Workplace training: choosing dates that maximize attendance

An internal training session, a skills workshop or a new-hire orientation often brings together people from several teams with different schedules and constraints. Pick the wrong date and half the registrants drop out, the trainer speaks to an empty room and everything has to be redone. Here's how to choose training dates that maximize attendance, whether it's one session or several.

Settle the format before the date

Length and format completely change which dates are possible. A three-hour video session fits easily on a Tuesday morning; a full in-person day requires everyone to clear their calendar and arrange travel. Before the poll, decide:

• Length: half a day, a full day, or several short sessions.
• Mode: in person, remote or hybrid.
• Number of seats, if the room or format limits it.

Offer several identical sessions

With a large group, finding one date that works for everyone is rarely possible. The fix: run the same training two or three times and let people pick their session. Create a poll where each option is a session (for example Tue Nov 4, 9 a.m. – noon; Thu Nov 6, 1 – 4 p.m.) and ask participants to tick every one that works. You then split the group according to seats.

Avoid crunch periods

Every team has busy seasons: month-end for accounting, launches for marketing, spring inventory, the holiday rush in retail. Check with managers before choosing your options. Also avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons, when attention is low and absences are common.

Respect shift schedules

In manufacturing, healthcare or customer service, some employees work evenings, nights or weekends. Offer at least one session that overlaps the start or end of their shift, and say whether training time is paid. A training offered only 9 to 5 shuts out the evening team from the start.

Put the practical details in the description

1. The content in two or three sentences, and what participants will be able to do afterwards.
2. The place or link, and what to bring (laptop, software access).
3. Prerequisites, if any.
4. The registration deadline, so you have time to order lunch or print handouts.

Workshop "Excel: pivot tables" (3 h, room 4B). Bring your laptop with Excel installed. Three sessions to choose from, 10 seats each. Tick every one that works for you by October 24.

Confirm and remind

Once groups are set, send each participant a calendar invitation for their session. A reminder the day before, with the place and materials, cuts no-shows significantly. For mandatory training, keep an attendance record so you can follow up with anyone who missed their session.

Example: Patrick's cybersecurity training

Patrick, IT lead at a 45-person company, has to train everyone on security. Instead of hunting for a single date, he offers four 90-minute video sessions, including one at 3:30 p.m. for the evening team. He asks everyone to tick every possible session. Within a week, 43 people answer, and he splits the groups based on seats. Attendance reaches 95%.

How Accordate helps

With Accordate, you can set up a poll with all your sessions in a few minutes, with no account, and share one link by email or on Teams. The grid instantly shows how many people are available for each session. Create your training poll or read our tips for hybrid team meetings.