Want to improve training engagement? Try this out-of-the-box suggestion.

Do your employees say your training misses the mark or doesn’t meet their needs? How about engagement? Do your employees dread training or seem to be “checked out?”

If your answer to any of the above is yes, you may want to try implementing an “out-of-the-box” idea - use of a suggestion box.

Why a suggestion box?

Some employees may not want to approach management with a suggestion for training. Reasons for this apprehension can range from a general uneasiness when it comes to dealing with management to not wanting to admit to needing additional information or instruction on a topic.

By placing a suggestion box in an easily accessible location such as the break room, employees can quickly jot down and submit their ideas and suggestions.

Make it easy to use

The suggestion box program should be easy for your employees to use and easy for you to administer.

Employees should be encouraged to use the program. Give them the option of identifying or not identifying themselves when submitting suggestions.

The box should be secure to ensure the confidence of your employees in the program.

Take it seriously

Management should also take the program seriously.

Yes, there will be some submissions that cannot be taken seriously, but overall, most suggestions will merit consideration.

Don’t expect to find suggestions requesting a specific topic. For example, “we need first-aid training.” Expect questions or comments based on a topic or issue such as, “the supervisor and I don’t agree on how to use the fire extinguisher.” You can interpret this as a cue that your employees and/or supervisors need reinforcement in understanding proper fire extinguisher use.

When you cover a topic that is suggested as part of a training session, be sure to acknowledge that the topic is being covered based on a question or suggestion submitted to the suggestion box, but do not share who submitted the suggestion. This shows your employees that they can have an influence on what is covered in training without feeling uneasy or embarrassed. Essentially, preserving the anonymity of the driver.

Key to remember: Employee suggestions can provide another way to select training topics that are meaningful for employees and in turn promote engagement.