To your target audience, customers, and loyal clients, all they often see is the business as a whole and the brand you’ve put much effort into building. And while there is nothing wrong with recognition, business owners should never forget the people who clock in and work in the background making such success possible.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are referring to your hard-working employees. They are the people who go unseen in the grand scheme of things and run all daily operations to keep the business growing. In return, all they ask for is proper compensation, tenure, and the opportunity to advance in their careers.
However, the business owner’s responsibility does not end under those conditions alone; it is also their job to provide their employees with a safe working environment. But with the growing demands of our globalized age, creating a healthy and safe workplace has become much more difficult.
So, where does this leave business owners? It is now their job to innovate to the changing business landscape accordingly. They must adapt and reform their training methods, such that it will yield the same level of success.
Now, how do you exactly go about achieving that?
Introduce Gamification
Games have become a staple in the entertainment industry, from triple-A titles to steampunk indie games, there exists a vast selection to play. And one reason that makes them so successful is how satisfying it is to complete a quest or get an achievement. So, what if we could replicate the same level of satisfaction in occupational health and safety training?
That process is gamification; it incorporates game elements and mechanics to increase engagement and overall motivation towards reaching goals. In doing so, your employees will feel more determined during training sessions and going through assigned reading materials.
Implementing gamification in training could function like a rewards-based system, wherein employees get benefits for completing training sessions and courses. Another example is a leaderboard so that employees can see who is at the top of the roster and compete while getting their training done.
- Make it Fun: By the book, occupational health and safety training can get pretty dull, so your goal here is to make the ordeal fun and engaging for your employees. Of course, you need to strike a balance between fun and practical training.
- Give Feedback: To come full-circle with gamification in training, a critical aspect that you must not look over is giving feedback. Ensure that your workplace is conducive to helping employees learn by identifying key points they need to improve upon.
Extend to Blended Learning
Next up, you can also extend training sessions into a blended learning framework where your employees can access their training material and courses online. This will prevent training from being limited only when on-site and makes their learning much more flexible. Thus, it nets you the benefit of both face-to-face conferences and online platforms
When dealing with occupational health and safety guidelines, there is a limit as to how comprehensive an instructor or handbook can get. Videos and other online references will give employees access to different sources, providing a better opportunity to visualize and digest knowledge.
- Remote Access: One of the best benefits you can take from a blended learning approach to training is remote access. Regardless of where your employee might be, they can still read and further their understanding of occupational health and safety.
- Monitoring: Uploading your training materials online also gives you the added benefit of monitoring your employees’ progress. You’ll be able to identify key personnel who need extra help, and see where everyone tends to struggle with understanding.
Encourage Engagement and Collaboration
Whether it be renowned aviation schools of recruits’ navy training, all forms of education affirm the significance of engagement and collaboration. People work their best when they are in a team of like-minded individuals. Groups allow them to cooperate.
The same can be said with occupational health and safety training; you will see greater effectiveness if your employees are allowed to work together. Remember, the workplace is not a space for an individual, but rather a group of people working to their strengths. It is intended for collaboration, so it is only natural that their training and development should also reflect that.
Actionable Plan
However, these are all but suggestions you can choose to take up and implement into your own business. And while we can guarantee that they work, the first step always lies within you.
Before any change is made, you must have an actionable plan that seeks to incorporate the best parts into your occupational health and safety training program. So, before you make any rash decisions, plan accordingly, and your employees will thank you for it in the long run.
