A Step-By-Step Guide To Creating A New Employee Training Plan

Have you ever thought about how many times you've had to adjust to a new environment in your life? Whether it’s a new gym, club, or college, there's always that desire to feel welcomed and get the hang of how things work. The same goes for individuals starting a new job—an effective employee training plan is all about making your employees feel at home and comfortable in the new workplace.

For some of them, the goal is to hit the ground running, especially when they are experienced professionals moving to a new company within the same industry. They want to start tackling tasks and making decisions right away. However, every new joinee deserves a proper welcome and the best corporate training so they can settle down well and get a better understanding of the processes. 

The new hiring training programs help them quickly adapt and become proficient in their roles, ensuring a smoother transition and faster integration into your team. It introduces them to your company policies, clarifies business goals, defines their roles, outlines department structures, and establishes the essential institutional knowledge they need to excel.

So how do you come up with a strategic new hire training plan in your organization? Let us explore this blog to understand what is new hire training and discover the best practices for implementing a robust employee training plan in the workplace.

What Is An Employee Training Plan?

An employee training plan, or a new hire training plan, is a structured training plan designed to effectively onboard new employees into the organization. The plan usually includes orientation sessions, hands-on training, mentoring, and ongoing support to help them adjust smoothly to the company.

Any organization must have a proper training plan for a new employee, as it plays a key role in attracting and keeping top talent.

Why Is New Hire Training Important?

A well-designed new hire training plan helps new employees quickly get up to speed in their roles. It benefits both the employer and the employee, making the transition smoother and more effective for everyone involved.

Here is a detailed overview of why an employee training plan is important for your organization:

1. Skill Building

When you bring in senior professionals, they might already hold certain years of experience and possess the required skills for the said job. However, they might need to fine-tune certain skills, get up to speed on more advanced techniques, or dive deeper into specific topics to really shine at your company.

On the other side, interns, trainees, and junior professionals might hold very little experience and may not have a solid grasp of the basics of their role and industry. This is why it is important to provide effective new employee training to help them gain a better understanding of the company’s goal, vision, culture, and values, and also analyze how they fit into the organization over the training period.

These training programs help bridge the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge, allowing the new hires to efficiently contribute toward the organization’s end goal.

2. Enhances Efficiency

The new employee training plan provides the employees with the right skill set and knowledge to apply them in real-time in the workplace. When your employees have the right skills and knowledge to handle certain tasks and perform their jobs, it shortens the time it takes for them to learn their jobs, cuts down on mistakes, and helps everyone follow the same procedures. 

Proper workplace training plans motivate the new employees, enabling them to productively complete their tasks more quickly, with fewer errors, and minimal dependencies. 

3. Increases Employee Morale And Retention

Nothing can beat an employee who is motivated and satisfied with their job. Providing them with the right opportunities and guidance will help them flourish and contribute to organizational growth and success. A recent data survey by Gallup shows that 32% of employees feel engaged at work, while 18% of them feel disengaged. This highlights the need for a proper employee onboarding training program.

According to a survey by Axonify, 92% of employees think that proper workplace training positively impacts their job engagement. A comprehensive training program promotes increased employee retention, and reduces overall turnover, and costs, thus creating a stable work environment. So it is best to highlight why your organization stands out through effective corporate training programs.

8 Steps To Create An Effective New Employee Training Plan

1. Define The Outcome

According to BambooHR, 23% of employees quit jobs because they do not receive a proper set of guidelines about their responsibilities. Hence, it is important to create a great new employee training program. Giving a detailed job description that outlines the responsibilities, objectives, and goals of the new hire’s role is essential. It helps them see exactly how their work fits into the company’s overall success and what’s expected of them.

Start by setting clear goals for what new hires should learn. Think about their background and what skills and knowledge they need to start their job effectively. Then plan how you'll deliver the training. 

Decide which parts will be in-person, online, or a mix of both, and figure out which sessions will be one-on-one and which will be for groups. 

2. Welcome New Hires

Start the onboarding process before the new hire’s first day by sending them a warm welcome email, their employment contract, company policies, and any important documents they need to fill out. Getting this done ahead of time helps create a positive first impression and makes sure they’re ready and excited for their first day.

3. Conduct Surveys

Conducting onboarding surveys and post-training surveys helps you better identify what each employee still needs to learn, where their skills might be lacking, and how they prefer to learn.

This assessment will help you to customize the training program to fit each person's needs and focus on areas that need improvement while building on their strengths. By understanding what each new hire needs, you can create a training plan that’s more efficient and targeted, leading to quicker skill development, greater job satisfaction, and better productivity.

4. Utilize L&D Tools

Using L&D tools is one of the most effective new employee training plans. Robust LMS tools with the capability of AI-powered course authoring allow you to efficiently create training programs tailored to the needs of your employees.

AI-powered LMS platforms like Calibr LXP allow you to gain easy access to built-in training materials, royalty-free images, and single-sign-on integration. With the help of this tool, you can also create a whole new training module from scratch, without any coding knowledge.

5. Provide Coaching

Great leaders play a big role in helping new hires settle into their jobs. They can influence whether they feel good about joining the company. So, to make the most of the training sessions, assign each new hire a mentor who is eager, patient, and good at teaching. 

Ensure these leaders stay open and actively communicate with their new team members. Sharing an open space for the new employees to communicate and mentoring them throughout the process will not only enhance your training initiative but also boost employee morale and growth.

6. Implement The 70-20-10 Model

The 70-20-10 learning model suggests that 70% of learning comes from hands-on learning. This is why it is crucial to promote on-the-job experience, allowing the new employees to learn on the go as they perform their daily tasks.

This self-directed learning approach effortlessly keeps the new employees motivated and engaged in the training, without consuming much time and effort from the L&D trainers and instructional designers.

7. Build Teamwork

New hire training goes beyond just introducing employees to the company as a whole; it's also about helping them integrate smoothly into their specific team. 

This approach ensures new hires can:

• Start delivering high-quality work with minimal supervision
• Build strong connections with their team members
• Clearly understand their role and how it fits into the team’s overall goals
• Get up to speed on the team’s workflows, practices, and productivity measures

8. Keep Optimizing

You can’t build a successful, lasting business without a strong new-hire training plan. But it's not just about setting up a plan and forgetting about it—you need to keep updating it as your business grows and changes.

Make sure to regularly check in with your new employees to see if they need any additional support or resources to do their jobs effectively. If they do, provide them with what they need. The real goal is to continuously review and improve your training plan based on the feedback you receive. This way, you ensure that your training stays relevant and effective, helping both your new hires and your business thrive.

In Conclusion

The impact of employee experience on a company’s success is huge. Businesses are realizing that happy and engaged employees are crucial for great performance. That’s why it’s super important to invest in ways to make the overall employee experience better.

So in order to make your new employee training plan really work, get familiar with different training methods. You might also want to explore just-in-time learning techniques to give your new hires a boost.

If you need help figuring out how well your new employee training plan is performing, invest in our LMS platform. From making the onboarding process more smooth and engaging to bringing your training to life, Calibr.AI has got you covered! Schedule your demo to learn more about our platform now!

FAQs

1. What is a new hire training plan?

A new hire training plan is a structured program designed to onboard new employees effectively. It typically includes orientation sessions, hands-on training, mentoring, and ongoing support to help new hires adjust to their roles and integrate smoothly into the company.

2. Why is new hire training important?

New hire training is crucial because it helps employees quickly understand their roles, develop necessary skills, and align with company goals. This leads to faster productivity, fewer mistakes, and a better overall experience for both the employee and the organization.

3. How do I determine what training my new hires need?

Start by assessing each new hire's background and skills. Use surveys and feedback to identify knowledge gaps and preferred learning methods. This helps you tailor the training program to address specific needs and build on their existing strengths.

4. What are some effective training methods for new hires?

Effective methods include a mix of in-person and online training, hands-on experience, and mentoring. Consider using learning management systems (LMS) and just-in-time learning techniques to provide relevant, timely information and support.

5. How often should I review and update the training plan?

Regularly review and update the training plan, ideally every 6–12 months or as your business evolves. Check-in with new hires to gather feedback and adjust the plan based on their needs and the changing demands of the organization.