Disney uses creativity to boost employee training. You can, too.

Your team is only as good as the people you hire — making your hiring process a number one priority! That’s why on “Inside the Process,” we’re sitting down with Trainual’s own senior talent business partner, Marlowe Everett (AKA, the one who’s hired the majority of our team!). Learn her secrets to success next Wednesday 4/24, at 9 a.m. PDT/12 p.m. EDT. Register here!

Hot off the SMB press this week: 

• A template to manage your company’s employee resource groups.
• How Disney takes employee training from drab to fab with creativity.
• Why it’s so important to track employee training (and how).
• Plus, the secrets behind a resilient work environment.

STARTER PACK

Template of the week: Employee Resource Groups (ERG) Program

What this template does: Created in partnership with CEO of The ERG Movement Maceo Owens, this template explains the purpose, current status, and guidelines for how employee resource groups (ERGs) are run at your business.

Why your business needs one: Your ERGs are employee-led initiatives, with corporate sponsorship, aimed at enhancing your workplace's inclusiveness and engagement. And what better way to share these communities with new employees than with a documented overview of your program?

👉 How to get it in Trainual: Add the Employee Resource Groups (ERG) Program template to your account, customize it to fit your business’ unique needs, and share it with your team!

‍Want more templates to help you build your business playbook? Check out our entire template archive of free, multimedia-enhanced, and customizable policy, process, and role starters. New to Trainual? Get a demo.

OUT OF THE PARK

4 ways to get creative with training (straight from Disney)

If you want to take your training from dull to exciting (so your team actually stays engaged with what you’re teaching them), it’s time to throw the wash-and-repeat methods to the side and get creative.

But how do you generate creativity in your trainers and within yourself? Here are four tips from the former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney:

1. Make “What if?” a go-to question.
Ask yourself, “What if there were no barriers to my issue? What would I do then?” If you’re constantly allowing obstacles to get in the way, you’ll have a hard time letting your mind run wild — which is when your creative ideas come out to play.

2. Respond “How else?” to challenges.
Instead of raising the price of tickets, Walt Disney asked, “How else can we increase revenue?” — and landed on reducing the time guests spent standing in line. When it comes to training your team, you can ask “How else can we explore fresh ways to train people?”

3. Give people time to think by encouraging playfulness.
Just a spoonful of laughter helps the training go down. So, something as simple as a well-timed GIF in your training helps the best ideas form (in a most delightful way).

4. Gamify training.
Gaming can improve memory and cognition, increase productivity, and improve collaboration. So, get creative with the ways you can make training a game. Maybe you want to reward the person who gets 100% of training done the fastest or submits the best mock exercise.

🔥 Tip: Your team can submit these mock exercises via the in-app screen recording feature in Trainual! Just click, record, and submit.

TRAINUAL TIPS & TRICKS

Stay on top of your employees’ training with reporting

There are some pretty important reasons to keep track of your employees’ training:

• Compliance: Sometimes accurate records are a legal necessity when working in industries with strict regulatory requirements. 
• Performance improvement: How else will you know if your employees are completing the work to move on to the next stage of their career?
• Risk management: Tracking ensures that employees are staying up-to-date with the training that keeps the workplace as safe and error-free as possible.

It’s one of the reasons why paper manuals and Google Docs aren’t the best options for employee training and onboarding (along with the inability to update easily, lack of searchability, the absolute snoozefest that comes from reviewing them… but we digress).

But here’s something that will make tracking a breeze: Trainual’s reporting functionality.

👉 See how reporting works on Trainual Tips & Tricks.

IT TAKES TWO

2 secrets to creating a dynamic, innovative, and resilient work environment

In short, here are the two secrets:
You need to encourage diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI), and adopt a change-proof mindset. These two actions are crucial for fostering a positive culture and navigating uncertainty. And when used together, these strategies promote undeniable innovation.

‍How does DEI drive innovation?
DEI is not merely about including different races, genders, and cultural backgrounds. It’s about getting different perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking — all of which can be leveraged during collaborative efforts.

What is a change-proof mindset?
A change-proof mindset is one that not only embraces change, but sees it as an essential ingredient for growth and innovation. When you have a change-proof mindset, you’re able to promote adaptability in the face of ongoing change.

How they work together:
When you infuse a DEI environment with a change-proof mindset, you amplify its potential. Start by providing regular DEI training, updating your policies to promote inclusivity, implementing diverse recruitment practices, and establishing employee resource groups. 

Then, develop a culture where obstacles are seen as chances for development and employees are encouraged to accept change. This will pave the way for innovative decision-making, forward-thinking behavior, and positive change.