10 Ways to Inspire Your Team to Complete Required Training

Creating an effective training and continuing education plan for your team takes time and effort. Here’s how to encourage and inspire your caregivers to complete their required training. 

Creating an effective training and continuing education plan for your team takes time and effort. But without proper encouragement, your caregivers may view training as a chore. So, how do you encourage and inspire your caregivers to complete their required training?

Caregiver Training Advisor, Cassie Grimm has the answer!

CASSIE SAYS . . .

Here are just a few ways you can motivate your caregivers and make training a success:

1. Send Friendly Reminders

We’re all human, sometimes certain tasks simply slip our minds! Sending friendly reminders via email, text, a personal voicemail, or even social media can help keep your caregivers on track.

The keyword here is friendly. No one wants to feel nagged. Gentle words of encouragement can go a long way. Feel free to include a fun fact or inspirational quote (like the one at the top of this post) to drive the message home.

2. Individual Rewards and Incentives

Ideally, your team will be eager to train and improve their skills, but adding incentives makes training much more appealing. Offer your caregivers rewards for completing their annual training or a specific curriculum. The rewards don’t have to break the bank either; a $20 gas or Starbucks card, free lunch, or a pair of movie tickets are all great options.

3. Group Rewards

In addition to individual incentives, larger group rewards will keep everyone accountable. Offer a reward to the whole team once they’ve completed their courses such as a catered lunch or group outing. For better results, display a progress chart in a visible area to show everyone’s training status. If caregivers are behind, they’ll feel obligated to catch up with their colleagues.

4. Extra End-of-Year Incentives

Along with the individual and group incentives, you can add some extra encouragement during your end-of-year crunch time. Each course that your caregivers complete can count towards 1 entry into an end-of-year or quarterly drawing. The prize can be anything that fits into your budget; from a $100 Visa Gift Card to concert tickets.

5. Praise & Thank You

Always praise caregivers for completing their courses. Studies show that recognition from a supervisor makes a meaningful difference in employee morale and engagement. Public praise can be a powerful tool. However, if you’re not able to do so in a group setting, sending hand-written thank you notes will make your caregivers feel recognized and appreciated.

6. Provide Options

If possible, give your caregivers choices. We all have different interests, so in addition to the state required courses, allow caregivers to choose which topics they’d like to learn. Have them look through the catalog and decide which topics they’re excited about, then assign those courses along with their requirements.

7. Offer Guidance & Assistance

Assign a Peer Mentor to caregivers who may be struggling with the content or technology. They might just need a bit of extra help or support to get through the courses, and having a trusted resource can make a big difference.

8. Create a Caregiver/Employee of the Month Program

Recognize the exceptional caregivers in your organization with an Employee of the Month Award. While the selection should largely be based on the quality of care provided to clients, make it clear that completing training in a timely fashion is also a requirement.

9. On-the-Clock Training

Allow your caregivers to complete portions of their training while they’re on the clock so they’ll get paid to do it. This doesn’t mean they have to attend traditional classroom sessions! By utilizing an E-learning platform such as In the Know On the Go, your caregivers can complete their courses during downtime at work on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

10. Incentivize the Rest of Your Team

Make training a team effort by offering incentives to your supervisors as well. You can offer prizes or bonuses based on each teams training efforts and get everyone involved.

With some extra encouragement, your caregivers can stay on top of their training and provide the best care possible.

How Can I Help You?

In need of a continuing education solution? We’re here to help!

Our online training platform is engaging, mobile-friendly, and designed with Caregivers in mind.
To learn more about how you can train, engage, and retain your caregivers,
reach out to Cassie for a quote or interactive demo today!