5 Ways to Use Employee Training and Development to Motivate Staff

It can be hard to find great employees. When you do, keeping them motivated and engaged is essential. You can compensate them well and reward them with bonuses, but intrinsic motivation often engages employees better than extrinsic motivation. 

Therefore, offering training and development options that make your staff members feel seen, heard, and valued is essential. Plus, you’ll groom them to respect and enhance the company culture. Here are some things you can do to use training and development opportunities to motivate your staff. 

Put the Training Into Context

Nobody likes busy work. People want to know that what they’re doing matters. If your employees are busy with data entry or other mundane tasks, they may feel disconnected from the company’s mission.

Training should engage your employees in the bigger picture. It must illuminate the organization's mission and strategy to get there. Then, it needs to create a clear structure that shows how the employees’ development plays into the entire mechanism. Help them set goals, and show them how those objectives contribute to the organization’s higher goals. They’ll realize that their efforts contribute to the company’s success.

You can incorporate software such as Motivosity into your employee engagement strategy. This Motivosity review details how the program works to help employees recognize the role that they play within the organization.

Use Training to Improve Workflow

A smooth workflow can make your employees more productive. This helps the company, because it enables people to get more work done in less time. Ultimately, you’ll achieve greater output without taking on more employees or expending additional resources.

But an efficient workflow can also reduce employee frustration. Consider how making people’s lives easier can improve morale. People are motivated when their work is challenging enough without being overbearing. They also continue to perform well when you make it easy for them to do a good job.

Use employee training to improve workflow efficiency. Employee development helps to ensure that everyone is on board with your practices and procedures. Less floundering means more ease. When employees can follow a documented workflow, they’ll experience less uncertainty and be more motivated to work.

Offer Training That Enhances Career Development

Most people don’t enjoy being stuck in a dead-end job. People have a need to better themselves. Employee training and development programs should help workers develop the skills that are necessary to complete their duties and provide knowledge that allows individuals to extend their abilities to the industry as a whole.

Some examples of career development training include:

• Coaching and mentoring to uncover specific hurdles and motivate employees to move past them.
• Enrollment in degree programs, workshops, and courses that enhance employees’ credentials.
• Improving job performance by learning new technology or giving them new responsibilities or assignments to gain new skills.

Blend Technical Training With Personal Growth

Work-life balance is vital for keeping employees motivated and upholding company culture. If your workers experience burnout at home or at work, their performance will suffer. Therefore, make sure that your training sessions offer opportunities for employees to better themselves in a holistic way.

For example, studies show that employees who exercise are more productive. Many people don’t feel like they have time to focus on their health if they’re busy with their daily obligations, though. Offer them a chance to contribute to their wellness on the clock so that they feel better about themselves at work and at home. You can also encourage employees to pursue a passion that inspires them outside of the office. 

Tailor the Training to Their Needs

Learn what your employees value and need. Perhaps they could benefit from improving their communication or learning how to manage a department. Once you understand what will make your workers feel accomplished, help them move further in their careers.

You can learn more about your employees’ needs while conducting performance reviews. Instead of putting all of your attention on providing feedback and criticism, ask questions about what you can do for them.

Then, you’ll be able to offer tailored training for specific individuals and departments. People will be more excited and engaged with employee training and development when they get something specific and valuable from it. 

Valuable Training Leads to Motivated Staff

Investing in the retention of employees that you have is more efficient than hiring and training new ones. Proper training and development can help an organization stay competitive, improve productivity, reduce turnover, and adapt to growth.