With a structured employee training program, you can ensure every worker gets a consistent training experience. These kinds of programs can boost employee engagement, improve retention levels, and enhance your company culture. Before you create your structured program, take some time to consider the type of topics and methods you want to use. 

Do You Provide Regular, Structured Training for Employees to Be More Effective in Their Jobs?

During Asure’s 2024 HR Benchmark Report, we surveyed 1,065 small businesses. We asked 40 questions about eight different HR topics. At the end of the survey, we asked what the company’s growth was like during the previous year. 

When we asked small businesses about whether they offered structured training to help employees be more effective in their jobs, we discovered a large difference between fast-growth and zero-growth businesses.

52% of zero-growth firms reported using structured training programs.

82% of fast-growth firms reported using structured training programs.

This means the overall spread between zero-growth and fast-growth companies was 30 points, which was one of the top spreads in our entire survey. However, the spread jumped to an impressive 35 points when we looked at companies that had less than 25 workers.

How to Create a Structured Training Program

When you put paid training in your job ads, you get more applicants. In fact, Mary Simmons, Asure Software’s VP of HR compliance, learning, and development, recently did an interview on Mission to Grow about structured programs. “I will also say that, after about 35 years in HR, if you train your staff and your managers, you will have better retention,” says Simmons.

Many of the small businesses that don’t offer structured training say that it’s because they lack the time or money. In reality, investing in these programs is essentially buying time back. These programs take more time upfront, but you save on labor hours later on because your employees are far more productive.

If you are creating a structured training program, the following steps can help.

Create Clear Objectives 

First, it’s important to clarify what your objectives are. For example, you may want to use a structured training program to train managers or to onboard new hires. You should also define your key performance indicators (KPIs) so that you know if your training program is achieving its objectives. 

An easy way to design your training objectives is by structuring them as SMART goals. 

• Specific: Each goal should be clear. You should be able to easily understand what the end results are supposed to look like.
• Measurable: The program’s goal must be something you can measure. For example, it may be to get 100% of employees trained on anti-harassment measures.
• Relevant: SMART goals are relevant and make sense for your program’s purpose.
• Achievable: The goal should be something your employees can accomplish. They should be realistic for your team members to achieve.
• Time-Bound: SMART goals are bound by set timeframes. For instance, you may require all food workers at your restaurant to finish their health department training by their first payday. 

Choose Content for Your Training Program

No matter what type of training you offer, it needs to be relevant to the employee’s job. Adult learners want to know why they’re doing something, and they’re easier to motivate if they understand the underlying purpose behind a training session. 

Adopt Consistent Training Tools and Methods 

When you design a training program, it’s important to be consistent. If the information varies each time the program is offered, you’ll have some workers who have adequate training and some workers who were trained on obsolete iterations. 

Evaluate Your Program on an Ongoing Basis

Once your program has been developed, ask for feedback from everyone involved. Ongoing evaluations can help you learn ways to improve your training sessions over time. 

Examples of Structured Training Programs in Action 

Structured training is any kind of training that has a clear timeline for completion, a set schedule, and defined coursework. Each company is different, so the type of training you need will naturally vary. 

While a restaurant may focus on onboarding and soft skills training, a software startup may provide more technical training. Meanwhile, a salon may solely train its independent contractors on the rules and expectations involved in renting a booth.

• Onboarding: Onboarding training can consist of classes, videos, group discussions, and lectures. Often, this kind of training includes information on compliance, company values, and the worker’s role in the organization.
• Safety Training: Safety training may be mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). You can also cover company-specific problems, like ergonomics, fall safety, and hazard communication.
• Product Training: Product training may involve how to develop, sell, or upsell your company’s products. It may involve case studies, role-playing activities, group discussions, or other training methods.
• Culture, Mission, and Vision: Training on your company’s culture, mission, and vision often occurs during the onboarding process. This kind of training helps workers make decisions that align with your company’s values.
• Soft-Skills Training: Soft-skills training often focuses on conflict resolution, communication, and problem-solving. While soft skills aren’t technical subjects, they are important for an employee’s career growth and ability to work effectively with others. 
• Leadership Training: Leadership training doesn’t have to be just for your managers. It’s a good idea to offer it to future managers and anyone involved in your succession planning. 
• Compliance Training: With compliance training, you can prevent legal issues. At Asure, we have a library of HR and compliance training tools you can use for technology-based, on-demand training sessions.
• Technical Training: Technical training often involves teaching employees about the company’s software stack. It may also entail learning about standard operating procedures for all of the organization’s processes and tools.
• Sales Training: While sales training may include upselling, product knowledge, and overcoming objections, it can also involve using sales-based tools. For instance, you may want to train your sales team on customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

The type of programs companies use will often vary based on the industry they’re in. Soft-skills training on conflict resolution and customer service are useful in retail stores and restaurants. Meanwhile, a car or RV sales floor may need sales training and product training.

Besides choosing between different kinds of training programs, you’ll also need to select your training method. Below are some of the most common options. 

• Lectures 
• Work groups 
• Mentoring 
• Hands-on exercises 
• Group discussions 
• Training guides 
• On-demand virtual training sessions 
• Live online training sessions

The Advantages of Using Structured Training Programs 

By deciding to adopt a structured training program at your company, your organization can enjoy a number of different benefits. 

Remember Important Training Topics 

A major benefit of structured programs is that they’re consistent. When you have a clear syllabus to follow, everyone receives the same training. You don’t have to worry about accidentally forgetting to teach about an important topic.

Ensure Consistency

By clarifying your program’s purpose and the overall syllabus, you can also ensure consistency. Each person has the same experience and ends up leaving the session with a consistent level of knowledge. 

From a compliance standpoint, consistency is incredibly important. You can avoid unintentionally discriminating against employees by always giving workers the same training, so no worker feels like they received fewer opportunities than anyone else.

Clarify Your Expectations and Requirements 

It’s challenging for workers to meet expectations if they don’t know what the requirements are. By talking to workers about your expectations, you give them clarity so that they know what they need to accomplish.

Boost Your Compliance 

No matter how large or small your company is, you must be in compliance with national, state, and local laws. Structured training programs make your compliance easier because you can easily add training sessions for different regulatory topics and document each attendee’s completion of the requirements. 

Enhance Employee Culture 

Training programs help to instill new hires with your mission, values, and vision. It creates a common experience that workers share and gives employees direction about your expectations. Because of all these factors, a structured training program is a good way to enhance your organizational culture. 

Find Out More About What It Takes to Become a Fast-Growth Company

Thanks to all these benefits, structured training programs are strongly correlated with faster revenue growth. These kinds of training programs can improve your employee culture, ensure consistency, and increase compliance. However, it’s important to consider the right topics and methods for your organization. Each company is different, so training programs will vary. 

Are you ready to catalyze your company’s growth? To learn more about how to become a fast-growth company, contact Asure’s team of small business HR and payroll experts today.