Have you read the training manual for your current job? How would a better manual have improved your onboarding process? If you think that a better manual would have made your job easier, you’re not alone.
Top-tier employee training manual printing helps everyone at your company perform their jobs well, from the newest employees to the most senior leaders. In this article, we’ll explain what you need to know about training manual printing, how to decrease your training manual cost and more!
The Benefits of Quality Training Manuals
Clear and comprehensive employee training manual printing provides tangible benefits for your company. Here are just a few statistics that demonstrate the power of training manuals:
- Employee retention increases by 30-50% at companies with an effective training program. Providing training manuals along with other training documents and activities keeps your employees at the company longer.
- Better training saves money on employee replacement costs. Replacing an employee can cost 200% of their annual salary, so investing in quality training materials that help employees stay at your company will save you money in the long run.
- More training leads to higher profits. According to the American Society for Training and Development, companies that invest in training have a 24% higher profit margin.
When simple and cheap materials such as print manuals create such a drastic increase in profits, dedicating the necessary time and money is a no-brainer.
Tips For Creating & Printing Top Training Manuals
We’ve covered the most important benefits of great training manuals. Now, let’s talk about how you can put that knowledge into practice in your own training manual printing.
1. Include Disciplinary Procedures
While keeping a positive tone is important, employees also need to know the consequences of workplace misconduct. This section of your manual provides guidance about employees’ responsibilities and rights in the workplace. Make sure to include:
- Why you have disciplinary procedures set in place to protect employees
- Clearly-written disciplinary company policies, including the steps of the disciplinary method
- Resources for employees to learn more about your disciplinary policies
Consult with your HR department as you assemble this section to ensure that you describe the process accurately.
2. Include Legally Required Language
Many businesses are guided by legal requirements to ensure employee and customer safety. As you assemble the material for your professional manual, include information about all important legal stipulations that employees must abide by.
In addition, make the language in your training manual accessible to all employees. OSHA mandates that employees must provide training in a language and vocabulary that employees understand. Therefore, use accessible language in your training manual, and if your company has many workers whose first language is not English, consider training manual printing in that language as well. After all, when it comes to proper employee training, lives can be at stake, so it’s in everyone’s best interest that employees understand how to do their jobs.
3. Include Company Information and History
Understanding company history and culture increases employees’ self-identification with your company. This, in turn, increases their tenure at your company. As you’re compiling information to include, consider the following pieces of information:
- Names, photographs, and biographies of the C-Suite and board of directors
- Your mission statement, vision statement, and guiding principles
- The history of the company, including images and headings that divide the history into delineated eras
Including a section about your company’s information and history helps employees understand that they, too, are a part of the company’s history.
4. Include Role Descriptions
Teams work best when everyone has their own roles and responsibilities. Therefore, when employees enter a new company, they need to know which roles they are responsible for and which roles their coworkers will take care of. Providing an explanation of role descriptions helps new employees understand their jobs in the company as a whole.
5. Include Chain of Command Graphic
Another piece of vital information that helps new employees get their bearings is a clear explanation of the chain of command. Clearly understanding who their supervisors and subordinates are will help them navigate the complexities of workplace relationships.
We all know the phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” In this instance, a chain of command graphic is also worth a thousand words. A simple but clear graphic is easier and faster to understand than a slew of paragraphs describing each job position’s rank in the company hierarchy.
6. Be Mindful of Font
Your training manual is only as readable as its font, so choose your font wisely. Use a minimum 12-point font so that employees can read the text clearly, but larger sizes such as 14-point or 16-point fonts also work well for these critical documents.
Training manuals typically consist of headings, subheadings, and body text. A simple way to help readers distinguish between types of text is with different fonts. While using too many fonts in one document can be disorienting, including separate fonts for these types of texts helps them stand out from one another. Here are some great font combinations:
- Times New Roman, Arial, and Lucida Typewriter
- Palatina and Helvetica
- Cambria and Calibri
If you have any questions about the best fonts for your training manual, a professional printing company such as The Print Authority can help you choose the fonts that help you get your message across.
7. Prioritize Graphic Design
Many training manuals utilize graphic design features such as diagrams, schematics, and graphs to help new employees understand best practices and routines. Graphic design plays a vital role in making choices for training manuals, as helpful images and diagrams help employees do their jobs well.
Ask The Print Authority how we can help you lower your training manual printing cost with effective graphic designs. Our graphic design team consists of training manual pros!
8. Structure for Good Corporate Training
Corporate training gives employees a multi-faceted understanding of their new company, along with a range of learning activities that help them understand multiple aspects of their new positions.
To provide a clear structure for effective corporate training, include activities such as quizzes where employees can check their knowledge, fill in their own ideas and opinions, and summarize what they’ve learned.
9. Expedite Process If Possible
Sometimes you need your training materials quickly. Whether you’ve recently executed a logo redesign or are updating to explain new safety protocols, distributing your updated training manuals can’t wait.
That’s why The Print Authority offers rapid production and fulfillment services that get you your manuals when you need them. We’d love to talk with you about our range of printing and shipping options and how to keep your training manual printing cost low!
10. Edit Thoroughly
An understandable training manual is vital. Simply put, if employees can’t read your training manual, they can’t learn from it. Therefore, make sure to read through your manual before sending it off to the printer.
An additional pair of eyes also helps pick up on any small typos, so ask a colleague to take a look at your manual as well. Another reader will often notice the small mistakes that are easy to fix.
Develop Training Manuals With The Print Authority
When you’re ready to dive into professional training manual printing, get started with The Print Authority! We have over three decades of experience printing training manuals for companies of all sizes, and we can help you keep your training manual printing cost down.
We know the importance of effective training manuals, and our team is passionate about making the training manual printing process easy. Contact us to print your training manual today!
