It is no surprise that the key to retaining younger employees is quality training. But what may surprise you is what training is most effective for millennials and Gen-Z. With the National Restaurant Association’s “State of the Industry Report 2022” revealing that 78 percent of operators report not having a fully-staffed restaurant, it is imperative that your newest hire is one that stays. Gone are the days of 100-page employee handbooks. But where do we find the time to complete in-person training? And with quick turnover and uncertain staffing, how do we avoid inconsistent training?
Here are 3 quick tips to help successfully onboard your newest, and youngest employees.
- Keep Lessons Short
In an ideal world, employees would enter training with laser focus, soaking up hours of information without pause. However, the average adult attention span is approximately 20 minutes. Keeping this in mind, course duration for any type of training would be most effective if kept shorter in length and specific in topic. This will help your new hire avoid feeling overwhelmed. Consider pinpointing current employees to train new hires in specific areas. This will keep training consistent and will give managers the ability to see areas of training that need improvement.
- Blend Digital and In-Person Training
Many businesses are looking toward learning management systems (LMS) to solve their training woes. These systems digitize 100 percent of training and claim to eliminate the need for in-person training. The problem is that digital systems do not do a good job of simulating the realities of frontline work. In-person, practical training is necessary and should be embraced. Creating a blended learning method, you can offer engaging on-the-job training while moving necessary, yet simpler skills training to a flexible digital training platform.
- Offer Translations in Preferred Languages
Many digital platforms offer users the option to select a “preferred language”. Sites such as YouTube have a few simple steps to make the selection. However, this is not yet the case with digital training videos. Being able to offer your new hires learning in their preferred language will aid them in their education and absorption of your systems. If a new hire knows how to perform confidently then they will feel like valued, productive employees.
