When you take on a new employee, there is a lot to think about.
You need to make sure they understand their role, know what is expected of them and have the skills and knowledge they need to carry out their work safely. At the same time, you want them to become a productive member of your team as quickly as possible.
This is where training becomes an important investment.
While experience is valuable, you can’t always assume that a new employee knows how your business operates or understands all the risks associated with their role. Even if they have worked in a similar position before, every workplace has its own processes, equipment and expectations.
Providing training from the beginning gives employees the opportunity to learn what they need to know before they are expected to work independently.
Traditionally, this has meant sending staff to a training facility or bringing a provider into the business for a day of learning. While this can be valuable, it can also mean taking employees away from their normal work.
E-learning courses provide another option for suitable areas of training, such as health and safety or compliance. Employees can complete online learning around their existing responsibilities, while employers can make training part of the onboarding and development process.
But how exactly can online training benefit your employees and your business?
Benefit 1: Help new employees work safely from the beginning
One of the biggest benefits of providing training to new employees is helping them understand how to work safely.
A new starter may be unfamiliar with your workplace, equipment, processes and expectations. Even if they have previous experience, they may not have encountered the same risks before.
Training gives you the opportunity to address this from the start. Employees can learn about the risks associated with their role, understand their responsibilities and become familiar with the procedures they are expected to follow.
E-learning can be particularly useful for the knowledge and awareness side of this training. Online courses can introduce employees to important health and safety information before or alongside practical training.
This gives new starters a foundation of knowledge that they can take into their role and helps establish safe working practices from the beginning.
Benefit 2: Get new employees up to speed and productive more quickly
New employees need time to understand their responsibilities and become confident in their role. Good training can make this process more structured and help them become productive sooner.
Rather than relying on employees to pick everything up as they go, you can identify the information they need and provide appropriate training from the beginning.
E-learning is useful here because employees don’t necessarily have to wait for the next available training day. Suitable online courses can form part of an employee’s induction, allowing them to start building their knowledge straight away.
The aim isn’t to rush someone into working independently before they are ready. It is about giving them the right information and support so that they can become confident and capable in their role.
The sooner an employee understands what they are doing and why, the sooner they can begin making a positive contribution to the business.
Benefit 3: Reduce the risk of mistakes and accidents
Training is about helping staff understand what could go wrong.
This is particularly important for new starters working with machinery, equipment, chemicals, vehicles or other potential hazards. Without appropriate training, employees may not recognise risks or understand the procedures they are expected to follow.
Online training can support this by giving employees a structured introduction to important safety information. They can work through the material, test their understanding through quizzes or assessments and identify areas where they may need further explanation or practical support.
It isn’t a replacement for supervision or practical training, but it provides another layer of support before employees are expected to manage tasks themselves.
For employers, investing in this knowledge from the beginning can help create safer working practices and reduce avoidable mistakes.
Benefit 4: Give every employee the same foundation of knowledge
When a new employee joins your business, their training can sometimes depend on who has the time to show them the ropes.
While learning from experienced employees is valuable, it can mean that different employees receive slightly different information.
Online training can help provide a consistent foundation. If several employees need to complete the same training, they can all work through the same course and access the same learning materials.
This can be particularly useful for areas such as health and safety, workplace procedures and general awareness.
It also allows experienced employees to focus their time where it adds the most value, providing practical instruction, answering questions and showing new starters how things work in your particular workplace.
This combination of structured learning and practical experience can give new employees a stronger start.
Benefit 5: Free up experienced employees while develop new starters
Training a new employee takes time, and it isn’t only the new employee’s time that is involved.
Experienced members of staff often need to explain processes, answer questions and supervise new starters. This is an important part of learning, but it can also take experienced employees away from their normal responsibilities.
Where suitable, new employees can complete knowledge-based courses independently, allowing your experienced staff to focus on the areas where their input is most valuable.
For example, general health and safety information could be covered through an online course, while an experienced employee spends their time demonstrating how a particular piece of equipment is used in your workplace.
This makes better use of everyone’s time without removing the practical support new employees need.
Benefit 6: Increase the value of your employees over time
Training isn’t just about helping someone do their current job. It is also an investment in what they could contribute to your business in the future.
A new employee may start with limited knowledge of your particular processes. With the right training and experience, they can gradually become someone who takes on more responsibility, works more independently and contributes more to the business.
This is where training becomes an investment rather than simply a cost.
Think about where an employee could be in one, two or even five years’ time. What additional skills could they learn? What responsibilities could they take on? Could they eventually supervise other employees or take responsibility for a particular area of the business?
Providing opportunities for development helps employees build towards these roles.
E-learning can support this by making suitable training easier to access alongside normal responsibilities. It means training doesn’t have to stop once an employee has completed their initial induction.
Make employee training an ongoing process
Training shouldn’t stop once an employee has completed their induction.
As employees become more experienced, their responsibilities can change and new training needs can develop. You may introduce new equipment, change a process, ask an employee to take on additional responsibilities or identify an area where their knowledge could be improved.
This is why it is useful to think about training as an ongoing process rather than a one-off event.
Online training can make this easier by providing a flexible way for employees to continue learning without requiring them to be away from the business for a full day every time.
It can be used for:
- New employee training
- Refresher training
- Health and safety awareness
- Updating knowledge
- Supporting new responsibilities
- Continuing professional development
Regularly reviewing training needs means you can continue investing in employees as they develop, helping to build a more knowledgeable and capable workforce.
Why online training works alongside practical training
Online training isn’t right for every type of learning.
Some skills need to be demonstrated in person, particularly where an employee needs to operate machinery, use equipment or demonstrate a practical ability. Practical training and supervision remain essential in these situations.
However, not everything needs to be taught practically.
Knowledge, theory, awareness and some areas of health and safety training can be suitable for online learning.
This means employers can combine different types of training depending on what an employee needs to learn. For example, a new employee could complete an online course to build their understanding of a topic before receiving practical instruction and supervision in the workplace.
The result is a training approach that gives employees both the knowledge and practical experience they need.
How to include online training in your new employee onboarding
If you are taking on a new employee, think about their training before their first day.
Start by identifying what they need to know to carry out their role safely and effectively.
Ask yourself:
- What are the main risks associated with their role?
- What health and safety training do they need?
- What knowledge do they need before starting work?
- Which skills need to be taught practically?
- What can be completed through online learning?
- What additional skills could they develop over time?
From there, you can build training into their onboarding process.
Some learning can be completed online, while practical skills can be taught and supervised in the workplace or through face-to-face training.
As the employee develops, review their progress and identify further training opportunities.
This means you aren’t just training someone to do the job they have been employed to do today. You are helping them develop into an employee who can contribute more to your business in the future.
Investing in training is investing in your business
Taking on a new employee is an investment in itself. Training is an important part of making that investment worthwhile.
Giving new employees the knowledge they need can help them work safely, understand their responsibilities and become productive more quickly.
As they gain experience, ongoing training can help them develop new skills, take on more responsibility and increase the value they bring to the business.
E-learning can make this process easier by providing a flexible option for suitable areas of training. Employees can complete courses around their existing responsibilities, while employers can build training into onboarding and ongoing development without always taking staff away from the business.
It isn’t a replacement for practical training, but it can be an important part of a wider training strategy.
By investing in your employees from the beginning and continuing to support their development, you can help build a safer, more knowledgeable and more productive workforce for the long term.
If you’re looking for flexible training options for new and existing employees, explore Newlands Training’s range of online courses to see how e-learning could support your staff development.
If you’d like to learn more about our e-learning courses for agricultural businesses, get in touch with us today by calling 01305 848454 or emailing us at enquiries@newlandstraining.co.uk.
