Adaptation of newcomers, peculiarities of learning content development, and microlearning. The case of Unique Trade
When you are a company with a large number of branches or offices in different regions, it is difficult to control and provide the same quality training to each employee. However, distance learning and modern technologies help with this task.
Distance learning allows employees from different locations to access the same training material. Provide more efficient and high-quality training for staff, regardless of their geographic location.
How Unique Trade managed to organize staff training in different cities and under one program by implementing LMS Collaborator. Oleksiy Dragan, Director of HR Department at Unique Trade, spoke about the adaptation of newcomers, the peculiarities of developing training content and using microlearning.
Unique Trade is an official distributor of spare parts for passenger cars. The company has been operating in the Ukrainian market for 30 years. Today, Unique Trade has branches in 13 cities: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Zhytomyr. It also has representative offices in more than 10 cities.
The company employs more than 500 people.
Implementation of online learning
The company introduced e-learning for employees back in 2019.
This decision was driven by business needs. As Unique Trade was going through a period of scaling and development, the company expanded its staff at the headquarters and branches.
The training department was faced with the task of organizing training for new staff in different cities and according to the same program. The company was helped by the implementation of the LMS Collaborator distance learning system.
Oleksiy Dragan – Director of HR Department
«Our business has the following requirements for e-learning:
– staff development in a single information space at a time convenient for everyone;
– adaptation of new employees;
– knowledge monitoring.
All employees are trained in LMS Collaborator at the entrance to the company. Everyone gets access to the knowledge base from the first day of work».
Features of learning content development
The quality of the content determines the success of the learning process. Interesting and well-presented material makes employee training not only more interesting but also more effective. Therefore, before creating training tasks, it is important to think carefully about how to present information and in what form.
The development of training tasks for Unique Trade employees takes place in several stages. First, the main tasks and issues to be addressed by learning are identified.
It is done by collecting information:
- from management – what should be in the program?
- from experienced employees – what questions are most often asked by newcomers?
- from new employees – what do they lack to be able onboard faster?
Oleksiy Dragan – Director of HR Department
«After we have collected the necessary information, we choose the format of the presentation and the first versions of the tasks. The curriculum undergoes several stages of testing and is refined if necessary, and only then is it implemented on a permanent basis».
Organizing learning on the LMS Collaborator portal
Unique Trade employees are trained systematically. The training program consists of three parts.
The first part is the same for everyone. It includes detailed information about the company: its history, values, organizational structure, training, and career opportunities. As well as additional projects and offers that may be of interest to employees.
The second part is specialized. The training materials are assigned according to the position to which the employee has been hired. For example, the sales team gets acquainted with the company’s product range, brands, and undergoes technical training.
For drivers, this includes internal rules for using cars, communication with customers, and so on. Everything that can be useful for further work.
The third part of the training is designed to close the probationary period. This includes both setting tasks for the adaptation period and testing knowledge.
Oleksiy Dragan – Director of HR Department
«Experience has shown that microlearning is the most convenient training format. We usually use presentations with short tests. It is convenient, fast, and clear. You can present material in a relaxed manner or in a diagrammatic way to make it easier to understand. There is also a short video format. Sometimes it is better to show once than to tell ten times. After watching such a mini-series, the employee already knows what to do if the same or a similar situation arises. In addition, new programs are constantly being created for advanced training and testing on new material».
Tests are used throughout the training process to assess the employees’ progress and mastery of the material, as well as knowledge tests at the end of the probationary period. In addition, some divisions of the company undergo regular annual tests (once or twice a year).
Employees receive rewards in the form of badges for completing tasks. The system of collecting achievements is a great incentive and motivation for staff to successfully complete training.
The company is also developing its corporate library on the training portal. The Knowledge Base contains a selection of books for employees, and the Catalog has several useful courses, including those on Excel.
Oleksiy Dragan – Director of HR Department
«Thanks to online learning, we managed to improve the level of knowledge of our employees even at the end of their probationary period. We now have the opportunity to conduct regular appraisals, which allows us to identify weaknesses in employees in advance and correct them. This helps improve the company’s overall performance.
We are currently working on developing an automated talent pool program. Our goal for the near future is to develop individual development plans and build the potential of internal candidates».
