training is overlooked, even downplayed, in every organization. But when employees don’t meet performance expectations, training is suddenly in the spotlight. It’s easy to understand why training is perceived this way. Training doesn’t directly impact profits and it doesn’t influence quarterly financial initiatives. Or does it? Without training, employees don’t receive the tools and information they need to meet performance expectations. Yes, people join a company with experience and a skillset, but every organization functions differently and every role requires knowledge that is specific to the company. This is even more applicable when you throw in upskilling or learning how to use a new software solution. If employees don’t receive the training they need to use the tools required for the job, they can’t perform—and employees who don’t perform impact the company’s bottom line.

The technology factor

Regardless of the industry or the job role, technology is used in one way or another. Learning a new system or solution can be challenging especially with a diverse workforce. Employees with varying levels of experience will struggle to different degrees when learning a new solution. Different types of employees, such as part-time or flexible employees, won’t necessarily require the same onboarding experience as the traditional full-time employee. This is when training comes in. Training is the middle piece, the mediator so to speak, that influences how quickly employees learn to adopt and use a new software solution and can be targeted to their specific needs.

Speaking about user adoption…

How effortlessly have you seen the integration of new processes and changes within your company? We’re guessing it hasn’t been easy and you’re not alone! Getting employees to use new software is a common challenge on many technology initiatives. In addition, software changes are typically accompanied by other organizational changes. All these changes impact an employee’s ability to do their job, which understandably causes stress and can lead to pushback.

We get it. Change is hard, especially when it impacts how we do our job. However, for a new solution, program or system to be embraced and effective, it must have high user adoption and support. User adoption must be easy and seamless to gain the support a company needs. This is when training can be the “it” factor, the big difference that influences whether employees will embrace change or fight it. Training eases the information overload an employee feels when they must learn how to use a new software solution and system. Providing quality training shortens the adjustment period that comes with using new software and, as a result, alleviates frustration. Training also provides a communication line to employees to clarify questions and misconceptions. Most importantly, training, addresses the “what’s in it for me” question—it shows how using the new software benefits the employee.

The times are a-changing

Bob Dylan was right, things are changing. They’re evolving fast, especially in the workplace. However, it’s how we react to change that sets us apart and can help us stay ahead. As we discussed, training is necessary and required to help employees learn a new solution and begin using it as soon as possible. But just like our software solutions, training is constantly evolving as well.

Introducing digital adoption

Digital adoption. You may have heard of it. Digital adoption uses integrated software that teaches users how to use a platform through direct, online interaction. It’s become the social media of marketing by introducing the next evolutionary era of training development and delivery. Through digital adoption, companies can take training to the next level by having their employees learn how to use their software tools directly in the software solution itself. It is learning by doing, and combining this training method with other training delivery can compound the benefits of training altogether.

And we conclude…

Training should be at the forefront and every company’s priority. It’s just as important and impactful as a marketing plan, customer outreach and sale initiatives. Whether it’s the introduction of a new software solution or bringing new hires up to speed, training prepares your employees by communicating not only how to use the tools they need for their job, but also highlighting the benefits the tools will bring. In addition, exploring the advancements of training offerings, such as digital adoption, can further expedite the learning process and shorten the learning curve. However, digital adoption cannot encompass all of training. Certain situations and factors will ultimately determine the type of training or combination of training that best meets your needs. As we’ll explore in future discussions, organizations that take a multi-faceted approach to training to set their workers up for success and reap the benefits through their improved performance.

Stay tuned to subsequent posts through our blog and newsletter, where we discuss how certain training advancements can be used to elevate the training experience.

Xeny Lopez Matos, Training Specialist

COVID. Pandemic. It seems like a lifetime ago we entered the trenches of the unknown and we began drudging through quicksand trying to return to a sense of “normalcy.” This is true for our personal lives as well as our work lives. The pandemic brought social upheaval and a set of changes that were unexpected, to say the least.

Of significant note is the long-lasting, if not permanent, impact the pandemic is having on the workplace. The closing of business doors brought the sudden transition to remote work. We previously took a deeper look into the permanent workforce impacts of the pandemic and how training could be used to help workers adjust to sudden changes. However, the positive impact of training shouldn’t only be considered during unprecedented lifetime events. Training can and should be utilized to provide your workforce with the skills, tools and autonomy to adapt to the ever-evolving demands brought by today’s global economy and consumers.

Consumers…they are always evolving.

Consumer behavior is always changing, and the advent of the internet and social media have only quickened the pace at which their behavior evolves. In addition, a new focus on environmental impact, regardless of the industry, has brought a new angle to purchasing that companies cannot ignore. While change can bring new challenges, it can also provide new opportunities to maximize growth and profit. But how can you ensure that your workers are keeping up with the changing demands? How can you provide your workforce with the tools they need to not only meet their daily expectations, but to exceed them? The answer is training.

Training, oh what a difference it makes!

At the bare minimum, training provides workers with the basic skills they need to adequately complete the requirements of their job. However, if utilized correctly, training can also elevate your workforce to a level that helps you efficiently and quickly achieve success. It is important to change how training is viewed to optimize its success. Training should be seen as an investment, not only in the worker, but also for your business. You are aware that upfront business investments will pay out in the future, whether it’s investment in technology or a new product. Training is no different. By upskilling your workers, you are giving them the tools they need to raise the performance of your business and therefore its profitability. Workers provided with skills will confidently tackle challenges, save time, provide solutions and engage with you and your customers in a proactive manner.

Training for autonomy, not just a skill.

As we know, skills can become outdated and as industries evolve even more skills can be required to successfully execute a task. To maximize the benefits of a training program, you need to focus on the results it will provide. Training should focus on adaptability, flexibility and even state of mind when confronted with a consistently changing landscape. You can’t always predict the needs of an industry and you can’t always foresee a change in demand. However, you can design training programs that provide your workforce with qualities that help them not only adapt to changes, but to embrace them. Adaptability and a challenge-oriented attitude will benefit all employees who need to be flexible to meet customers’ changing demands and new industry standards. Training isn’t just about providing your workforce with skills. The right training program can also help your company develop a culture of resilience and positive state of mind.

Final thoughts.

Consumers are complicated. We know this and we are always trying to understand them, to predict their behavior, to show them what they need and what they really want. However, this requires a properly trained workforce to meet and adapt to constant changes in consumer demand. Training shouldn’t be seen as a “checkbox” or something to be completed because it is required for “XYZ,” but rather a tool that is sought after to stay ahead of the competition. Training provides the tools workers need to feel confident and flexible in meeting the demands for the evolving organism that is today’s consumer.

Rachael Bilan, Customer Program Manager

It is a busy day, and you ran to your local grocery store to grab a quick lunch. All register lines are about the same: four customers deep in each one. But the one you pick is taking twice as long to get your items scanned and paid. Why? What factors are contributing to your line going so much slower than the other line? Is it just the customers in front of you? Or could it be the team member’s skill or training? Could the store manager have scheduled differently to account for not only the volume of customers, but the skill of her employees? As your frustration builds, you fixate on what the store could have done differently. Finally stepping away from your completed transaction you turn around to see three empty register lanes, all with cashiers waiting idly. How frustrating!

As a retailer, understanding how to identify and proactively manage potential variations in your customers and workflow systematically is not only possible, but imperative. Employee productivity and employee utilization are two often conflated concepts that are used to identify these differences in your workforce. Each can be controlled managerially and systematically by having the proper configurations in place in your labor model and scheduling system.

What is employee productivity? What is employee utilization? The two phrases have totally different meanings. Productivity refers to the state or action of producing something, while utilization involves the process of making practical and effective use of something.
Let’s dig into productivity first.

Employee productivity

When we refer to employee productivity, we mean how effectively and efficiently your employees work. Some employees work faster than most and some work slower than most. Labor models, especially those using engineered labor standards, should assume that each employee is working at an average pace and using the defined best method. But what happens when employees do not meet those standards exactly? In particularly high-turnover departments, where overall employee productivity is low, failing to properly mitigate low productivity can mean poor customer service as employees struggle to keep up with the workload demanded of them.
So how do you mitigate low employee productivity? We believe it is two-fold:

wp:heading {“level”:6} –>

1. Proper training and supervision:

Ensuring employees are knowledgeable on prescribed best methods, and providing manager feedback and appropriate coaching when they are not, means that more employees will rise to meet productivity expectations keeping the department’s overall productivity at an average pace.

wp:heading {“level”:6} –>

2. Systematic assignment of productivity factors:

While this approach is less common and should be reserved for unusual situations when the first suggestion is ineffective, effective labor models allow for an adjustment to productivity as a percentage at a more granular level. By setting an adjusted productivity allowance at a store, department or even time of day, you can ensure that even in situations where productivity is known to be low, schedules can be written to compensate for the additional hours needed to provide proper customer service.

Employee utilization

Let’s contrast employee productivity with employee utilization. When we refer to employee utilization, we mean how effectively your workforce’s time is being used. Do you have employees who are idle waiting for work? Do you have employees with skillsets that are not being tapped into? We all have seen employees standing around socializing due to over-scheduling or an unanticipated low customer demand. Perhaps we overlooked team members with cross-utilization opportunities.

The amount of time unused might seem miniscule, but if you take the total amount of unproductive time from all your team members for one week and multiply it by the average hourly rate, you would be astonished how much labor is being missed and under-utilized. For example, 100 team members, one hour of unproductivity and a total average hourly rate of $15 equals a total of $1,500 per week and $78,000 per year of missed utilized labor. Again, we believe there is a two-fold approach to addressing employee utilization:

wp:heading {“level”:6} –>

1. Cross-training:

Employees who have expanded skill sets are able to jump between tasks to fill in lulls in customer demand with more flexibility. Not only this, but cross-training employees may reveal a particular efficacy that one employee has for a new job, increasing their overall contribution to the business and their own job satisfaction.

wp:heading {“level”:6} –>

2. Use of task-based automated schedules:

wp:paragraph {“align”:”left”} –>

While employee cross-training may be useful in theory to mitigate utilization concerns, in practice it can be difficult for schedule writers to take advantage of the increased flexibility it creates. Trying to balance who can do what, with exactly what time of day the work is required can be a lot for one person to grapple with.

With these additional levels of complexity, most manual schedule writers will fall into a routine for who does what task each week and what time they should do it. Use of an automated schedule system breaks that habit and can factor in the added levels of complexity without bias, properly accounting for forecasted demand patterns and ensuring that employees with the proper skillsets are scheduled at the right time to meet those demand requirements.

In summary

No two employees perform the same. Accounting for these differences both managerially and systematically is possible if you understand both employee productivity and employee utilization and mitigate properly for each. Used in tandem, productivity and utilization management techniques applied to the right automated scheduling solution will produce an effective schedule that prioritizes customer service without sacrificing labor efficiency.

Huw Davies, Program Manager and Pre-Sales Engineer
Josh Coalts, Labor Program Manager

As discussed previously, convenience store growth across the U.S. and U.K. has exploded over the last few decades. Small footprint locations have given way to large, vast stores with offerings like fresh food, made-to-order meals, and click-and-collect. To support this outburst of growth, it has become necessary for convenience store retailers to drastically adapt their business models, planning strategies and staffing considerations to ensure that they don’t fall behind, inadvertently becoming exactly what they sought to replace—obsolete. Completely overhauling an established industry can be daunting, overwhelming and harrowing but at the same time necessary.

Often, adding new services or product offerings can have a noticeable impact on when, and how, customers shop. This is just as true for convenience stores as it is for traditional retail, and that impact is something that must be accounted for when planning for change. Perhaps adding a fresh coffee bar with a barista will encourage new customers to shop earlier in the morning, or made-to-order meals entice existing shoppers to stop by right before dinner. These changing traffic patterns can be difficult to properly plan for without a labor model that acknowledges trends and can react when it counts.

The evolution of convenience stores over the past few decades has also spurred a drastic change in the skills that convenience employees must have to ensure success. As these stores have moved from a model mainly focused on “coffee, soda and cigarettes” towards something that resembles a typical grocer, employees are asked to learn increasingly complex technology. Point-of-sale systems within a convenience store are often on the cutting edge of retail, incorporating inventory management, restaurant-like menus, fuel sales, money transfers, utility payments, and more.

Many convenience stores even find themselves with similar promotional plans to traditional retail, elevating their level of competition. Each advancement has also expanded the need for the following.

Enhanced training

Changes mean that employees need to be brought up to speed. This means that there is a need to develop material covering each system (from simple to complex), legal and regulatory processes, as well as business policies.

Communication

As the convenience space has evolved, additional tools have become available that often make it easier than ever to communicate with employees. However, this ease means that today’s employees expect a robust communication tool to be available.

Food safety and compliance reporting

More than ever, businesses involved with the preparation and marketing of meals or prepared food must ensure the safety of their product. Routine monitoring, which can take a clerk away from the check stand and queuing customers, must be done or risk selling a product past its prime.

Along with monitoring, a robust food safety program that earns customer trust often requires a compliance program. Developing an established record of food safety and being able to back that up with detailed temperature logs, holding time records, and more is a critical step in a strong offering.

Sanitation

General store sanitation has become an expectation as the convenience store has evolved. Customers expect a high level of fit and finish in their neighborhood corner store. Conditions and fixtures are used to judge how relevant and trustworthy a store is, and worse, poorly maintained locations can have a negative impact on the overall business.

Scheduling

All of these changes have also led to a need for better time management. Successful organizations are able to ensure their workforce is scheduled at the right time and right place to complete the additional tasks that have been added to a convenience store’s workload. Accurately placing labor ensures that the business’s investment in labor is not misused and returns the expected benefits.

To deliver top-notch service across all these elements successfully for your customers, you must have the right people in the right place, at the right time. You must know your demands and understand the time needed for each activity. Each of these areas can provide staggering benefits to any retail environment, but with their traditionally smaller footprints, tighter margins, and ability to react faster, convenience stores are well positioned for continued growth and evolution over the decades to come. In the next two blog posts, we will look at how technology has changed convenience store retailing and the future evolution of this retail format. We will also explore the kind of solutions and support necessary to successfully implement and adapt to the changing face of convenience retailing.

Anthony Henry, Customer Program Manager
Luis Rojas-Romero, Industrial Engineer
Luz Hernandez, Industrial Engineering Analyst

In our prior blog post, we discussed basic and practical ways to develop stocking methods that will improve productivity on the sales floor. Designing the method is just the first part of the challenge. The next hurdles are rolling the methods out and making them stick. In this post we discuss what you must do to transition the idea from the drawing board to implementation to lasting practice, because an unsuccessful rollout can damage your business in several ways. These include loss of trainer and team member time, loss of investment in equipment that isn’t used or is used incorrectly, lower employee morale, and less willingness to buy into future initiatives.

The challenges

There are numerous challenges when rolling out a new method. In the case of a new stocking method, these include:

Breaking old habits that may be ingrained in team members
Developing a consistent coaching strategy between managers
Differing store layout and offering conditions

How you take these factors into consideration when designing your strategy to communicate organizational best practices will determine their success or failure. Retailers often use one or a combination of implementation pathways to teach, coach and train their associates on best-practice changes. However, before any training begins, the first step is providing the right communication.

Communicate the “why”

Most retailers can explain what they are doing and how they plan to implement their best methods. However most either skip or struggle with “WHY” the method improvement matters. Because organizations do not change—people do—explaining the why needs to be personalized.

Associates don’t resist change, but they do resist being changed. Retailers must involve their associates in defining the why behind the method change. This requires a lot of communication. It makes the difference between associates supporting the best methods because they feel they have to, versus associates supporting the best methods because they want to. This distinction is the critical make-or-break factor in the success of best methods implementation initiatives.

Associates who feel that they have to do something usually feel like victims and will invest the minimum amount of effort and energy to deliver new results.

However associates who understand and emotionally connect with the rationale for the best method adoption—why it’s important to the organization and to them—feel inspired rather than manipulated, and will do all they can to creatively support, adopt and learn the required implementation change.

On-the-job implementation training

In this type of implementation, a new or less experienced associate is given instruction or advice from a more experienced associate who may be a supervisor or special instructor. How well the associate learns depends on how well the experienced associate teaches them. Most of the implementation includes hands-on training with a skilled or semi-skilled associate observing and helping them along the way with the use of guides like the following:

Visual Method Sheets (VMS) are minimal written instructions in sequential steps that describe work to be done with electronic images to show or demonstrate how work is to be carried out. Electronic images are combined with written instruction in a consistent format for easy and rapid comprehension.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out complex routine operations.

Visual Aids (VAs) are items of illustrative matter that associates are shown, such as pictures, film or maps, to help them understand or remember information on how to execute a best method more easily.

Quick Reference Guides (QRG) known as “cheat sheets” are a tool for the associate who needs to know just enough to get a job done without having to read an entire manual or textbook.

This one-on-one implementation coaching style with guides builds a relationship between associates and mentor that carries far beyond method adoption. It also allows the associate to ask questions they may not feel comfortable asking in a group setting.

The advantage of this type of implementation is that the best practice is learned by the associates in actual conditions using the best methods and in the physical environment as opposed to learning the job in an artificial environment.

eLearning implementation

eLearning relies on online videos, tests and courses to deliver the associate the best method training. Associates can do their group training at a company’s designated computer or training facility. It is one of the easiest types of associate implementation training program large companies use to reach their larger workforce, especially for those associates who are remote or have high turnover rates. However, there are pros and cons to this type of best method implementation.

Pros:

Flexibility. The eLearning content can be done in sections, to fit around the associates’ schedules. Unlike traditional eLearning approach, associates do not have to follow a structured schedule that dictates when they can access the eLearning content. This type of implementation gives associates flexibility to accomplish their method implementation training, on their own time.

Lower cost. Since there are no costs associated with using a trainer’s time and/or equipment, online implementation becomes a much more affordable option. This in turn reduces overhead cost to an organization, giving them more headroom to invest in facility upgrades and better strategic planning campaigns.

Message consistency. All associates receive a consistent message versus varying delivery on how to execute the best methods across the organization.

Cons:

Computer proficiency. Some associates may not be comfortable using computers. Even if the software is user friendly, it may be a daunting task for them. These associates may struggle and would probably be more successful in a traditional on-the-job implementation type setting.

Lack of structure. Sometimes associates with low motivation can quickly fall behind with this type of method adoption. With no fixed schedule or routine, eLearning implementation can become difficult for associates to meet coursework goals which leads to poor method adoption.

Maintaining and sustaining

Best method adherence begins with effective training, but it doesn’t end there. Good managers coach best methods and help their associates understand why the method is the right method considering customer safety, associate safety and proper handling of the product being stocked. Without ongoing coaching, there can be very different methods in place on the sales floor versus the one in the training documentation. Managers need best methods training too, especially in how to observe and coach their associates to reinforce the company’s best methods. Developing managers’ abilities to observe and coach seems easy; however many managers rise to their position by being the most productive associate and not based on their managerial or communication skills.

Providing recognition to the associates throughout the process of implementation will aid in sustaining the best practices. Recognition can be as simple as verbal or a small reward such as a gift card.

In the next part of the series, we’ll explore how a system-based approach to conducting observations and proactively creating a positive and reinforcing culture to support best methods can produce lasting benefits. These include improved productivity and mitigating risk factors such as costly worker compensation claims due to injuries.

Valeria Orona, Industrial Engineer
Chloe Feast, Industrial Engineering Intern
Nate Sugrue, Industrial Engineering Intern

From an employer’s perspective, satisfying one age group at the expense of another is not an effective workforce solution. However, as our fellow Generation Z colleague Elizabeth Lee discussed in the previous blog post of this series, some inefficiencies that older generations have “lived with” can be frustrating for younger employees, even deal breakers. In 2019, a shocking 73 percent of Gen Z employees left their jobs because the job did not end up meeting their expectations, compared to less than 50 percent across older generations [1]. As Gen Z’s representation in the workforce increases, employers must be aware of our work expectations to maximize employee retention.

Onboarding and training

As Gen Z enters the workforce, employers face the challenge of finding optimal ways to incorporate us into their organization. Unlike generations before us, we were raised in the digital age, gaining high technological literacy and developing unique learning strategies as a result.

For our generation, working in teams is less attractive. We’ve been educated in a system that assesses individual effort, so we generally prefer to work independently rather than in a group setting. Moreover, as educational practices have evolved in our lifetime, we have been exposed to multiple new learning approaches, such as online modules (eLearning), flipped classrooms and virtual testing environments. These techniques can certainly be leveraged by employers to efficiently integrate Gen Z into their organizations. However, our generation still learns by doing, and 40 percent of Gen Z employees want daily in-person interactions with their boss, not a computer screen.

In practice, balancing our generation’s desires to work independently with expectations of face-to face contact means utilizing progress check-ins, daily huddles and mentorship to ensure that when we have questions, we are equipped to find answers. Direct communication with management shows our generation that their opinions are respected in the organization, while mentorship from experienced employees helps improve our performance.

Beginning a new career is intimidating for all generations, but Gen Z is currently entering the workforce at the most rapid rate. The teaching approach that, in our experience, was most effective in mitigating this intimidation factor and increasing knowledge retention is strong mentorship. Having mentors explain the responsibilities, best methods, and techniques that they learned and utilized throughout their careers make us as Gen Zers feel welcomed, comfortable asking questions, and confident in our abilities to perform.

We have also each seen eLearnings being leaned on as a primary method of onboarding, with online courses usually comprising the first days of employment. Despite being an often-necessary aspect of onboarding because of limited training resources, too much material assigned at once in eLearnings can result in low information retention and employee morale. Instead, providing digital training supplemented by hands-on experience and mentorship places Gen Zers in the best environment for success.

Motivation and retention

Retail employers know that the cost of hiring and training a new employee is substantial. Unfortunately, even cutting-edge retailers with advanced workplace management and otherwise high employee satisfaction can struggle to respond to the work expectations of our generation. Each of us have witnessed technology that is often both incorrectly utilized and outdated in the day-to-day logistics of the retail workforce.

However, employers should note that while utilization of value-adding technology in daily tasks is preferred by a typical Gen Z employee, it certainly should not be the sole consideration when trying to appeal to young associates. As mentioned previously, personal factors such as freedom to grow, hands-on development resources, and appropriate face-to-face communication with management are equally valued by our generation.

Stability and environments that provide continuous growth and development are key interests of Gen Zers like us. When our managers and supervisors validate hard work, through feedback or benefits, we find our work most satisfying. We deliver with the expectation of a level of recognition for exceptional work. Thus, organizations with vertical mobility and tangible benefits like scholarships and education programs are particularly attractive to our generation.

Whether it be learning opportunities, advancement opportunities or recognition for hard work, our generation values both feedback and visibility into future potential. We are motivated simultaneously by our big-picture goals within an organization and the degree to which we feel our day-to-day tasks are both meaningful and recognized. From our experience, work in which we received regular feedback from a mentor or manager coupled with opportunities to learn new skills—through interaction with subject matter experts or developed training programs—provided the best motivation.

When companies invest in employee education, training, rewards and work environments, our generation delivers the best results. Making sure a company provides well-structured objectives and purpose gives us Gen Zers the growth potential we look for. We appreciate a good work-life balance, and even though we generally will not hesitate to sacrifice some hours of our personal life when needed, we expect some flexibility in return. There is nothing more frustrating and unproductive than being kept at work when there’s nothing to do. In short, flexibility, recognition and development potential are key to retaining Gen Z talent.

In summary

The personal touch has not been lost on our generation; it simply needs to be molded differently than with previous generations. We suggest retailers focus on direct feedback, mentoring and the right balance of technology to bring Gen Zers into the workplace. These simple considerations can go a long way towards retailers retaining the talent they look for in an increasingly competitive environment.

Our generation was born into technology and assumes it as an everyday part of work life. Solution integration can be the perfect balance of appealing to our younger generation’s requirements while generating positive change company-wide. Our next Gen Z POV post will explore solutions that can integrate seamlessly with the way we are accustomed to living and working with technology.

eLearning, or electronic learning, is defined as the use of electronic technologies to access educational material outside of a brick and mortar classroom. Based on cognitive science and established instructional design principles required to deliver effective learning, eLearning has permeated our society; and most of us have encountered it in one setting or another. From distance higher education programs to global corporate compliance training, eLearning is being utilized to maximize knowledge transfer in an efficient and engaging manner.

This brings us to the year 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted the lives of people across the globe. Citizens are being quarantined, events have been cancelled, travel is suspended, and companies are closing their doors. If possible, workers are transitioning their work environments to their homes and managing the challenges that come with a remote work setting.

With these profound changes in the workplace has come a sudden demand for eLearning to fill the gaps in instruction and update workers’ knowledge and skills. This is true in retail, too, as retail stores undergo vast changes to work environments and workforce. For grocery retail, the increased demand for goods and products has required stores to significantly increase their staff and hire temporary workers. At the same time, corporate employees are being required to work from home. It is a dilemma. How can these retailers provide fast and efficient training and learning resources to the growing workforce?

eLearning can bridge the gap between the need for accelerated training and remote corporate workers.

The importance of eLearning in the workplace now

eLearning is flexible and easy to access across different environments and modes of technology. To put it simply, eLearning can be accessed anytime and anywhere. Although certain aspects of learning a skill may require onsite on-the-job training, eLearning has steadily become a popular and effective source for training, especially when provided in a blended approach with instructor-led training. Furthermore, eLearning provides a consistent delivery method when training instructors are not available. Is your manager unavailable today? Is your bandwidth maxed out? The constant and easy delivery of eLearning provides a consistent message anyone can build on. eLearning can provide new employees with a knowledge foundation you can expand upon at any time during the onboarding process.

Utilize your current eLearning platform

Retailers who already utilize eLearning as a primary training source have great flexibility during these uncertain times. Not only can eLearning content be used to train employees on specific skills, it can also be used to train employees on new processes being implemented as a result of the pandemic.

Lack of eLearning options? No problem!

What if your company currently doesn’t offer eLearning courses or you’re in the early stages of building an eLearning library? No problem. The flexibility of eLearning also extends to its development and the various platforms and course templates available to create content. By using eLearning authoring tools, companies can quickly create and publish content that will be readily available to their employees on their phones or computers.

Tackling the current dilemma

With eLearning, retailers have the option to customize their training for their current needs. Faced with a surge of new hires and need to transition them to productive employees on the floor, grocery retailers can use eLearning tools to quickly develop resource documents, how-to guides and checklists. Examples include cash register training resources and checklists hosted on computers. You can also create cleaning and sanitation standards or social distancing guidelines that can be accessed anywhere on the retail floor. Furthermore, most eLearning content can quickly be exported to printed material to be used on the sales floor for quick and easy access.

Conclusion and considerations

Working in the pandemic landscape has brought a unique set of challenges. As the state of the pandemic response changes daily, it can be difficult for workers to be fully effective if what they do today is not what they do tomorrow. Maximizing the benefits of eLearning allows retailers to assist their workers through this transition by remotely updating their skills, informing them about new processes, and assessing and addressing any knowledge gaps.

For years, companies have struggled with increasing their associate retention rate through improved associate training programs. A well-trained, experienced associate working efficiently reaps dividends. Associates are a valuable part of any organization and must be trained to maximize their skill sets to benefit the organization beyond their role alone. For retailers, and all companies, this will improve labor efficiencies and drive operating costs down in the long run.

To create a happy, productive workforce, retail organization training departments must provide opportunities for growth that align with associate learning styles. Also, associates must feel that they have the margin in their schedule to attend training without falling too far behind. Unfortunately, too many associates dismiss training as boring or superfluous. This is most obvious when training content does not directly align with an associate’s expected tasks. Matching associate training to associate needs ensures employees receive the information they need, in the format best suited for them.

In this blog post, we will review the different types of training techniques companies use to improve associate retention, thus improving their overall operating efficiency.

Orientation training

This type of training introduces the new associate to the organization’s environment comprising of day-to-day functions, products, services, rules and regulations. The purpose of such training is to reduce the nervousness of a new associate by making him/her comfortable and knowledgeable in their new working environment. This type of training is a very critical part of a new associate’s onboarding process. If mishandled, it may speak volumes to the new associate as to the type of organization he or she is joining, which could impact the organization’s ability to retain the associate.

On-the-job training

In this type of training method, a new or less experienced associate is given some kind of instruction or advice from a more experienced associate who may be a supervisor or some kind of special instructor. The success of how much the associate learns depends on how the experienced associate teaches them. Most of the training includes hands-on training, using some type of best-method approach with guidance and support from the skilled or semi-skilled associate observing and helping them along the way.

This one-on-one coaching style creates a relationship between associate and mentor that carries weight beyond training. It also allows the associate to ask questions they may not feel comfortable asking in a group setting. The advantages of this type of training are that associates learn their jobs in on-site, physical conditions as opposed to artificial, lab-like environments. On-site training is less expensive in comparison to other types of training, and it often consumes less time overall. In addition, the new associate learns the necessary rules and regulations while completing the task itself.

eLearning

eLearning is another type of training approach. This type of training relies on online videos, tests and courses to deliver associate training. Associates can train at their desk or company’s designated computer training facility. It is one of the easiest methods used by large companies to reach their larger workforce, especially for those associates who are remote or have high turnover rates. With its interactive tests, videos and activities, it can go a long way towards keeping your employees engaged with training. eLearning also has its own challenges, too. Without a solid instructional design strategy behind it, the graphics and visuals that make eLearning fun can also make it gimmicky or outdated.

How to make your chosen type of training most effective

Many organizations already have training tools but need recommendations on how to improve administration and increase labor efficiency. First, consider this: the more senses that are engaged during training, the higher an organization’s likelihood of employee learning retention. Vary the types of multimedia used in training content. Second, ensure that training is not a burden to associates so they can be open to new ideas. Are associates compensated for, or at minimum, given perks for attending? Organizations can be creative with their available resources. Third, utilize accountability and reward systems. It can be powerful when leaders notice employees trying new skills, and then affirm their efforts. These are only a few ideas. Beyond these, companies looking to develop intensive training curriculums often hire vendors to guide them in their training journey.

In conclusion, there are several training methods available for retailers to improve their retention rate while driving their overall labor efficiency. Time and implementation may differ by each type. These variations are important as the training process depends upon the niche and resources of the organization.

When most employers think of “training,” they equate it to the mass quantities of information transferred to employees so they can adequately execute their roles. However, this is only part of a complex and evolving topic. If this stereotype is challenged, employers can differentiate between information and instruction to provide themselves the opportunity to expand employees’ skillsets and place them in positions to excel. They can also capitalize on these expanded skillsets by deploying associates to fill in where they are needed, whether that is by task or across departments. In addition to increased productivity and flexibility, investing in a training culture also delivers benefits that ultimately help drive retention.

But, do employees really care about training?

Training is often considered to be a foundation from which employees begin their roles. However, studies have consistently shown that providing employees with ongoing training opportunities results in greater employee satisfaction with the company and their role.¹ There are a few reasons why employees who receive training are much likelier to be happy.

Invest in me

An employee who receives training feels that the company is invested in their well-being. Therefore, an invested employee is more likely to be invested in the company as well. An invested employee shows organizational commitment to company goals and has a sense of responsibility to help the company achieve its initiatives. In addition, an employee who can receive training sees value in the company. After all, humans invest in what they believe will be a fruitful and integral part of their future.

Evening the playing field

Employees come from a variety of backgrounds, education levels and experiences. Even within the same department, the diversity of the workforce is likely to bring employees who come equipped with equally diverse skillsets. Training provides an avenue for employees to start on a similar level and contribute in areas they may have been weaker in. Furthermore, this may alleviate the workload on seasoned employees and allow these seasoned employees to expand their contribution to the organization in other ways.

ROI: Training leads to savings

When your roof has a leak, do you sell your house and buy a new one? Most likely, the answer is no. You fix it because you have invested in it. So, when an employee lags behind because he may need further training, why do we consider replacing him? We often first consider the cost of training rather than the overall savings benefits.

What is the true cost of hiring a new employee?

The new employee must still receive initial training and will require time before she is able to truly contribute to the company. Therefore, training current employees often costs less than onboarding a new hire. A study by the CAP found that turnover costs for midrange positions were approximately 20 percent of an annual salary, while the average cost to train an employee is only $1,296.² In addition, you can train current employees to develop them into the worker you envision them to be while simultaneously increasing their job satisfaction.

Employee learning and development

It is important to highlight that not all training is created equal. In order to reap the benefits of providing employee training, content should be developed in an organized, meaningful manner utilizing best practices. Learners should know the expected training outcome and the actions they should be able to execute after the lesson. Lessons should be concise and delivered in segments to ensure the information is processed. Include exercises and assessments to engage the learners and gauge their retention along the learning process. Commonly used and highly effective training methods include eLearning, instructor-led training, blended-learning, and on-the-job training. Look for best-practice documentation to support and reinforce training long after the sessions conclude.

Conclusion and considerations

The most profound impact training has on an employee is a sense of value. Training provides employees with a feeling of empowerment. The confidence to not only do their job, but to excel at it and to be respected. By recognizing the importance of training and acknowledging the need for employee development, you are providing your workforce with the tools for success, increasing productivity and helping to boost retention in the process.

Subscribe to Logile’s Blog

Resources: