Struggling with creating an efficient and effective training program and timeline for your shift workers? You aren’t alone. Shift work is very different from office work, and the training should reflect that and the industry you’re in.
Our employee training timeline resource library below will help answer questions such as:
How long should a training program be?
How do you structure a training schedule?
What to teach in shift worker training?
Best practices for implementing shift employee training timelines
There are many aspects of creating an accurate training timeline. Consider some of the best practices below when creating yours.
Check out our Shift Operations Library for more helpful tools!
Understanding key factors affecting shift worker training
A training timeline will be affected by many factors, including:
Who is running the training
The amount of time given for training sessions
How the training is presented
Required compliance training
Task complexity (preparing food vs. customer service)
If these elements change during each training, it won’t fit into your established employee training timeline. While flexibility is important, having trainings change manager by manager or by location will not only be confusing but could derail your operations.
The best training is standardized across all teams and managers. This also ensures that the essentials, such as business policy, role expectations, and accountability process, are taught in each shift training session.
Considering how people learn
When planning a timeline, you need to include some flexibility for different learners. The average shift work training can be anywhere from a week to a month, depending on the role and the person’s ability to learn.
However, implementing training that offers different learning styles can help keep your timeline on track. Typical approaches to shift work include a classroom-style training for multiple people, mentoring on the job, learning on their own, micro-sessions, and a mix of all these methods.
Creating and celebrating milestones
To have a precise employee training timeline, it’s best to plan numerous milestones that trainees should reach by a certain time. These milestones will help you structure training. For example, you can move from general onboarding to learning how to use fryers by watching and then working the fryer alone, as the employee passes each checkpoint.
When employees reach those milestones, celebrate them to keep morale up. This will help keep training workers motivated when they feel overwhelmed by all this new information.
Implementing feedback throughout training
Training can’t be productive if employees don’t know whether they are learning, improving, and reaching their milestones. To keep training timelines moving while developing high-quality employees, you need to include feedback in your training program.
Ensure that each of your trainers (whether it’s you or your managers) can give proper feedback and feel comfortable addressing performance gaps. If you notice that your employees need more training, you’ll need to adjust your timeline.
Using technology in training
The old way of training is not only outdated but also dull. Utilize current technology to make your training more engaging and accessible. For example, using digital independent training that can be accessed anytime allows employees to take training at their own pace.
There are also interactive options or videos to watch.
Even something as simple as labeling shifts as “training” on their calendar can make a huge difference in training. It reassures employees that they will be learning rather than being thrown onto the floor and puts them in a learning mindset.
Cross-training for flexibility
If employees show an interest in different departments or roles, embrace their curiosity and cross-train them. Training employees in various departments will not only help cover any staffing gaps during call-outs, but also allow employees to start advancing their careers.
Career advancement and skill development is important for shift workers, but they may be unsure how to begin the process.
Your go-to hub for various shift worker training timeline resources
Want more helpful information for your shift-based business? Browse our industry resources below.
Fast food
Emphasize food safety without making training boring with our helpful tools. You’ll be able to standardize your training across multiple shift teams. We’ll also teach you how to balance independent work with mentorship for a fast-paced environment.
Retail
Create a training regime that balances customer service with multitasking for all your retail employees. We discuss how to balance general training with on-the-floor training. You’ll learn how to utilize customer feedback to inform performance assessments.
Barista
Learn how to onboard and train baristas to keep your cafe or restaurant running smoothly. We discuss what’s needed for onboarding, how to let them safely practice, and when baristas are ready to work on their own. You’ll also have access to a milestone calendar and feedback tools.
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