Increase Retention with Job Aids

Have you identified a need to boost proficiency after initial training?  Even the most effective training programs sometimes need a little “boost” and that’s when it is time to increase retention with job aids. 

This relatively simple document can pack a lot of learning power as Learning and Development leaders maximize the impact of training to change behavior and meet your organization’s goals. Let’s explore when you should use a job aid and how to create impactful job aids.

When to Use a Job Aid

When there are a LOT of details!  Complex processes may be 100% clear to participants after the training and everyone successfully completed the module’s knowledge checks. But what happens when “real world” factors are added into the process, like an expedited request or a common system error occurs?  A job aid can show the details in step-by-step details as a refresher that they can refer to any time.

When soft skills need to be put into action.  Soft skills keep both customers and employees loyal to our organizations.  eLearning and facilitated classes are great for teaching the fundamentals and giving opportunities to role-play.   Job aids can help participants put these skills into action.  Open-ended questions on a job aid can reinforce the basics and give participants an opportunity to explain what worked well in “real life”, and what didn’t.  They can reflect on their use of the skills and determine what needs to be improved.

When direct supervisors need to provide coaching.  Supervisors are the key to inspiring employees to use their skills.  Creating job aids that are used by both employees and their direct supervisors provides alignment and help facilitate meaningful conversations.  The employee knows what to do and the supervisor knows how to coach. 

How to Create a Job Aid

Just like all training, job aids need to have learning objectives and goals, and be tested.  Determine the learning objectives and goals before you start thinking about what it will actually look like.

Once you have your objectives you can select the type of format to meet them.    

• Checklist to ensure no steps are missed. 
• Flowchart that shows each step in a long process. 
• Screenshots of computer processes.
• Thought-provoking action plans.

Here are a couple of easy examples.

If you need help with design, Venngage.com has some helpful templates. 

Orgwide incorporates job aids into training curriculum every day.  They can be hosted on your LMS so you can track the learner’s use.  Give us a call if you want to discuss how organizations increase retention with job aids, making a huge impact (without a huge budget).