4 Valuable Lessons Learned From Bad New-Employee Training

Every company should offer employee orientation and training to new employees. If that sounds like something you learned in New Hire 101, you’re ahead of the game. The reality is that many companies don’t have a new-employee orientation program and if they offer any type of training, it’s just some random pieces of information someone threw together.

Here’s another lesson from New Hire 101: An ineffective training program can—and will—lead to problems. Unfortunately, this is a lesson often learned too late. To save you from this fate, we’ve compiled four lessons others have learned the hard way.

1. It’s not enough to go through the motions

   It’s not uncommon for organizations to just go through the motions of training their new employees without giving the process much thought or effort. But it’s not enough to throw a training program together just for the sake of having one. What’s the point of providing employee orientation and training if no one learns anything?

   Instead, constantly evaluate your existing training program for ways it can be enhanced, modernized, and generally improved. One way to start this process is to request anonymous reviews of the training program from employees who have already completed the training. Their feedback will offer valuable insight into key areas that need to be addressed.

2. Information won’t be absorbed if the learners are bored

   We feel safe saying that a fair amount of the information presented in employee orientation and training is either irrelevant or boring—or both. If the information bores your employees, they’ll tune out and think about countless other things that are more interesting. When employees zone out, they don’t retain anything so they’ll have to figure things out on the go or risk making mistakes on the job.

   To combat this problem, edit your training materials so only the most important information is included. Then look for new (translation: engaging) ways to deliver the information so your trainees stay focused on what you’re teaching. Equally important: Include breaks throughout the training process so employees can stretch, grab a snack, take a restroom break, and re-energize.

3. New employees will quit if they feel inadequate

   Having to sit through a lackluster training program is one thing, but getting on the floor (or behind the desk) feeling incompetent because of it is a whole other thing. When you fail to train your new employees properly, you fail them on many levels. Studies show that 40% of new employees leave their jobs in the first six months—and lack of training is one of the most cited reasons for a quick departure.

   While it’s terrible that so many new employees feel this way, it’s equally bad for the companies that rack up high turnover rates. Employee turnover is a vicious cycle that can breathe toxicity into your company culture and poison your veteran employees who are left to pick up the slack. When you invest in employee orientation and training programs that are efficient, effective, and energizing, you can avoid some of that turmoil.

4. More training will be needed in the future

   If your employee training program fails, you basically have two options: Fire underperforming employees or re-train them. (We’re assuming you’re not interested in the third option, which is to let them fail miserably and cost you business.) In many cases, managers will request that employees simply repeat the same training that already failed them. But what good is that?

   Instead of constantly re-training employees on the same less-than-adequate materials, doesn’t it make sense to implement high-quality training from the start? After that, you can always add on-going training at sensible intervals to keep your employees at the top of their game.

What it really comes down to is this: It’s more expensive to train your employees poorly than it is to do it right. When you weigh lost productivity, the cost of employee turnover, and lost customers against investing in your employees and empowering them to be successful…isn’t the right choice obvious?