Long gone are the days of relying on outdated, unengaging training materials that are more likely to put your learners into a stupor than provide them with vital information or a holistic education. It’s time to harness the power of modern training strategies for tomorrow’s leaders, ditch old training manuals and methods, and focus on revitalizing and reimagining your training program. By investing in newer tools and technology solutions to meet — or even surpass — the training needs of the people in your organization, you will empower your employees, better prepare them for the future of your industry, more effectively carry out your mission and solidify your role as a leader in training the modern workforce.

Be a Leader in Training

The modern workforce has evolved dramatically over the past five years, and the needs of workers have evolved just as dramatically. Employees want to work for companies that reflect their values and that care about accommodating their lifestyles and needs more than ever before. They want flexibility and to invest in an organization that invests in them, their well-being, their professional development and their career goals.

Here are six tips to create a training program that will help you attract — and retain — employees who are empowered, productive and prepared for whatever eventualities arise in the workplace.

1. Embrace Adaptability

In our post-COVID climate, more and more people have transitioned to hybrid or remote work with little desire to return to the schedules and expectations they were held to before the pandemic. In the current back-and-forth between businesses and their workers to be physically present in the office, companies that embrace a greater degree of adaptability, when they are able to do so, have huge advantages. This doesn’t mean that you have to shift to a completely remote workplace, but it does mean you should take into serious consideration the needs and desires of your specific employees.

This includes providing them with things like:

• Accessible and adaptable training opportunities.
• Personalized learning paths.
• More flexible work schedules.
• Team-building events.
• Outside catering.
• Other perks such as guest speakers, special in-person training opportunities, etc.

2. Leverage Tech for L&D

One of the best ways to make your training program more adaptable is to invest in and leverage the incredible technology that exists to facilitate learning and development (L&D). By adopting an effective learning management system (LMS) for your organization, you can simplify this process and ensure that your training is available to your team 24/7 in a variety of ways and on a variety of platforms. Moreover, an LMS that includes a robust catalog of immersive training courses for your team will allow them to engage more intentionally and fully with the materials. Immersive training opportunities may include the following:

• Multiple engagement methods (hybrid in-person/online, hands-on, visuals, etc.)
• VR/AR
• 3D training modules
• Role-play opportunities
• Gamification

Training that utilizes multiple engagement methods like these employs more senses, making the training course that much more effective in boosting retention. Additionally, a successful LMS will centralize all your training records, keeping you more organized and on top of any potential issues.

3. Emphasize Soft Skills Development

Sometimes, soft skills development can take a backseat to advancing seemingly more critical technical skills, but the following skills are incredibly important:

• Effective communication
• Adaptability
• Ability to work in a team
• Emotional intelligence
• Problem-solving

Neglecting to incorporate training on qualities like these is a mistake that can cost you in the long run. While it may be easy to prioritize skills that have a more immediate and obvious return on investment (ROI) for your team, a strong base in interpersonal skills will allow your team members to navigate both the professional world and their personal lives with greater effectiveness, making them far more indispensable to any team they are a part of.

4. Offer Clear Feedback and Commendation

Criticism, when not handled with empathy and understanding, can leave your team members feeling cut down, embarrassed and disempowered. However, when a leader develops a culture that welcomes constructive criticism and celebrates progress at all levels, employees will be encouraged to continue to learn and grow and improve. In an environment that feels safe, your team will no longer swing on a pendulum back and forth between a rigid binary of success and failure. Rather, they will come to naturally evaluate everything they do and accomplish through a lens of what has been done effectively, and what can be done even more effectively in the future. Offering regular praise and commendation for a job well done along with constructive criticism also encourages a greater level of trust and harmony between managers and their teams.

You may choose to incorporate any of the following:

• Regular one-on-ones
• Formal employee evaluations
• Town hall-style meetings
• Anonymous feedback options
• Achievement recognition (e.g., social media shout-out, newsletter highlights, in-person praise)

5. Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning

Once you establish a culture that thrives on the application of constructive criticism and consistent positive feedback, you will already be well on your way to establishing a culture of continuous learning. This is a culture that values growth as exciting and an opportunity for your employees to envision the path ahead to make confident, intentional strides in that direction. Encouraging them to acquire new skills and pursue a path of self-improvement that benefits themselves and your company may mean providing them with things like:

• Professional development training
• Upskilling opportunities
• Personalized training paths
• Frequent microlearning opportunities

6. Prioritize Employee Physical and Mental Well-Being

Businesses that do not prioritize a healthy work-life balance will find themselves on the losing end of employee satisfaction and morale, overall well-being, and retention rates. Conversely, companies that can offer that balance to their employees are at an all-time premium in the modern workforce. Your team must feel deeply connected to a mission that matters, along with a sense that they matter and that the specific work they do matters, too, by giving them access to various resources and support as well as stress management and wellness training.

A Modern Approach to the Modern Workforce

By implementing the above techniques and establishing them through transparent and effective communication, your employees are more likely to feel excited to pursue new training opportunities, which will position them to learn and grow with greater effectiveness and efficiency.

The heart of your work must be about connecting your employees’ valued work to the mission you’re all furthering together. Your people are your most valuable asset and to lead and train them you must be prepared to invest heavily in their well-being and future. This approach is the surest way to foster a culture and training program that empowers everyone in your organization — and allows you all to move forward together.