Samantha Kelen (sam@samanthakelen.com) is a Lead Ethics Analyst at Duke Energy in Charlotte, NC.
Training fatigue. Not enough time. Competing priorities. These objections to training are frequently heard across corporate America and, likely, across the globe. If you’ve heard them too, consider incorporating one of these strategies to reduce the time it takes to complete your training.
Testing out of training altogether
Depending on the content and the composition of your workforce, you may be able to allow employees to prove they already understand the concepts and do not need to take the training (again). This typically applies to tenured employees who have received the same or similar messages year after year. And there’s precedent for this approach in higher education, as colleges allow students to demonstrate their understanding on an exam and bypass lower-level foundation courses. However, be sure to compose the exam in a challenging way to ensure workers can apply the concepts, not just remember them.