Training is important. It helps people succeed at their jobs, becoming more efficient and effective in the workplace. There are those people who are self-motivated and make the time for training on their own. It’s all too easy for the rest of us to push training aside or rush through it without retaining the information.

IT’S ALL ABOUT MOTIVATION

In our increasingly busy world, it can be challenging to get people to actually show up to training, let alone retain the information. How do you get people to be present and engaged? Incorporate training incentives to give people the extra encouragement they need to participate and make training a priority. Rewards add immense value to learning and development, and can result in high-performing channel partners, improved customer service, and increased sales. Organizations often notice an immediate increase in eLearning participation and engagement because people enjoy being rewarded.

TRAINING INCENTIVES TO IMPROVE TRAINING PARTICIPATION

Crafting an appealing online training incentives program is an excellent way to motivate distributed workforces and members of your extended enterprise. Effectively training your contractors, resellers, partners, and employees is one proven way to reinforce key business objectives and improve your bottom line.

3 KEY THINGS TO MAKE SURE OF WHEN DEVELOPING AN INCENTIVES PROGRAM

1. The incentive is something people want. Chances are high that branded water bottles or flashlights will not motivate learners. But a gift card to the retailer of their choice, a donation to their favorite cause or a little extra paid-time-off could very well give just the push they need.
2. The incentive is accessible. If trainees have to jump through countless hoops in order to earn the incentive, it will have to be a pretty significant reward, which typically isn’t budget friendly. Instead, make sure the amount of effort expected is in line with the reward and the results are attainable.
3. The incentive is delivered quickly and simply. If it takes six weeks after the incentive is earned to actually receive it, you are going to lose the interest of your learners.

TRAINING INCENTIVES TO IMPROVE PARTICIPATION

You must be strategic in developing training incentives that show partner appreciation and provide a compelling reason to excel. Training incentives to improve participation are:

Gift Cards

A popular way to improve training participation is by awarding partners with gift cards for completing online courses. Gift cards have shown to be superior over cash because they are more memorable. They serve as a reminder of achievement and are perceived as a true gift, rather than compensation for performance. It is tempting to spend cash on necessities like bills, but gift cards allow for guilt-free spending on special items. As businesses move to non-cash training incentives, gift cards prove to be a strong motivator because people enjoy using them.

Gamified Points Program

Rewarding your partners with points rather than cash has become the go-to strategy in many training incentive programs. After the successful completion of each training, participants earn points to either redeem immediately or use in the future. They like this option because of the flexibility in choosing their reward, which empowers them and boosts morale. You can offer incentives like travel, merchandise, and electronics that your partners will love and work hard to earn.

Paid Time Off (PTO)

A proven method to win your workforce over is through paid time off. Show employees you care about their education and learning, but also understand the need for work-life balance. Refreshed, focused, and dedicated people are the foundation of a successful business. Therefore, rewarding them with personal time is a win-win!

Create a training incentives program that strongly encourages your workforce to get involved and rewarded for their effort. It is always important to start with what your partners and employees want out of a program.  This way, you’ll build a training incentives program they will actually use.

TAKEAWAY

There’s no question, training is important. Motivating learners to take training on their own, rather than having to remind them to do it, is not only valuable for learners, but also good for business. Moreover, one of the best ways to motivate learners is with a properly developed incentives program. Offering learners something they want, that’s both attainable and immediately redeemable, will give them the extra push they need to participate in training.