Unleash your workers full potential and build an unstoppable force!⚡
Hey there, HR warriors! Rally Rachel here, and today we’re going to talk about one of the most important aspects of building a winning team of home services professionals: training.
Now, I know what you might be thinking: “Training? In the blue-collar world? Ain’t nobody got time for that!” But, my friends, if you want to build a winning team of home service professionals, you can’t afford not to invest in training.
Your team members are the backbone of your company, and without them, you wouldn’t be able to deliver the top-notch service your customers expect. But in order for your team members to deliver that service, they need the right skills, knowledge, and support. That’s where a great training plan comes in. It’s the foundation that sets your team up for success, and it’s the key to unlocking their full potential and delivering a consistent customer experience. So don’t skimp on training – invest in it, and watch your team members soar!
Here’s the thing: your average blue-collar employee isn’t exactly dying to sit through hours of PowerPoint presentations and dry lectures. They want training that’s practical, hands-on, and relevant to their work. So if you want to create a training program that actually works, you’re going to have to get a little hardcore.
So how do you go about creating a training plan that actually meets those needs?
Here’s a guide to building a hardcore training plan for your blue-collar army:
Step 1: Identify Your Training Objectives
Before you can start creating your training plan, you need to know what you’re trying to achieve. Identify the key skills and knowledge areas that your workers need to master in order to be successful on the job. Are there specific tools or technologies they need to be proficient in? Are there certain customer service or communication skills that are critical to success?
Want to dive in deeper? Here is a short video but keep in mind if you have no training plan yet you don’t need an overly complicated plan to get started. Start with the needs that are very blatant to you and get going!
Step 2: Assess Your Workers’ Current Skills
Once you’ve identified your training objectives, it’s time to assess where your workers currently stand. This might involve observing them on the job, conducting skills assessments, or soliciting feedback from customers or colleagues. The goal is to get a clear understanding of your workers’ strengths and weaknesses, so that you can tailor your training plan accordingly. If you have multiple employees look for areas of mutal weakness amongst them as it will show you where your existing training may be lacking.
Here is another short video on conducting skills assessments if you want to get more complicated than simply observing them.
Step 3: Develop Your Training Curriculum
Now that you know what you’re trying to achieve and where your workers currently stand, it’s time to develop your training curriculum. This might involve a mix of classroom training, hands-on practice, and on-the-job coaching and mentoring. The key is to make sure that your training is practical, engaging, and relevant to your workers’ day-to-day work.
One way to make training more engaging is to include anecdotes and stories that illustrate the real-world impact of the skills being taught. For example, at one home services company I worked for, we developed a communication training program that focused on active listening and conflict resolution. At first, some workers were skeptical, but as they saw the results of their training, they embraced the program. One worker, Jack, was a skilled technician but struggled with communication. After the training, he became more confident and even shared his insights with colleagues. The results spoke for themselves: customer satisfaction ratings improved, and our business thrived.
Here is a great video discussion on creating a plan or curriculum.
Step 4: Set Clear Goals & Objectives
In order to track your progress and measure your success, it’s important to set clear goals and objectives for your training plan. These might include things like improving customer satisfaction ratings, increasing first-time fix rates, or reducing the number of callbacks. Make sure that your goals are specific, measurable, and achievable.
Make sure you have a clearly defined timeline for your training plan and hold people accountable either through negative (consequences) or positive (rewards) reinforcement. Often a micture of the two works best.
Here is a quick video on setting goals for employees if you want to dig in. This discusses goals in general but the lessons apply to setting goals for a training plans.
Step 5: Implement Your Training
With your training plan in place, it’s time to put it into action. Make sure that your workers have the time and resources they need to fully engage in the training process. Encourage them to ask questions, provide feedback, and share their own experiences and insights. And be sure to monitor their progress and provide ongoing coaching and support as needed. Remember this is where the training is meeting the real world!
Implementation and executing on the plan is where the magic happens. Put the effort in to making sure your well thought out plans and strategy are actionized. Here is a short video for more guidance.
Step 6: Evaluate Your Results
Once your training plan is complete, it’s important to evaluate your results. Did you achieve your goals and objectives? Did your workers improve their skills and knowledge? What could you do differently next time? Make sure to get feedback from your trainees on their experience and then include that along with the metrics you are monitoring to get a full picture of the results. Use this feedback to refine your training plan and make it even more effective in the future.
So there you have it, HR warriors: a step-by-step guide to building a hardcore training plan for your blue-collar army. With a little hard work and dedication, you can help your workers achieve their full potential and become unstoppable forces in the home services industry.
Let’s do this!
Rally Rachel
