Putting your employees through their paces… in a way they enjoy

Energizing your corporate wellness program is essential to get the optimal benefits from your employee development efforts. This means that any training sessions you organize should be planned and executed professionally. There are a number of important ingredients to ensure you get the most from your training sessions and put your employees through their paces in a way they enjoy, and that reaps the most benefits.

Proper training sessions do so much for your employees; whether the purpose is to educate them on a specific health or wellness topic, upscale particular skills, or even put them through their paces physically – If done well, training sessions boosting team-spirit and performance. So, before you plan yours, make sure to carry out a needs assessment to identify information gaps or skills to be worked on. This can be done in a number of ways: conducting internal surveys, suggestions boxes, or by getting input from line managers or department heads. If you know what exactly is needed, or what there’s the most interest in, you’ll be guaranteed that employees will get the most benefit – whether it’s personal or professional development.

Organizational training sessions include presentations, evaluations, discussions, and demonstrations. When in the planning phase, always establish learning objectives from the needs assessment conducted; these will act as both a guide for success and a measuring tool. Frame the session in a positive and fun way to stir employee interest… The more your employees get out of their training, the more they will value your organization and both wellbeing and retention will improve.

The next step is to find out what training materials are needed for both the trainer and the employees; make sure to check whether these are provided by the trainer if he/she is external.  It’s also a good idea to incorporate activities as well. Make sure employee participation is encouraged as this will ref-focus the team and better boost morale. 

All the benefits mentioned above lead to a happier work environment and increased productivity within your organization.  Following the suggested guidelines will improve the quality of any employee training sessions within your organization. What’s worth doing is worth doing well. So, what are you waiting for?