Last Updated on January 17, 2026

Providing adequate support to a new staff member or offering continual upskilling where applicable is one of the most imperative duties of the people management team. These training sessions not only help retain talent but also create a sense of security at work, resulting in sustainable employment. Specifically, effective employee training that supports all employees, from frontline workers to C-level leadership. “New Staff Orientation”, for instance, is the first step of building trust, whereas “Mental Health Awareness Hour” helps maintain relationships and boosts team morale.

In this article, we summarized 4 common types of training methods in the workplace and 2 most popular ways to train people in the digital age to help you identify whether your current training method is relevant.

training matters to all successful businesses

In 2024, an updated Gallup report indicated that organizations choosing to invest in employee development received 11% greater profitability and were more likely to retain their employees. Bamboo HR (2023) suggested that an employer should expect to invest between $7500 and $28,000 in hard expenses.

Effective employee training is key to a successful business operation. It produces effective leaders and is responsible for the (core) financial health of a business. After all, onboarding a new hire costs a great fortune.

Besides, the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale suggested that “major business adjustment” was valued at 15 of 43 stressful life events (see the attachment). Knowing work-related stress exists and can harm productivity, ask yourself, “Do I want to provide 10 ineffective training or 1 well-informed (aka effective) training?”. If you chose the latter, you would want to spend time learning more about your people and what their learning styles are. This saves you time and money in the long run.

To sum up, in most instances, training matters because your business can’t stay static when the world moves fast. As you may already know, finding the right people without referrals and social networks can be a daunting task. Would you rather repeat history or break the cycle?

4 common types of training methods in the workplace

Depending on the cash flow, size and business development strategy of a business, some organizations focus strictly on hiring seasonal and casual employees. In this case, the absence of “employee training and development opportunities” may have a great impact on business operations. When a casual employee doesn’t fully understand the expectations, it puts more pressure on other senior staff members.

The following are 4 most common training methods in the workplace (regardless of the industry):

1. Job Shadowing

This type of training involves one or more non-managerial employees appointed to train a new hire or someone who has transitioned from one job to another.

The benefit of this method is to build relationships more quickly. However, the downside of it is that when employee training is given by non-managers, the training accuracy may lead to job performance inconsistency. Because the interpretations of a job description and work expectations may vary from person to person.

2. work buddy system

A well-established work buddy system includes effective employee training delivered by the manager and a manager-to-be. This non-managerial individual, paired with a newbie, is likely to have shown their interest in taking on greater responsibilities.

The advantage of this system is to recognize talent and build trust seamlessly. Despite that, if the work buddy system isn’t well-developed, it can backfire and harm the company’s reputation.

3. a one-off orientation

Due to limited capacities, some organizations choose to offer a formal one-time new staff orientation presented by relevant personnel. Ideally, this meeting will feature one or more managers or direct supervisors to further clarify work expectations.

A one-off orientation would only be effective if this new member knew the ins and outs of the industry.

4. team-building Activities

In addition to the aforementioned training methods, team-building events are independent of them. Typically organized by the lower-level management team, they are reoccurring activities held informally or formally. That is, depending on the budget, team-building activities commonly occur weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, seasonally, semiannually or annually.

Events like group hiking, holiday parties and team gatherings are informal ways to strengthen team cohesion. Formal trainings, such as corporate workshops and training, are offered to build hard skills and human skills.

2 most popular ways to train people in the digital age

Training employees in the digital environment can be more challenging than on-site or in-person training events. Both presenter(s) and attendees are required to have basic to intermediate computer literacy to accomplish such an arrangement.

As a result, the determinants of effective employee training in the digital age are not only the speaker’s public speaking skills but also their visualization techniques. Here are the 2 most popular ways to train people digitally:

1. pre-recorded online training

Offering pre-recorded training courses to employees is the most popular option for teams having limited funding or resources nowadays. These courses are usually provided by one or more third-party agencies.

Although some courses may have pre-determined deadlines, most of them are self-serve training. In other words, employees can complete them at their own pace.

Common pre-recorded training events include food handling, WHMIS, workplace discrimination and harassment and workplace communication skills.

2. online live training

Owing to the rarity of live training, we will take Berelevant Network’s training programs for example.

Online live training at Berelevant Network highlights effective employee training through interactive learning. Participants (aka adult learners) attend a scheduled training or workshop in real-time. While the agenda is similar to an in-person training program, the entire process can be faceless. This type of training is usually a strategic investment for a business offering a sound employee package, including extended healthcare, vacation and employee development opportunities.

To learn more about what and how we can help your team, visit off-the-shelf workshops and custom training options. If interested, we encourage you to book a free discovery call as you see fit.

conclusion

Overall, the implementation of an effective training session (irrespective of your training method) can decrease stress and employee conflict and increase employee engagement.

Listening attentively to your people’s needs and providing effective employee training creates long-term positive effects. This will not only be reflected in job productivity but overall business health, ultimately.

references

University at Buffalo. (n.d.). The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory. https://socialwork.buffalo.edu/content/dam/socialwork/home/self-care-kit/holmes-rahe-life-stress-inventory.pdf

DeSimone, R. (2024, January 19). Improve Work Performance With a Focus on Employee Development. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/269405/high-performance-workplaces-differently.aspx

Pugh, M.R. (2023, June 22). From Recruitment to Onboarding, What’s the True Cost of Hiring Employees? Bamboo HR. https://www.bamboohr.com/blog/cost-of-onboarding-calculator