According to multiple surveys by PwC<\/a>, for instance, the lack of digital skills is a major concern, hindering innovation, negatively impacting the customer experience, and causing businesses to miss growth targets. And the World Economic Forum <\/a>reports that at least 133 million new roles will be generated as the skills gap continues to widen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though the majority of hiring managers believe that workforce development efforts <\/a>are the key to handling disruptive change, most businesses are slow to adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results can be unfortunate \u2013 a shortage of talent, increased people costs, and losses in the marketplace. Employee training<\/a> and development efforts are critically important when it comes to minimizing these risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the increasingly important role that training will play in the future of work<\/a>, training managers and HR professionals should do everything they can to ensure that their training efforts operate smoothly and generate positive results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this guide, we\u2019ll explore the major benefits of employee training, as well as how to create an employee training manual template for the digital age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Since digital literacy and digital skills are a prerequisite for competency in today\u2019s digital work world, employee training has become a must for many enterprises. Yet as the workplace continues to evolve \u2013 and training needs continue to increase \u2013 it is more important than ever to create a program that gets results in the modern work environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the right tools, strategy, and execution, training managers and HR professionals can develop programs that offer a number of advantages, for both employees and the organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the main reasons to develop a robust, modern training program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital literacy <\/a>and digital skills are essential for employees to be productive in today\u2019s workplace. But staying competent and productive requires perpetual learning<\/a> on the part of employees \u2013 and organizations are often the ones that must deliver the training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some training and education can and should be acquired outside the workplace. Since most organizations have their own unique technology stacks and workflows, though, enterprises must often take responsibility for ensuring that their employees have the right skill set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When training is implemented properly, it is possible mitigate many of the risks mentioned above, while ensuring that employees have the skills they need to stay competent and productive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The right employee training program, in other words, can ensure that employees perform at their best, which will ultimately help the organization meet its own performance goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employee onboarding and employee training are closely linked, and both can improve employee retention and loyalty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several reasons why. For instance, positive onboarding experiences increase employees\u2019 first impressions of a company, and that impression has a strong influence on their decision to stay with \u2013 or leave \u2013 a company. According to Gallup<\/a>, well-managed onboarding programs are key to reducing turnover and shaping employees\u2019 future careers with a business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Training, which should begin during onboarding, should also provide employees with the skill set that will fuel a successful career within a company. Inadequate training will only frustrate employees, feed feelings of incompetence, and undermine their morale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, the better the onboarding and training experience that employees have \u2013 the more that a company welcomes them and sets them up for success \u2013 the more likely they are to stick around for the long term. Given the high costs of recruitment, retraining, and replacement, it should be clear that strong onboarding and training is in the best interests of the organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The employee experience<\/a> refers to the sum total of interactions that an employee has with the employer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Training is one of several elements that can impact that experience: greater skills help employees\u2019 perform their jobs more effectively, decrease software-related frustration, and contributes to a culture of learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Though some companies pay little mind to their workers\u2019 experience, many organizations are beginning to realize the impact that workers\u2019 experience can have on their morale, motivation, and engagement, among other things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Different organizations hold different perspectives on exactly how to model the employee experience. Gallup uses the definition mentioned above, dividing the employee journey into seven stages, each of which can be optimized and improved. Others claim that the employee experience is complicated <\/a>and we still need time to research and understand the concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of the approach, what is clear is that employees\u2019 experience at a company affects their output, their productivity, their perception of a brand, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employer branding<\/a> refers to a company\u2019s reputation as an employer, rather than as a provider of products and services. The \u201cbrand,\u201d or reputation, of an employer affects the organization\u2019s talent pool, since top talent will naturally gravitate towards companies with good cultures and work environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Onboarding and training contribute to a better employer brand, because people prefer working for organizations that offer training and development options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research from Udemy<\/a>, for instance, found that 43% of workers are either bored or disengaged at work, and 80% of those surveyed agreed that \u201cbeing given opportunities to learn new skills at work would make me more interested and engaged in my job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Providing employees with on-the-job training \u2013 as well as taking steps to cultivate a healthy workplace culture and a positive employer brand \u2013 can all help improve the reputation of the company. And a better brand image, in turn, can help attract top talent that are suitable for the business and its culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As PwC\u2019s CEO surveys reveal, well-trained employees ensure that an organization can meet its performance goals and improve innovation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those benefits may override all others mentioned here. After all, all of the other benefits mentioned here remain possible only as long as the organization stays profitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizational performance depends directly on employee performance, and employees can only perform well if they have the right skills. The right training keeps workers productive, enables innovation, and more, which are all essential for maintaining healthy organizational performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So far, we have seen several reasons why employee training is so important for the modern business. But why create an employee training manual template? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Standardize processes, without sacrificing personalization.<\/strong> As we will discuss later, standardization can be a double-edged sword when it comes to employee training. On the one hand, standardization helps businesses maintain consistent skill levels and competencies across the organization. However, training that is too general can bore employees or deliver information that doesn\u2019t play to their strengths. But when training manual templates address both sides of the coin, organizations can ensure that general standards are met \u2013 and employees get relevant, engaging training content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Streamline workflows for training managers, HR staff, and department managers.<\/strong> One big reason to adopt an employee training manual template is simply because they make work easier. Whenever training managers or HR staff create new training programs, they must repeat a certain number of actions. Templates organize all of those repetitive activities into a single place, so that managers can simply adjust the template to an individual\u2019s needs, then check off boxes as they train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minimize errors. <\/strong>Another fundamental problem that templates solve is that they reduce error rates. If training managers don\u2019t follow a checklist or a template, then it is all too easy to forget important tasks. Since certain mistakes can be costly \u2013 and since templates save time and energy \u2013 the right template can pay for itself many times over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make it easier to document and track training efforts.<\/strong> Documentation ensures that all parties are on the same page. Training manuals can help employees know what is expected of them in terms of learning, as well as performance. Over time, these documents can be refined and improved, which also makes them useful for tracking and improving training efforts over the long term. In other words, training managers can use these documents as data trails that can demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of past training efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating an employee training manual template is an excellent way to simplify training efforts and, best of all, they are relatively easy to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could onboarding and training new employees be as easy as checking boxes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately for human resource professionals <\/a>and hiring managers, the short answer is no. However, the entire onboarding process can be drastically simpler and more effective with an employee training<\/a> manual template<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standardizing the primary components of new-hire onboarding increases efficiency and provides helpful structure for both managers<\/a> and employees. A training template ensures certain onboarding elements are fulfilled while leaving enough room to personalize training<\/a> to fit the new hire\u2019s specific needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An employee training manual template should include the following four components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clarifying a new hire\u2019s main objectives is an essential first step during the onboarding process. With clearly defined goals, both the employee and the manager will understand the purpose for each item on the training agenda<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the objectives are set, break them down into smaller action items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if an objective is for the employee to become proficient in a new software, the manager and employee should keep in mind that there is a learning curve. Measuring overall proficiency once at the end of training may not be the best way to assess a new hire\u2019s progress. But if training is broken down into steps and evaluated according to smaller milestones, evaluation is more accurate and learning can become targeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For each objective, passing milestones shows new hires how training enables them to achieve their overall goal. Opportunities to celebrate numerous successes also motivate employees to keep learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Milestones could be as simple as due dates, projects, or other assignments. They should correspond to the larger objective and be set according to a realistic timeline within the employee training manual template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the example of learning a new technology, the first milestone could be discussing the technology with another employee or manager. A subsequent milestone could be a quiz. Milestones can be anything that motivates the employee to retain what they learn, demonstrate their knowledge, and prepare for the next topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When creating a training timeline, keep in mind that individual employees work at different speeds. Be sure to provide flexibility in the employee training manual template to account for variance in existing knowledge and different learning paces. Some employees may be able to breeze over a section while others need to spend more time reviewing. Provide flexibility to to accommodate each employee\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All employees require training, regardless of their role or status. Because training affects everyone in the organization, it is important to always strive to improve it. Therefore, honest feedback and suggestions for how to make training more effective is invaluable. Employee performance<\/a> relies heavily on how much direction they are given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asking for feedback at the end of training could be useful for improving your approach to training in the future, but it doesn\u2019t help the individual currently being onboarded. Collecting candid feedback throughout the duration of the onboarding process enables you to make near-real-time changes to your approach and ensure the training will be beneficial and productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your new employees will glide through training with a carefully planned employee training manual template. However, it will be difficult for them to retain everything they learn without adequate reinforcements to ingrain new knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once employees have achieved the objectives outlined in the training template, they will need subsequent check-ins, quizzes, or other reinforcements to seal new information into long-term memory. This can be aided significantly with carefully chosen software and the right digital adoption solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, there is always more for employees to learn beyond the initial onboarding agenda. Encourage them to participate in an open dialogue about their individual goals, and ensure they are supported by their technology and not bogged down by it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When employees start with the right tools<\/a>, they are already on track to succeed. A Digital Adoption Platform is a very useful tool for monitoring software usage and overall adoption<\/a> by employees. This can indicate how well-trained employees are. By developing a thoughtful and organized employee training manual template, you empower employees to become constant learners and help them succeed \u2013 which is more important than ever in today\u2019s digital workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, remote working became a necessity for many organizations. Employees who had never worked from home before were now being required to work remotely on a full-time basis. This transition proved difficult for many, particularly when it came to training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the benefits of working from home<\/a> \u2013 both in terms of productivity improvements and as a means of risk mitigation \u2013 it is clear that organizations should find ways to onboard and train remote employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When designing an employee training manual template for remote workers, it is important to focus on a few key elements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employees who work from home will not have easy access to coworkers or local IT staff to help them with software questions. Though on-call technical support staff can provide assistance, they should not be relied upon to provide on-the-job education and training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, it is important to provide employees with training methods that allow them to self-educate, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Training should be as user-friendly and simple as possible \u2013 like all good user-centered design<\/a>, training programs should minimize the mental effort of employees while remaining unobtrusive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, just-in-time training solutions, such as WalkMe\u2019s DAP<\/a>, are excellent platforms that can be leveraged in any work environment, virtual or physical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Training tools such as digital adoption platforms are instrumental in cultivating self-reliance among workers. This trait is essential for the virtual workforce, who must learn to operate with much less oversight than on-site teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When designing an employee training manual template, make self-service training, and contextual learning<\/a> a core part of the training agenda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, in the training template, require that employees demonstrate their abilities, in addition to completing required training material. Simply completing course work is too passive and does not actually show that employees have learned the material. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Demonstrating skill levels can be accomplished in a number of ways. Tests or interactive training software can both allow employees to prove that they have gained a certain level of competency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Innovations in digital technology are disrupting the modern work environment, driving digital transformation that impacts nearly every area of business. Organizations that fail to modernize their workplaces can easily lose ground to competitors that move ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To help a workforce stay modern, competitive, and digital-first, organizations should offer training that centers around…<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, digital enablement<\/a> should be the priority when onboarding and training new employees. That is, training should enable employees to operate successfully in the digital workplace and the digital age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An employee training manual template can certainly streamline workflows and boost the results of workforce training efforts. However, in today\u2019s fast-changing digital landscape, many organizations need to rethink and reinvent their training efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few best practices, principles, and tips that can be used to create training templates that are relevant, modern, and digital-first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To truly understand the impact of training efforts, it is important to set clear goals and objectives, then tie those to relevant organizational goals, such as performance goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a business wants to improve the productivity of its sales team, for example, it may create a Salesforce training program<\/a>, then evaluate that program\u2019s effectiveness based on sales staff performance<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Setting measurable goals, then tying those to performance improvements, helps to provide an accurate picture of the actual impact and ROI of training efforts. It also helps to organize training templates and training content around a set of aims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Metrics for tracking the efficiency of a training approach can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A well-rounded set of metrics will offer insight that is also well-rounded, providing insight into key areas that are affected by training. The benefits mentioned above \u2013 such as employee productivity and retention \u2013 can serve as useful targets to measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Training programs, like other business processes, should be continually monitored and adjusted to ensure that they are performing as expected. This is yet another reason to set clear goals and objectives. However, it is necessary to go further than that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep programs agile and relevant by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n An agile, data-driven approach will help managers maintain objectivity and keep the program relevant and profitable. That is, managers should focus less on static processes and more on adapting to real-world data and conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned above, the employee experience can play a very large role in the workplace. Good experiences can positively affect organizational culture<\/a>, employee productivity, and more. Negative experiences can increase turnover, harm the employer brand, and decrease job satisfaction, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2020-06-07-at-21.45.37.png?w=1024&h=770&crop=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhy is effective employee training so important?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Creating](\"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Creating-an-Employee-Training-Manual-Template-The-Complete-Guide_764e3411.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGreater employee proficiency, productivity, and performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/09\/shutterstock_1184389291-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nImproved employee retention<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A better employee experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/1200x583_-Whats-the-secret-1.jpg?w=1024&h=497&crop=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBetter employer branding<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Enhanced organizational performance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why create a training template?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/06\/Screen-Shot-2020-06-07-at-22.01.26-1.png?w=756&h=1024&crop=1\")
A four-step employee training manual template<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Clearly defined training objectives<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Milestones and an established timeline<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Avenues to deliver feedback<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Reinforcements and continued learning opportunities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Empowered to succeed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Effective training for remote workers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/1200x583_-Blog-May-13th-1.jpg?w=1024&h=497&crop=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nProvide Self-Service Training <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cultivate a culture of self-resilience<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Train for the digital workplace<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Best practices for training in the Digital Age<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Establish clear goals and measurable objectives<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/shutterstock_733596604-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nContinually evaluate training efforts and modify when necessary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Deliver a simplified, streamlined training experience <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n