7 ways to motivate employees to engage in training

Make training practical and job-relevant

The best way to motivate employees to participate in training is by making every course practical and relevant. Analyze performance objectives, ask employees what they’re struggling with or how they could improve, and then give them the training they need to get better at their jobs.

Once they start practicing new skills in the workplace, and see how their performance improves, employees will understand the benefits of training. Then, the next time a course is allocated to them, they’ll grab it with both hands.

Make training a company priority

Imagine you’re in a training workshop with the head of your department. She huffs and puffs, says that she has “better things to spend her time on”, and only half engages in the group activities. Are you likely to feel motivated to engage in training? Nah. Because it feels like the company doesn’t even value training.

On the other hand, when training goals are set, and you’re recognized and rewarded for achieving them, you’ll become a self-motivated learner – even when it comes to compulsory training. So, start offering training incentives for employees. These could be certificates, a little public recognition, or even additional leave days.

Use a mobile-friendly LMS with microlearning features

Wondering how to motivate reluctant corporate learners? Make training convenient and easy to access. There are two ways to do this. First, leverage a powerful LMS that’s compatible with Android and iOS. This way employees get to learn whenever they want, wherever they want, using whichever device they choose.

Next, use microlearning best practices when designing your courses. This is one of the best ways to motivate employees to train, because it makes training quick. Employees get to consume bite-sized chunks of information exactly when they need them most. Less hassle, more engagement.

Employ gamification strategies

Games are fun, which is why the results of our recent survey aren’t surprising. We discovered that more than 80% of employees who receive gamified training feel motivated, while over 60% who receive non-gamified training feel bored and unproductive. In other words, your training needs gamification now!

Find an LMS with gamification features like certificates, badges, and leaderboards, and then start incorporating them into your courses. This could be one of your most effective motivational strategies to engage employees in training.

Involve employees in the learning process

There’s a quote that says “Learning is not a spectator sport”, and it really speaks to what motivates workers when it comes to training. Active learning methods involve employees in the learning process by requiring them to participate in activities, make decisions, and reflect on them. There are a number of ways to motivate employees to train using active learning.

For example, branching scenarios and simulations place employees in realistic workplace situations, and then allow them to make decisions without the usual risk. Other training strategies to motivate employees to participate in learning include group assignments and interactive infographics.

Offer regular feedback and quick wins

When anyone asks us how to keep employees motivated to complete training, we tell them to offer regular feedback. If this feels like a big ask, we’re also here to tell you that feedback can be both frequent and easy. Yes, you can use the quiz feature on your LMS to give employees automated feedback throughout their training course.

These quizzes help employees to gauge how well they’re doing, and which areas of content they might need to revisit. When they pass a quiz, employees might receive a badge, or move to the next ‘level’ of the course. These little wins along the way will keep pushing them forward until they’ve completed their training.

Offer employees personal growth

Urgh. Compliance training. This is just one example of training that’s necessary, but also generic. While we’d never tell you to scrap important regulatory and job-specific training, we would suggest that you also offer employees learning opportunities that spark a personal interest.

There are many ideas to motivate employees through personal development. Send an email asking each employee to tell you what kind of training they’d like to get. Make your sales training courses (or any other courses you think of) accessible to other staff in the company. You could even encourage employees to complete MOOCs in their personal time, and then reward them by sponsoring the cost of their certificate.

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