Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
WORKER TRAINING goes paperless at Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart opted for paperless education of employees who participate in training programs launched by the retailer earlier this year.
Each trainee in Wal-Mart academy classes — typically between 25 and 30 employees at a time — is outfitted with an iPad to assist in their education, executives said during a media tour of a Fayetteville training center Wednesday as part of the company’s’s annual shareholders week.
Wal- Mart launched the training program in February with academies in Dallas, Fayetteville and Fort Smith. A fourth academy opened last month in St. Louis and the retailer expects to have 90 by the end of the year with 200 nationwide when fully operational at the end of 2017.
No specific costs were available, but executives involved in the launching of the academies said they estimate the company will save “millions” in the long run by investing in the iPads and software, rather than printing material for each participant. Ultimately, the retailer envisions as many as 140,000 employees going through the courses each year.
Wal-Mart purchased 90 iPads for the Fayetteville training academy alone.
“It adds up. Quickly,” said Andy Trainor, senior director of U.S. central operations of Wal-Mart. “This will be significantly cheaper. If we printed manuals and made any kinds of changes, we’d have to reprint for everyone who attends.”
Wal-Mart also expects a time savings associated with going digital. The company can more quickly make changes to training material. Approved tweaks to course information can be implemented almost immediately. Software on the mobile applications allows for easy fixes, said Kristen Wilkinson, senior director of Wal-Mart’s academies.
“We can update today and it be there today,” Wilkinson said. “You can constantly get agile with associate feedback.”
Material included in the mobile applications are light on text and rely on color graphics to help reinforce what is taught in classes. Notes taken by employees are uploaded to the cloud and can be accessed once they have completed training.
Additionally, the use of tablets mirrors technology now being rolled out in stores. Managers are equipped with iPads, and the hope is to create a more seamless experience between what employees and customers are using in their homes once they get to the stores said Tom Ward, vice president of central operations for Wal-Mart U.S.
“Things shouldn’t be any different when you get to work,” Ward said.
Employee education has been a public focus of WalMart for the last two years. It’s part of a broader initiative to improve the in-store experience for customers and help increase sales.
About 900,000 of WalMart’s 1.4 million workers are classified as entry-level. Those positions include stock crew, cashiers, cart-pushers and greeters, all of which are participating in some form of what the retailer calls its Pathways program.
Pathways, a training program aimed at helping employees have a better understanding of promotional opportunities, launched in 2015. Money invested in training is separate from a two-year, $ 2.7 billion investment in raises and training initiatives for workers.
Pathways was designed to help employees understand why they matter to customers and the bottom line. Employees who are better trained and more content will make the store experience better for customers, the company believes.
“We see training, really, as an investment more than a cost,” said Michelle Knight, vice president of talent development for Wal-Mart U.S. “It’s essential to the achievements of our business. … When associates are effectively trained, we know they are more productive. When they are more productive, we know their job satisfaction increases.”