Training Tip: Free or Low-Cost Training Incentives | Grace Hill
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Training Tip of the Week: Free or Low-Cost Training Incentives

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Grace Hill

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Low-Cost Incentives to Increase Training Completion

We all know the value of training. For companies, it can reduce risk and increase the bottom line. For employees, it provides valuable job skills and opportunities for career advancement (but sometimes that is not enough of a training incentive). For customers, good employee training improves their experience and overall satisfaction.

 

Human Nature Isn’t Always Logical

But human nature is a funny thing. Even when we know something is good for us, we don’t always make the time or effort to do it. Did you eat five servings of fruits and vegetables yesterday? Did you get the recommended amount of exercise last week? Understanding the benefits of healthy habits doesn’t make it easier to fit them into our busy lives.

 

The same goes for training. As with diet and exercise, some people are naturally motivated to do what’s good for them. In the training world, these are your superstars – the people you never have to beg to complete training. And then there are the rest of us, who need an external nudge to complete training on time (or maybe at all).

 

Try these low-cost training incentives that work.

Incentives Can Move Training to the Top of Their List

Incentives can be an effective way to get employees to move training to the top of their priority list. When you hear “incentives,” you might see dollar signs. The reality is that most of us don’t have the budget for, or even the authority to spend money on, incentives. However, things with monetary value aren’t the only way to incentivize people. Here are some low-cost incentives that can help increase your training participation rates. 

Even a simple handwritten note can make a positive impact.
  • Create competition. Set up a simple leaderboard on the intranet, in your LMS, or even through email. You might be surprised what a little healthy competition can do.
  • Publicly acknowledge accomplishments. Send a company-wide email, write a newsletter blurb, or say a few words at a team meeting congratulating people who completed training or attained a certain score.
  • Praise effort. Don’t forget the people who completed training a day late, or failed their first attempt. Praising their effort in a handwritten note, a personal email, or swinging by to encourage them face-to-face can be just the motivation they need to keep going.

As you put together a low-cost incentive plan, here are some additional things to keep in mind. What people need to do to get on a leaderboard or be acknowledged should be attainable. Creating too many hoops to jump through may negatively impact motivation. Update leaderboards often, and don’t wait for the annual retreat to acknowledge people. Too much time between meeting the goal and getting the reward could lessen the impact of the incentive. Finally, resist the urge to try a whole bunch of new incentives at once. Rather, try one at a time, use the strategy for a while, then look at data to see if it seems to have impacted training rates. Being as systematic as possible will help you find which low-cost strategies work so you can spend your time and effort on things that really make a difference.

Grace Hill’s marketing content team aims to create informative resources that help multifamily and commercial industry professionals elevate their performance. From blog posts and ebooks to infographics, checklists and webinars, the Grace Hill team has a singular focus: creating meaningful and engaging content that resonates with real estate professionals across the industry.  However, what makes Grace Hill so unique is the range of collective experience and collaborative spirit of its marketing content team. A group of talented writers with expertise in the real estate industry, overall management effectiveness, marketing strategy, and operational efficiency, the team provides new ideas to take performance to the next level. As a thought leader, Grace Hill's content team constantly pushes the envelope, experimenting with new resources and tools to keep industry professionals ahead of the curve.  Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out in the real estate industry, the content team at Grace Hill is creating resources to help you succeed. Learn more about Grace Hill on LinkedIn.

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