6 Tips for Training your Manufacturing Employees

Employee training is a great way to get your team engaged.  It’s a win-win situation. You get a more productive team, and your team gains knowledge that they may not have gotten elsewhere.  In addition, the more information they know, the more valuable they become to the organization. Below are a few tips on training your manufacturing employees:

1. Don’t Just Teach Them How, Teach Them Why

Give your manufacturing team the bigger picture by sharing where their piece of the puzzle fits.  Share the company goals and their roles to achieving those goals, and they will realize that their contribution is imperative to the success of the business. This will not only get them engaged, but they will become a more productive member of the team. 

2. Be Consistent

When training your employees, make sure that everyone receives the same message. There is nothing worse than hearing “but Johnny taught me to do it this way”. Try using your more experienced employees as on-the-job trainers. You could even have them document the steps throughout process, in order to send a consistent message.   

3. Evaluate

Ask your employees for feedback on the training sessions.  You will get some great perspectives on what might be effective going forward. This will allow you to tap into their interests and discover their preferred method of learning. Not only this, but your team will know that you value their opinion. You may even get some improvement ideas that you hadn’t thought of previously.

4. Hands on Training

The team will appreciate getting time to practice and getting more comfortable learning something new.  This will reduce the fear of failure and increase the team’s confidence when it comes time to move on to the real deal. 

5. Make it Interesting 

The last thing you want is a snoozefest that will bore your team to tears.  Make your trainings interactive- with group discussions and activities.  Share specific examples that relate directly to your team.  Pass out treats to everyone that actively participates. As my 10 year old son says “you have to make them want to listen to you!”

6. Prepare Accordingly

Practice your presentation, so you know what you are going to say and are comfortable with the content.  Be respectful of the team and start (and end) the trainings on time.  If appropriate, prepare handouts that the team can refer back to when needed.