Onboarding and training new and existing team members can be a complex process for many organizations and their managers. "Managing people is one of the most time-consuming and difficult aspects of any job," writes Barrie Gross of allBusiness. "Whether you have one direct report or 20, the responsibilities loom large and finding the time to follow sound management practices in everything you do as a supervisor can be challenging."
Tips on developing an employee training log template
While it may be a time-consuming process, taking the time to organize and streamline a process before your learners begin their training can potentially save you time and alleviate the risk of missteps in the long run. From induction to comprehensive training, keeping a record of training and business-skill building is one of the best ways to gauge the effectiveness of your efforts, boost performance, decrease the risk of errors and even stay in compliance with the law. That said, what do you need to include in your training log template in order to cover the important aspects of training return on investment?
Starting with the basics, you must include the name of your employee and his or her respective title. On the not-so-obvious side, you need to break down the next section of your employee training log template by the level of training. This way, you can determine where your employee currently is in the early stages of training, as well as the further training he or she will need in order to accomplish their goals. Document important details such as the name of the program, as well as the training start and complete dates. Training records can also be leveraged in annual performance reviews to determine progress and company goals.
Last but not least, include the name of the trainer, whether it's a member of your management team, a peer-mentor, or an outside resource and have them sign off on it. That way you have proper documentation and authorization of every training program completed by each one of your employees.
Historically, organizations have documented employee training on paper. Excel or Access, however—as opposed to Word or a printed form—are typically more efficient and convenient as it's easier to share with other members of your management team. If your team is utilizing Excel 2013, you may even benefit from the "Employee Training Tracker," which can help your team customize the document based on various positions, not to mention it's completely free to Microsoft Office users. To get started, simply search for "Employee Training Tracker" on the Excel 2013 interface.
Assessing the ROI of your training programs
When it comes time to assess the ROI of your training programs, there are a few things to look for. While this will be completely dependent on your business-realm, consider insights such as performance to schedule, the direct and indirect cost of your training programs, improved efficiency and/or productivity, and if training has enhanced your company profits—sales, referrals, improved products and services, etc.
