Expecting the unexpected: proactive training is another way to show employees you care

All of the headlines around the Great Resignation aren’t terribly surprising. According to The American Institute of Stress, feelings of stress in the workplace and at home are at an all-time high thanks to the accelerated pace of change in the past year. Another study reported that 94% of employees are feeling highly stressed at work (with more than half saying they take workplace pressures home with them at the end of the day). 

And when stress is high, employees quickly become disengaged. Of course people are at work to make a livable wage. But once those needs are met, they’re left with the bigger question: What does this job bring to my life besides a paycheck?

There are lots of different ways to show your frontline employees that you care—appreciation bonuses, flexible scheduling and quality coaching/mentoring to name a few. But there’s another engagement tool that you might overlook, even though it’s already right in your toolbox: your training content! While the majority of training focuses on work performance, you also have a great opportunity to serve up additional training that’s all about them. 

Using training content to support the whole employee

Even though emergency response plan training is already provided in many workplaces to get employees ready for disruptions, going the extra mile to help them prepare at home shows them you care about them not just as employees but as people too. For example, serving up severe weather preparedness or post-storm content during hurricane season, gives them the knowledge they need to stay safe at home.

You can also serve up content that does double duty, helping them at work and home. For example, serving retail associates training content on how to maintain their mental health during difficult times can help them deal with life stressors and the busy holiday season in stores. Training them on how to deal with difficult customers can apply at work, but also give them tools for dealing with difficult people outside of work too. 

Content for work and life

The best way to keep your frontline prepared and confident at work is investing in a learning solution with agile, frontline-focused content. Stocking your platform with content that gets your people doing the right things makes it easy to access important information in an instant. And since it’s proven to boost baseline knowledge by 20%, you’ll also reap the benefits of stronger frontline performance long before an emergency even comes up. The best part? The Content Marketplace has ready-to-go content that supports your frontline people at work and in life. 

Get a sneak peek of some of the topics you’ll find in our Content Marketplace, from hand hygiene for frontline employees and using communication to resolve conflict, to managing burnout and tips for staying calm and patient in difficult situations.

Training content is about more than just getting employees to do the right things on the job. With out-of-the-box content or custom content on demand, you can rapidly build frontline agility, prepare your employees for whatever comes next, and boost engagement and retention all at the same time. 

There’s no telling what the future of the workplace holds. But a confident, well-prepared response to high-pressure situations that shows employees you care about their health and happiness everywhere—not just at work—will always win. 

Maliyah Bernard

Maliyah Bernard is an academic writer turned copywriter. As a former frontline worker, she loves writing about all the ways organizations can support these essential workers smarter.

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