Personnel training describes the education that employees must go through in order to learn how to perform their jobs correctly and to improve their practices. This kind of training might also introduce personnel to guidelines for how to behave, dress, and communicate while in the workplace. One of the best tips for personnel training is to make sure that all employees receive information that is current. When policies regarding operations or behaviors change, it should not only be new employees who go through personnel training. Established employees also should be expected to go through continual training so that all workers have a fresh, consistent understanding of rules and expectations.
Another tip for personnel training is to make sure that all trainees leave sessions with a thorough understanding of the material. Some individuals might not speak up when they are confused or have questions about procedures. One method that many trainers use is to administer assessments. Brief tests or quizzes can allow trainers to learn who has understood all elements of training and who might need some extra training.
In most cases, it is helpful if employees are stimulated and engaged when they go through personnel training, otherwise they may not remember important facts. A good way to keep employees engaged is to use a number of different media to get their attention. Make use of videos, audio recordings, and written texts. By using a number of different methods, trainers can appeal to a number of different learning styles, as well.
It generally is a good idea to slowly introduce entry-level employees into regular operations. For example, if a new employee at a grocery store is learning how to use a cash register, it might be best if he or she can runs a register in practice mode until he or she becomes familiar with the different keys and functions. Once an employee seems comfortable with operations, he or she can deal with clients, but a supervisor or knowledgeable coworker should be nearby to troubleshoot and answer questions.
It is also important that a person conducting personnel training be a professional who is both familiar with company policies and a trained instructor. A person who knows policy but who has not had any training as an instructor or trainer might overlook the needs of some trainees and neglect to make some points clear enough. The best candidates for conducting training commonly are human resource professionals and managers or supervisors, since these professionals tend to be well versed in company policy and have experience in communicating with different kinds of workers.
