6 Best Practices of HRM Training and Development

Employees are a company’s greatest assets. This is especially true for blue-collar workers since they are the face of your business and the initial point of contact for customers. Their actions will directly reflect on your brand values and culture. So, it is a good idea to invest in their growth via a well-structured training program.

A paper published in the Indian Journal of Labour Economics reported that 11 million vocationally and technically trained people were found in the labour force in 2004-05. This figure doubled to reach 22.5 million by 2017-18. But surprisingly, a big percentage remained unemployed. It is because they were adept in skills which were hardly of use to employers and can be easily done by machines. So, try to train workers in those areas that are essential for a business to move forward. Here are the best practices in HRM to follow.

1. Provide Upskilling Opportunities

Targeted training programs are designed for all levels of professionals. They come with innovative solutions that keep the learner interested and thus increase productivity. Amazon had committed to upskilling 3,00,000 of its employees by 2025. You too can pick a trusted HRMS software that offers an excellent interactive learning platform. It is equipped with daily quizzes, live classes and calendar integration. It is a predictive analytics-driven solution with real-time tracking, a customised dashboard and learning recommendations.

2. Encourage Teamwork

Training and development in HRM must include collaborative problem-solving solutions. Further, teaching proper teamwork helps the work pace improve since responsibilities are being shared to help meet deadlines. Teamwork also:

• increases creativity
• ensures excellent learning opportunities
• allows fresh ideas to flourish.

Proper training for blue-collar workers in communication will also lower the chances of conflicts among team members. Teamwork is also a way of personal growth since it cultivates patience, understanding and empathy towards co-workers which ultimately creates a positive workspace.

3. Offer Safety Guidelines

The ILO estimates that more around 2.3 million men and women across the globe fall prey to work-related accidents or ailments each year. India registered 1,109 deaths and over 4,000 injuries in factories on average per year between 2017 and 2020. Make sure your blue-collar workforce is not a part of these harrowing statistics. Make safety training available in OSHA standards for the best results. Further, you can also offer general hearing protection, food service safety, first aid and construction safety training.

4. Self-Managed Services

One of the best approaches in training and development in HRM is to help blue-collar worker embrace digital platforms better. A self-directed competent team will reduce the hand holding stage for HR professionals. Work with a software which allows you to send daily updates while upskilling which can act as an internal social media platform. The distributed workers must also know how to mark their attendance or check their salary structure on an app. This ensures better transparency, lesser dependency and higher worker satisfaction.

5. Internal Hiring Training

Using your existing blue-collar workers to fill higher positions saves plenty of effort. But you must take the time to train each one for the new role. This can help you achieve the desired outcomes, if any. The employee is also less likely to feel inadequately supported. Further, HRs can consider enrolling star performers in higher education so that they can be moved to supervisory positions. It is also a fantastic way to show the employees that you care. This in turn can push them to invest their loyalty into your organisation.

6. Real-Time Feedback

RTF is a continuous process rather than a comprehensive report at the end of each month. This means it is provided as and when tasks are being done. This approach is focused on constant improvement instead of an overall evaluation. Real-time feedback is critical for remote workers to grow in their respective field. It also significantly increases the chances of better progression towards company goals. You may reward an employee with incentives and recognition for jobs well done.

Listen to the woes of your frontline workers. Treat them with respect and take care of their well-being. Be polite and kind always. These can go a long way to build a happy ‘human brand’ rather than one that is robotic, serious and boring.