Fall 2021Hardlines Strategies

TRAINING

An employee’s first few days on the job are critical, as they set the tone for the remainder of their time with your company. NHPA’s Onboarding Handbook contains best practices and checklists for introducing an employee to their role in your company. The Handbook can help you formalize your onboarding program so you have a firm foundation to build on as your new employees move up through the organization. Onboarding Handbook

NHPA offers programs, courses and tools to help you create an effective training program, boost employee confidence and build your leadership bench. From leadership development training to college-level management courses and executive roundtables, there’s a program for every member of your team. Advanced Training

NHPA’s learning management system (LMS) is an online platform that makes it easy to manage course assignments for all of your employees. Getting your store set up on the LMS is easy. You’ll get email notifications when employees complete a course, allowing you to monitor staff’s progress. Online Training

When you’re ready to begin training, you might wonder, “Where do I start?” NHPA’s Path to Success gives you a bird’s-eye view of NHPA’s courses, showing the progression of basic to advanced content. It can be your guide to creating a customized training path for your operation. Path to Success

Once you have a training program set up and have given each employee their assignments, a gamification feature on the LMS can keep them motivated. Employees earn points and badges as they complete courses. Badges are shown on a leaderboard that can inspire friendly competition among the staff. Points and Badges

Publicly recognize your employees’ training achievements with NHPA’s Certified to Help designation. Qualifying retailers will receive a set of marketing materials with the message, “Certified to Help” and “Help is on the way.” The marketing reinforces the high-quality service message you want to send your customers. Certified to Help

Even after employees have completed a regimen of training, it’s important to offer regular refreshers. The Trainer’s Toolbox provides everything you need to lead a short training session during an employee meeting. Each lesson takes about five minutes. The series covers a variety of topics, including merchandising, selling skills, product knowledge and operations. Trainer’s Toolbox

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2021 41