Are you always having to repair your employees’ computers? Is it difficult for your employees to understand how to use a computer, causing them frustration?
If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then you may want to consider educating your employees on the basics of using a computer. Using some simple tips can go a long way towards helping your employees become more proficient in using their computers.
Starting from the very beginning, you should teach your employees how to turn their computers on and off. For example, some people aren’t aware that they must press a power button to start their computer or put it into standby mode. You might want to show them this by actually logging on and showing them the process step-by-step. This will help them learn where the buttons are located and what each of those buttons does individually.
Another important thing to teach is how to navigate through different menus when working with programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel. It’s important (especially for more novice users) that they understand how to access submenus. Otherwise, they’ll never be able to create a document or spreadsheet properly if they don’t know how to access the different menus.
Learning how to save documents on a computer properly is also very important for new users, as not all computers save files in the same way or the same place.
Lastly, you may want to teach your employees about downloading files and installing new programs. Some people are cautious about downloading files from the Internet because of possible security issues, so you must show them what to do (and what not to do) when downloading a file and how safe that process is.
Here are some suggestions:
1 – Clicking on an icon will usually accomplish the same task as clicking on a menu item or choosing from options in the menu bar. It is unnecessary and distracting if users have both clicked and used menu commands available. Consequently, if an icon represents the desired function (e.g., Word, Excel, Outlook), its shortcut key should be used regardless of whether a menu command or toolbar button exists for the function.
2 – Use common commands and features where possible. If they are not available from a single mouse click (e.g., Ctrl-n for a new document in Word; Ctrl-o to open a file in Word), then include keyboard shortcuts on your training materials and Employee Handbooks.
3 – Remove unnecessary icons from the desktop (which can be done by right-clicking on one of them and choosing “Properties” or “Remove From This Location”). Give users only those they will use most frequently so that their desktop is not cluttered with seldom-used icons.
4 – In word processing, avoid using the “Select All” command. It is too easy for an inexperienced user to select a document accidentally and then use the “cut” or “delete” command by mistake, thus losing one’s work. Instead, just click directly on the text to be selected.)
5 – Use keyboard shortcuts instead of toolbar buttons when possible (for instance: Ctrl-p to print from Word). This can eliminate mouse clicks which cause users’ hands to leave their comfortable home position and unnecessarily move around on the keyboard.
6 – The computer should not run any programs in the background if you can help it. Explain that leaving programs running in the background can slow down the operation of other applications that may require more
Teaching your employees these six things will help them with their everyday computer usage at work and at home, which can go a long way in helping them become more confident using computers and better employees overall.
