Startups are built on very fragile business model foundations. While entering volatile and oversaturated markets, they need to face the pressures and challenges that each day has in store for them. Training the workforce and keeping it up-to-date with the best practices and technologies is one of those challenges, particularly with the new generations.
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It is now quite clear that Millennials now make up the majority of the workforce in the market. This is why you want to properly address the training and empower your millennial workforce to be more efficient. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place.
Here are the five things every startup must know when it comes to training millennials.
Who Are Millennials
With the Baby Boomers retiring, Millennials are the next in line to become the most responsible workforce generation. However, there are some things that you should know about this generation of people because they have unique characteristics that set them apart from both Baby Boomers and Gen X.
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According to Harvard Business Review research, millennials approach the work from a very distinctive point of view. In fact, they love their work and don’t look at it as a mere money-making activity.
When looking for a job, millennials give their best to find a line of work that personally interests them. This is good, as it means that millennials working in your startup are there to fully devote themselves to it.
That being said, when they devote their time to a company they expect to make new friends and be part of something larger. More importantly, they want to learn new skills and become more proficient at what they do. If you don’t allow them to become better through training and mentoring, there is great chance that you will lose a millennial employee.
Actually, when asked what they want from a startup, one of the most common answers are: “The company should help me develop my skills for the future.”
Training Millennials Has To Be Continuous
As we can see from the results of the above-mentioned research, millennials expect their companies to enable them to learn and become better. This means that startups have to organize continuous training for the millennials in their midst.
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However, with limited resources and so little time on the hands, how can startups achieve this without losing the focus on the core business processes? Well, online training development software is a very powerful solution that can help startups streamline their training efforts.
Since these modern platforms are easy to use, business managers can easily design courses for the workforce and use the same templates to quickly add new materials or even launch a completely new course.
By allowing the millennials to participate in the ongoing online training, you will make sure that they remain satisfied and happy with the company they are working for.
Video Content Should Be Part Of Training
When it comes to consuming video content, millennials definitely rank first. In fact, video content is their preferred way of taking in new information.Take a look at Social Media channels like YouTube for better understanding. In fact, the most popular blogs are pushing videos on home pages and blog post pages.
HubSpot has recently conducted a study in order to determine what type of content people skim and which type is consumed thoroughly. When you take a look at content consumption trends, you can see that videos are ranked first, as 55% of people participating in the study have answered that video is the content they pay the most attention to.
So, if you want to engage millennials you have to create training that contains video tutorials, tips, tricks and entire lectures. If you decide to use online training software, make sure to check if it supports this type of content.
Flexible Training Is A Must
Millennials value flexibility. Fortunately, it is easy to achieve flexibility with access to modern software tools, and smartphones and tablets. This generation has grown up with technology and is really accustomed to it.
Online training platforms are cloud-based and mobile ready, which means that you can deliver courses and training materials exactly where millennials prefer them to be. This will give them the freedom and the ability to choose when and where they want to learn.
The flexibility of training is something that you will also grow fond of. By using online tools you will be able to create courses and assist your employees despite your location and the device you have at your disposal. By actively participating in these activities, you will also make sure not to become deskilled while running your own show.
Make Training Interesting By Being Interactive
Dull course materials do not work for anyone, especially millennials who are curious and ready to immerse themselves in the discovery of new knowledge. The traditional reason “I’m doing this to become a better worker” simply won’t cut it for an average millennial. Your courses have to enable them to think that they actually need that course in order to make an impact on the company, as well as in their professional lives.
For this purpose, you have to consider using interactive training software. You need a tool that can offer a custom-tailored experience for each of your employees, record/save test results, enable you to track learning experiences outside of it and keep you notified about the flagged problems.
If the training platform is truly interactive, millennials will be interested and stay engaged. The real-time feedback features of advanced tools are quite useful, as millennials can use them to communicate with their colleagues and course creators in real time.
Summing Up
Learning how to train millennials in the startup environment is crucial for a young company’s success. Millennials that are satisfied with their jobs will be more productive and ready to offer more to the organization they are working for. This is especially beneficial for startups that can’t afford high employee turnover or expensive training options.
