{"id":6658,"date":"2019-07-16T16:09:34","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T16:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/?p=6658"},"modified":"2023-05-02T15:46:32","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T15:46:32","slug":"how-to-identify-employee-training-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/how-to-identify-employee-training-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Identify Employee Training Needs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Training is a vital component when it comes to employee engagement<\/a> and retention. But how do you know if the training you\u2019re providing is actually fulfilling employees\u2019 needs?<\/p>\n

Understanding what employees need to succeed in an ever-evolving digital world is a constant challenge to employers and training managers.<\/p>\n

Traditional methods of training, which involve in-person classroom sessions, user manuals, and webinars are time-consuming and don\u2019t support knowledge retention. According to Hermann Ebbinghaus\u2019s theory of the learning curve<\/a>, people forget 50%-80% of the new information they learn after just one day.<\/p>\n

The frequency of technology updates<\/a> makes providing adequate software training a difficult challenge to solve. How can you be sure your training content isn\u2019t on the verge of becoming obsolete?<\/p>\n

This is the primary challenge for training managers in the digital era: How to identify employee training needs \u2014 and keep up with them.<\/p>\n\n

Leaders and employees perceive software usability very differently<\/h2>\n

In WalkMe\u2019s latest survey entitled, \u201cBridging the Digital Gap; What Leaders are Missing in Employees\u2019 Digital Experience<\/a>\u201d we can see there is a disconnect between how employers and employees \"employeeperceive the usability of their digital tools.<\/p>\n

For example, 28.7% of employers said they were \u201cvery satisfied\u201d with the usability of their workspace software, whereas just 14.5% of employees are.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, 74.1% of employees cite inadequate training as a main barrier to software usability, according to the survey.<\/p>\n

An interesting point of divergence is how proficient leaders and employees rate themselves while using software. While 50% of employers consider themselves \u201cchampions\u201d or \u201cexperts\u201d at their software, just 23.9% of employees do.<\/p>\n

These gaps are concerning, as it\u2019s the leaders who are responsible for deciding what kind of training to provide and how much.<\/p>\n

If leaders have an inflated view of the rate of digital adoption<\/a> and satisfaction among their workforce, they may not know how to identify employee training needs accurately and subsequently not provide the right training.<\/p>\n

Dive Deeper: The Employee Training<\/a> Manifesto for Enhanced Productivity<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Traditional methods for identifying employee training needs can only take you so far<\/h2>\n

There are several traditional methods training managers use to find out how to identify employee training needs. According to BreatheHR<\/a> the following seven methods give employers a view of where the gaps exist in their employee training needs. These include:<\/p>\n\n

    \n \t
  • Setting clear expectations<\/li>\n \t
  • Monitoring performance<\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Speaking to employees about their needs<\/li>\n \t
  • Carrying out organizational, performance, and task analysis<\/li>\n \t
  • Creating individual development plans<\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Conducting focus groups<\/li>\n \t
  • Mentoring and coaching<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These methods help training managers understand the context that surrounds an employees\u2019 work so they can better understand what kind of training they need.<\/p>\n\n

    Know exactly where training gaps persist with data insights<\/h2>\n

    We all know by now that employees spend the bulk of their time using enterprise software of one kind of another.<\/p>\n

    Understanding exactly which aspects of the user journey impact usability and where more targeted training is required is integral to ensuring high performance and a positive employee experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n