Training your employees well is one of the best ways to set up your business for long-term success. Most employees build 70% of their skills on the job, 20% by learning from peers, and 10% through formal sessions.
Effective employee trainings do more than just pass on information. They help team members feel confident, work smarter, and contribute to your goals from day one.
In this post, we’ll cover what employee training is, why it matters, and how it can support your team and your business. Let’s get started.
What is employee training?
Employee training is the process of teaching team members skills, knowledge, and tools. It can include everything from onboarding new hires to upskilling existing staff. No matter the format, training an employee is about setting them up to do their jobs well and succeed in their role.
But this training isn’t just for technical skills. It can also include teaching communication, customer service, safety practices, and company processes. The goal is to help employees grow while making sure they’re aligned with business standards.
Small businesses benefit most when training for employee development is ongoing. Instead of treating it as a one-time event, it should be part of how you support your team long-term.
Why is employee training important?
Employee training is important because it helps your team work better. It ensures that employees have the right skills and knowledge to do their jobs well.
For small businesses especially, the importance of employee training can’t be overstated. Training employees helps things run more smoothly. It also builds better teamwork and improves customer experiences. But it’s not just employers who benefit. 74% of workers are eager to learn new skills or retrain to remain employed.
Here are some of the key benefits of employee training:
- Faster onboarding and ramp-up time
- Better job performance and fewer errors
- Increased employee confidence and satisfaction
- More consistent customer service
- Improved team communication and collaboration
- Reduced turnover and higher employee loyalty
- Stronger alignment with company goals and values
- A more adaptable workforce that can handle change
What are the different ways to train employees?
Not all employee trainings are the same. Different roles and goals call for different types of training. Whether you’re hiring new staff or growing a team, the right approach makes all the difference.
Below are the most common types of employee training and why each one matters.
Onboarding and orientation
This is the first training employees get when they join a company. It introduces them to the team, company policies, and day-to-day responsibilities. A strong onboarding also helps new hires feel comfortable and sets clear expectations. For small businesses, onboarding might include a welcome session and a process walkthrough.
One-on-one mentoring
Mentoring involves pairing a newer employee with someone more experienced. It’s a great way to pass down company knowledge and teach role-specific skills in a more personal setting. For example, a café owner might have a new barista work with a seasoned team member for their first week. This builds trust, gives room for questions, and ensures learning through direct guidance.
Technical skills training
This type of training focuses on teaching employees how to use tools or equipment. It’s especially useful in roles that rely on accuracy or technology. A bookkeeping firm might train staff on new accounting software. A retail store may teach team members how to use a new point-of-sale system. This ensures staff can do their jobs efficiently and with fewer errors.
Soft skills training
Soft skills training helps create a more respectful, productive workplace. Soft skills are non-technical traits that help employees work better with others. This includes communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and time management. For example, a customer support team might get trained to handle complaints professionally. A growing sales team may practice active listening and negotiation.
Safety and compliance training
This type of training ensures that employees follow health, safety, and legal rules on the job. It may cover topics like workplace hazards, data privacy, or anti-harassment policies. For example, a warehouse team might get trained on how to safely operate machinery. A salon might go over hygiene practices and local regulations. It’s not just about avoiding fines but also about keeping everyone safe and informed.
Product training
Product training teaches employees the ins and outs of what you sell or offer. It helps staff speak confidently about your offering and answer customer questions. This kind of training builds trust with customers and boosts sales. For example, a bakery might walk new hires through the baking process for each item. A tech company may train staff on how to demo software features.
Leadership training
Leadership training helps team members grow into management or supervisory roles. It focuses on skills like delegation, performance reviews, team motivation, and decision-making. In a small business, this can mean training a top-performing employee to manage new hires or lead a shift. For an online store, it can involve preparing someone to oversee remote agents. Giving employees the tools to lead boosts confidence and helps you scale sustainably.
Team training
Team training focuses on how employees work together, not just individually. This can include group exercises, team-building workshops, or shared problem-solving tasks. The goal is to build trust, improve communication, and help the team function smoothly. For example, an agency’s marketing team might do weekly brainstorming to boost collaboration. A small café crew might practice handling busy lunch rushes together.
Online courses
Online training lets employees learn new skills at their own pace. This works best for remote teams or businesses without a set training schedule. Online courses are flexible, cost-effective, and often come with certifications. For instance, a small eCommerce brand might assign a course on digital marketing. A virtual assistant could complete bookkeeping lessons through an app. Some businesses also combine courses with hands-on sessions as part of blended learning.
Tips & best practices for effective employee training
Training your team doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right steps, you can make the process more efficient for everyone involved. In the next section, we’ll walk through training employees best practices. These tips can help you create a clear, useful program that supports both your team and your business.
1. Personalize training programs for staff
Not every team member learns the same way. Some people prefer hands-on tasks, while others prefer written guides or short videos. When training employees, match the method to their learning style and experience level.
You can also tailor the content based on their role. A new hire may need more step-by-step help, while experienced staff may benefit from more flexible learning. Asking for input can also help you figure out what works best.
Bookipi People tool is great for managing this. It lets you set up shift rosters and track timesheets online. With People, you can efficiently plan training schedules for each staff member.
2. Leverage digital tools and AI
Manual training processes can take up a lot of time. That’s where artificial intelligence (AI) can help. With AI, you can automate routine tasks and improve overall business productivity.
Look for tools that help you automate scheduling training or tracking employee progress. It’s a simple way to save time while keeping everyone on the same page.
For instance, Bookipi’s suite of AI tools can streamline how you train your team. You can create training proposals, schedule sessions, and track progress. These tools reduce manual work so you can focus on helping your team grow.
3. Document processes and learnings
Clear documentation is one of the most useful training tools you can create. Write down key processes and store training materials in one place. This helps employees get up to speed faster and reduces repeat questions. It also makes it easier to update training content as your business evolves.
If you’re building your team from the ground up, it helps to know what roles to prioritize early on. That way, you can focus your documentation on the most critical tasks first.
4. Formalize assessments
Once training is in place, don’t forget to check progress. Assessments help you understand whether employees are actually learning. It also tells you where they might need more support. You can keep assessments simple with quizzes, checklists, or on-the-job evaluations. The key is to have clear criteria, so you’re not just guessing who’s ready to take on more responsibility.
Assessments also make it easier to spot gaps that can affect customer service or sales. Fortunately, with tools like Bookipi Client Pipeline, you can keep your team focused. This tool gives you a complete and reliable snapshot of your customers and sales cycle.
Assessments also make it easier to spot gaps that can affect customer service or sales. Fortunately, with tools like Bookipi’s Client Pipeline, you can keep your team focused. It gives you a clear snapshot of your customers and sales cycle, helping your employees stay on track.
5. Find ways to implement feedback
Feedback is one of the best tools you have for improving your training process. Ask employees what’s working, what’s unclear, and what they’d like more support on. When employees feel unheard or limited in how they grow, it can lead to a problem called shackling. This means limiting someone’s ideas or ignoring their input, which can lower morale. The more open you are to your team’s input, the easier it is to build training that truly works.
But collecting feedback is only the first step. You need to act on it. Adjust your materials, rethink your methods, and be open to new ideas. This shows your team that their voices matter and encourages long-term engagement. For example, run short post-training surveys or set up monthly check-ins. You can also create a shared document where team members can leave comments.
6. Make room for experiential learning
Not all learning happens during formal training. Experiential learning means learning by doing. It involves real-world tasks, hands-on work, and the ability to learn from trial and error.
If you’re building a team as a startup or small business, know that not every lesson will be neat or predictable. You may not have formal systems yet, and that’s okay. What matters is giving your team space to try, adjust, and grow.
For example, run simulations based on customer scenarios, where employees solve real problems. You can also rotate team members through different roles to help them build new skills. These approaches give employees a chance to learn by doing, not just by watching.
Simplify business processes with the proper management tools
Training your team doesn’t need to be complicated. With the right tools, you can stay organized, save time, and support your employees every step of the way. That includes staying on top of schedules and training sessions. Bookipi People helps you do just that. With our free roster app, you can easily track timesheets and manage training, all in one place. Try Bookipi today and simplify how you manage and train your team.
