Looking to build a strong company that is ready for expansion and success? While there are various strategies to achieve this objective, investing in an employee training program stands out as one of the most advantageous steps you can take to bolster your business. The development of such a program holds substantial benefits for both your workforce and the overall organization. Consider the time spent creating this program as an investment with many positive returns. If you’re on the fence, or not sure why you might need an employee training program, here are just a few benefits to consider:
Why Develop an Employee Training Program?
Skill Development: A well-designed training plan helps employees acquire and develop the skills necessary to perform their jobs effectively. This can include technical skills, soft skills, and industry-specific knowledge. As employees enhance their skills, they become more proficient and contribute more effectively.
Increased Productivity: Proper training can lead to increased productivity as employees become more competent in their roles. When employees are knowledgeable and skilled in their tasks, they can complete them more efficiently, reducing errors and wasted time and this yields higher profits from your projects.
Employee Engagement and Satisfaction: Investing in employee development demonstrates a commitment to their professional growth. This, in turn, can boost employee morale, engagement, and job satisfaction. Employees are more likely to feel valued and motivated when they see that their employer is invested in their success.
Employee Retention: The cost of employee turnaround can be damaging to a small business. It can also create feelings of insecurity within your company. One of the best ways to avoid this is properly train and support your employees. Employees who feel supported and challenged are more likely to stay with an organization. A well-thought-out training plan can contribute to employee retention by providing opportunities for career advancement and personal development, making employees less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Adaptability: In today’s dynamic business environment, organizations often face changes in technology, processes, or market conditions. A training plan helps employees adapt to these changes by providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills. Resilience is crucial for an organization’s long-term success.
Consistency and Standardization: Training ensures that employees across the organization receive consistent information and are aligned with the company’s values, policies, and procedures. This standardization helps maintain a cohesive corporate culture and ensures that employees are working toward common goals. On the jobsite, this means that crews have a blueprint for how they work and install from product staging, cleanliness and cleanup, installation steps and customer touchpoints.
Risk Mitigation: If you train your crews properly, they are less likely to make errors that can lead to accidents, compliance issues, lost profitability, customer dissatisfaction, or other risks. Training can include safety protocols, regulatory compliance, and ethical considerations, reducing the likelihood of costly mistakes.
Improved Customer Satisfaction: Employees who are well-trained can provide better service to customers. Whether in direct customer interactions or behind-the-scenes roles, knowledgeable and skilled employees contribute to positive customer experiences.
What Should Your Written Training Program Look Like?
Now that you know the reasons why it’s important to create an employee training plan, we’ll dive into the necessary components of a good plan. It is important that each of the training phases is in a cohesive written document or manual that is provided to the new employee to be used as a reference guide during their training period.
Training Schedule Plan how long the training process will take. Typically, this this is a 2–4-week process.
1-2 Weeks Prior to First Day
An Employment Agreement
An Employee Handbook
IRS form W-4
IRS form I-9
A direct deposit form
Company email setup
Account creation for internal productivity or time tracking apps
Company software access (If necessary)
First Day
Assign a Mentor for the training period
Do Introductions and a Facility Tour (if applicable)
Provide the Employee Training Manual and review the components
Discuss expectations and Schedule for the next few weeks during the training period
Week 1 & 2
Develop a schedule for the first and second week of employment that will include training in the following:
Being on-site for customer projects
Training manual review
Training and demos on individual system installation
Customer communication touch-points and appropriate interaction
Systems Training The systems training section of your employee training program should provide a complete, step by step guide to the installation and procedures for each system that your company installs.
Create written application instructions for each system you install. list all materials used with mixing instructions, application rates mix sizes.
Make sure your instructions are clear as to who is responsible for each phase of the project. IE crew chief squeegee and roles while crew members cut in, mix and broadcast.
Every step should be written into your training guide with photos to give a graphic representation.
Truck & Trailer Loading/Unloading Procedures This section should outline the expectations for loading and unloading company trucks and trailers. If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, it should also include how to handle returning tools and products to your company location.
Proper truck and trailer loading and unloading
Proper unloading of equipment
Processing of unused product
Inventory review
Customer Touch-Points & Communication The systems training section of your employee training program should provide a complete, step by step guide to the installation and procedures for each system that your company installs.
Initial greeting
Daily check-ins
On-site behavior
Process for handling issues
Project wrap-up
Job walk-throughs with customer
Project photography/video consent for marketing use
Collecting payment
Employee Advancement Be sure to include a section in your employee training program about employee advancement so crew members have a solid understanding of how to move up in the ranks.
Show each position from apprentice to crew leads and foremen illustrator progression
Show what skills they must master to be considered for advancement to the next position
Make clear what the company will do to put them in a position to learn these skills
Schedule quarterly or bi-yearly reviews to support these goals
Looking for business development tips for your concrete coatings business? Check out our other business development articles.
