How to make new hire training engaging

Whether you're onboarding a new employee or training temporary staff to cover a seasonal customer increase, you'll need your company training to be as efficient and effective as possible.

In this article, we'll dive deep into the ways to create an engaging new hire training program. We'll also explore the meaning and importance of new hire training, as well as the strategies for effective implementation and some of the common mistakes when training new employees. 

What is a new hire training program?

Imagine this scenario: You've just welcomed a bunch of fresh faces into your team who are eager to put their skills and energy to use. But, as new hires, you know they're often likely to be confused and overwhelmed with how things flow at work. Simply throwing them into their roles without proper guidance can be a recipe for workplace disaster! That's why it's essential that you have a well-structured new hire training program prepared before any onboarding process comes into play.

So, what's a new hire training program?

Think of it as a roadmap that helps new employees get up to speed and feel confident in their positions. It covers the essential must-knows, like job responsibilities, organizational culture, company policies, and training on special tools or systems.

When you're developing a new hire training program, your primary goal should be to make sure your new employees transition smoothly into their roles and feel empowered to take their responsibilities head-on. It's all about initiating a sense of belonging and engagement to build long-term commitment. Think ahead of the game. Remember that giving them everything they need to start their job also means you're setting them up for success.

Why is it important to train new employees?

It's essential to train new workers for several reasons:

• To build the necessary skills and knowledge

With the proper training, new employees can learn and build the skills and knowledge they need to perform well in their roles. They'll be able to know their jobs, responsibilities, and expectations and be given the right tools and resources.

• To increase productivity and efficiency

Employees who've been taught well are more likely to be productive and efficient at work. Training your new hires about your company's processes, procedures, and systems will make it easier for them to contribute to your organization's goals.

• To foster confidence and morale

When you train your new employees, they'll feel more confident, competent, and supported at work. This will boost their morale and satisfaction, making them engaged and committed to learning more.

• To increase retention and reduce turnover rates

Investing in training shows that you care about employee development. When new hires feel supported in their professional growth, they're more likely to stay with your company for a long time. This cuts down on turnover and the costs that come with it.

5 strategies for effective new hire training

There's more to new hire training than benefits. It's also important that you know how to put it into action. Strategizing how to build an effective training program doesn't only set up success for your new hires but also for your company. To do that, you can follow some of these techniques:

• Offer a comprehensive onboarding experience.

Create a structured onboarding program that covers all the important details of your company, including your workplace culture, values, policies, and procedures. This will help your new employees understand their roles, duties, and expectations so they can have a seamless start at their job.

• Use a blended learning approach.

Blended learning gives new hires the option to learn in ways that match their individual learning styles. So when you're training new employees, consider combining different training methods.

You can conduct instructor-led sessions, virtual training, video conferencing, and on-the-job training to give them a complete and well-rounded learning experience. You can also take advantage of any available e-learning modules for more convenience. One of the best ways to implement this is by investing in a good blended learning LMS.

• Assign mentors or buddies.

Early days at work can be overwhelming, so it's important to set a friendly atmosphere for your new hire from the get-go. Having a sense of community and support in your company will make them feel more at ease in a whole new environment.

To do this, put your new employees together with more experienced coworkers who can act as their mentors or buddies. Team members will be able to help them by sharing what they know and giving them advice.

• Give ongoing feedback and support.

During your training, frequently check in with new hires to give them feedback on how they're doing. Make sure they're adjusting well to their roles, and always remind them you're available for any questions or worries they may have.

• Evaluate and improve the training program.

Gathering feedback from your new employees about the training is essential to making changes and improvements over time. Use this opportunity to listen to their comments and see if there's any issue.

Now if you've assessed your training's performance and noticed there's slow progress among trainees, chances are, your training isn't as engaging as it should be. Keep in mind that fun training tools can help your employees remember what they've learned, as well as keep them involved in the process.

But there's no need to worry if you're not sure how to start creating engaging training for new hires. There are plenty of ways to engage employees with ease. We'll walk you through a more thorough guide for doing this specific task, so you can improve your training initiatives in the future.

7 tips to make new hire training engaging

You've probably caught on to this before, but traditional training methods no longer cut it! It takes a lot of time and tends to overwhelm learners with too much information, making them lose interest and leave their training courses unfinished.

Now, we’ll show you how to make a program that'll help you bring new employees on board. By using these tips, you can build an effective onboarding training program where your new hires can be equipped with the tools they need to do well in their jobs.

Tip #1 - Use mobile learning

Now that almost everyone these days has a smartphone, use that to your benefit by sending course materials straight to their phones.

• Make sure to optimize your content for mobile so it's easy to read and navigate on smaller screens.
• Choose a learning management system (LMS) that's particularly designed and formatted to perform well on mobile devices. This will make it convenient for new hires to access training content on their smartphones and improve the user experience.

Tip #2 - Adopt microlearning

Mobile learning is a fantastic option, but cramming lengthy 40-minute courses onto a small screen can lead to problems. That's where microlearning comes in as the perfect solution. If you want your lessons to stick in long-term memory, it's best to focus on one short topic at a time.

• Break down your content into bite-sized chunks so it's easy to understand and take in. Focus on a specific topic or learning goal.
• Use spaced repetition so your trainees can review important ideas. Consider using review questions or quick knowledge checks at regular intervals to help them remember what they've learned.
• Encourage self-paced learning. Give new hires access to the microlearning tools whenever they want to use them, so they can choose when and where to learn.

Tip #3 - Personalize the course design

Instructional designers often work in their own little bubbles, sometimes even in a different area or company. When that happens, training materials tend to lack the personal touch that makes them interesting.

Personalized information is more useful, works better, and seems more genuine. The best part is that making impressive microlearning courses is much easier than you might think. With an easy-to-use authoring tool, you can make a lesson that'll keep your trainees interested.

• Start by taking the time to know your audience. Learn about your new employees' backgrounds, skill levels, and learning preferences.
• Incorporate real-world scenarios and examples that new hires will likely face in their jobs to make the training more relevant.
• To some extent, give new hires the ability to customize their learning experience by letting them choose the order in which they finish courses or giving them optional extra materials to learn more.
• Use intuitive authoring tools and templates that can automate onboarding to speed up your course creation process. Choose a tool that doesn't require coding or other technical skills.

Tip #4 - Use multimedia

You can use multimedia to spread knowledge among employees with different learning styles and preferences. These interactive components will enhance new employee engagement, promote active participation, and give hands-on learning experiences.

• Attach relevant images and graphics to your training materials to illustrate concepts, break up text-heavy sections, and make them more visually appealing and engaging.
• Integrate instructional videos that demonstrate processes, provide examples, or feature subject matter experts.
• Use audio elements like voice-overs, podcasts, or interviews to reinforce key points and give additional context.
• Take advantage of interactive multimedia elements, such as interactive infographics, interactive quizzes, or simulations.
• Make sure the multimedia elements in your material are accessible to all learners, including those with visual or hearing impairments. Use alternative text for images, closed captions for videos, and transcripts for audio content.
• Remember to strike a balance and not overwhelm learners with excessive media.

Tip #5 - Implement gamification

Gamification adds an element of fun and healthy competition, which encourages new employees to do well and take an active part in their training.

• Use game-based templates like image-word match, true or false, tile matching, and more.
• Introduce interactive tasks and challenges where your trainees can apply their knowledge in practical scenarios. This can include case studies, simulations, or problem-solving activities.
• Add interactive quizzes and assessments throughout the training to test knowledge and understanding.

Tip #6 - Recognize achievements

Acknowledge new hires for the things they've done well and the progress they've made during their training. Celebrating their growth will make them feel good about what they've done and encourage them to keep learning.

• Hand out tangible credentials like certificates or diplomas when your learners complete their training milestones or programs.
• Award digital badges or banners to recognize specific achievements or skills gained during training. It would be better if it could be displayed on their profiles or shared on social platforms.
• Offer virtual prizes or rewards such as virtual currency, points, or tokens that can be exchanged for different perks, incentives, or exclusive resources. Use real rewards to take it to the next level.
• Celebrate the achievements of new hires publicly, whether through internal communications, newsletters, or social media platforms.
• Organize formal graduation or completion ceremonies to mark the successful completion of training. This can be done virtually or in person.

Tip #7 - Foster social and peer learning

Include social and peer learning in your training program to get new hires to work together and get along with each other.

• Create opportunities for new hires to participate in group discussions and forums where they can share their thoughts, ask questions, and learn from each other's experiences.
• Blend collaborative projects and team-based assignments into your training program.
• Manage virtual meetups or networking events where new hires can interact with their peers, managers, and employees from different departments.
• Implement knowledge-sharing platforms or LMS that allow new hires to share resources, best practices, and insights with their peers.
• Prompt new hires to give constructive feedback and engage in peer evaluations of their colleagues' work.

Common mistakes to avoid when training new hires

When teaching new employees, it's important to know about the common mistakes that can block your program's effectiveness. Here are five things you shouldn't do when training:

• Giving too much information to new hires all at once
• Relying on passive, one-way learning methods like long lectures or boring talks
• Ignoring the importance of timely feedback and assessment
• Dismissing individual learning styles and taking a one-size-fits-all approach
• Lack of ongoing support and follow-up and ending your training efforts after the initial onboarding time

Addressing and avoiding these common training mistakes can be a bit taxing, but you'd be glad to know there's an all-in-one platform that you can use for that. SC Training (formerly EdApp) is a corporate training tool dedicated to making sure you can effectively carry out all your training initiatives.

Develop your new hire training program with SC Training (formerly EdApp)

SC Training (formerly EdApp) is a learning management system with a mission to transform the way companies approach training and development. Here's a list of some of SC Training (formerly EdApp)'s products and key features that you can easily incorporate into your new hire training program:

• Microlearning: Share bite-sized, easily digestible training content that your new employees can learn at their own pace.
• Create with AI: Save time and brain power by heading straight into generating courses with just a few clicks.
• Course Library: Explore over 1,000 editable and ready-to-use courses on various corporate topics, including new hire safety orientation lessons.
• Creator Tool: Design top-notch courses with over 80 interactive templates at your disposal.
• Course Creation Services: Instantly deliver expertly designed courses to your new hires with help from SC Training (formerly EdApp)'s team of instructional designers.
• Reporting and Analytics: Track your learner progress, determine knowledge gaps, and gauge the effectiveness of your new hire training.

Turn company newbies into confident team members using the best new hire training tool! Sign up with SC Training (formerly EdApp) for free today.