How To Get Employees To Complete Training On Time

Graham Glass is the founder & CEO of CYPHER LEARNING, which specializes in providing learning platforms for organizations around the world.

Tick, tock, tick, tock—is time running out for employees to complete their mandatory training, yet participation rates are still subpar? How can you get things back on track?

When I used to work as a corporate trainer, companies would ask me about various learning and development (L&D) challenges, and this was a common one: How can we get our employees to complete their training on time?

Before I would dive into the solutions (and there are multiple ways to tackle this), I liked to dig a bit deeper into their issues: What type of training are you providing? What does completing their training “on time” mean? Is it necessary to have a deadline tied to the training in the first place?

I should let you know up front that, in general, I don’t think a one-size-fits-all approach to training—where everyone, regardless of aptitudes and interests, needs to complete a specific module by a certain date—is the best model. In many cases, I advocate for a personalized and competency-based approach, enabling individuals to advance at their own pace, based on their unique career goals, performance, skill sets, etc. So, in my conversations with companies, I would first ascertain whether cookie-cutter and/or deadline-driven training actually served their goals.

Sometimes it did. There are scenarios when employees do need to complete training and demonstrate mastery by a predetermined date, including:

• In response to major organizational changes, such as mergers and acquisitions, rebranding and other strategic shifts. Employees need to be on message when the change occurs.

• For time-sensitive sales training. Training might be in response to the shifts above or to cover a new product and its positioning, new market opportunities, new buyer personas, a new sales methodology, etc. Again, the timing for demonstrating knowledge is important.

• For new-hire onboarding. Onboarding can’t last forever.

• For mandatory compliance training, which usually requires completion by a specific date.

It’s important to understand the nuances that come with training and a fixed date.

Beating The Clock

So if you truly do need to get employees to complete training content by a given date—and find that herding the group toward completion is both onerous and daunting—there are some changes you can make. Consider these areas:

1. Employ Instructor-Led Training

Often, the presence of an instructor can provide the right support, nudge and motivation to get training completed. While instructor-led training can mean having an instructor in a physical classroom, it doesn’t have to.

Instructor-led training can occur virtually, too, during live online sessions (where everyone logs on together) or even in on-demand scenarios (where employees consume training when it fits their schedules). In the latter case, the instructor still monitors progress, is available to answer questions (over email, through chat, etc.) and supplies resources when employees hit roadblocks. So, in addition to the resources, support and motivation a trainer provides, there’s also an added layer of accountability, prompting employees to meet deadlines.

2. Make Training Convenient

Oftentimes, providing a single, live training date (or even a couple of options) just isn’t convenient for your workforce, especially at globally dispersed companies. Schedules simply don’t align—and even when employees intend to attend, “fire drills” sometimes take precedence.

So ask yourself whether the training really needs to be live. If it’s not highly interactive, allowing employees to access online modules according to their schedules may better enable them to meet deadlines. There are ways to structure this type of training, so employees don’t get overwhelmed:

• Set the pace by publishing the first module in week one, the second in week two, etc., and notify employees when new content gets posted. You could consider tying deadlines to each new piece of content (rather than having a single deadline for everything).

• Make content digestible, such as providing bite-sized (five-minute) training videos that are easy to consume.

• Provide recordings of live training sessions for on-demand access, when employees can’t make it to the live training (or want to review it).

The bottom line: Training should fit employees’ schedules, not the other way around.

3. Set Realistic Completion Goals

Don’t try to fit a 10-week course into five weeks. Employees won’t be motivated, may spend more time complaining than learning and won’t retain much as a byproduct of cramming. So what was the point of the training at all?

In contrast, if you set realistic completion goals—along with a structure, format and pace to support them—employees will be much more likely to complete their training on time. This approach requires that companies plan their training in advance, which is something I always recommend.

4. Consider Automation (Especially For Compliance)

Because it’s so pervasive and usually time-sensitive, compliance training deserves its own mention. Like any training process, it can be automated—and it’s often useful to do so. HR leaders can set up automated reminders for employees to log in and personalized, triggered emails based on their progress. If someone needs a nudge, you can ensure an email reminder (pre-loaded in the system) gets automatically sent.

At my company, CYPHER LEARNING, we set up compliance training rules and let automation kick in. For example, all new employees are automatically enrolled in certain compliance courses and have a timeframe to complete them. When someone’s compliance expires, our system re-enrolls them and starts the process over. Employees may get a message explaining what content has changed, so they understand why they need to be certified again.

Consider if automation might make sense for your organization.

5. Make Training Fun

There’s no rule that mandatory training is synonymous with boring. So when you can, make training fun! You can drive engagement by including games, interactivity, social components, humor (be appropriate) and elements that employees can relate to.

Making Deadlines

Rather than chasing employees and fretting over missed deadlines, organizations have an opportunity to restructure training for the better. By following the tips above, you can help employees meet learning deadlines and deliver more effective training—a win-win.

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