How long should training take?
Short answer: useful by the end of the first shift, independent within one to two weeks, still learning after that. Anything faster is usually someone deciding to stop training rather than someone finishing.
No app for your staff to install · Works on any phone · No credit card to try
Shift one: useful, not trained
Safety-critical items, where things are, who to ask, and one job done properly. That is a realistic bar. Trying to cover everything means retaining almost none of it, which is the most common and most expensive onboarding mistake.
Week one to two: independent
One station or task at a time, in the same order for every new person. Show it, do it together, then watch them do it. When they can run their section without someone hovering, they are independent — that is usually one to two weeks.
Thirty to ninety days: fully productive
The gap between independent and fully productive is where the cost sits. They are working, but slower, with more mistakes and more questions. Shortening this window is what actually saves money, and consistent written routines they can check on their own is the cheapest way to do it.
Why written beats repeated
An hour spent recording the routine once removes the walkthrough from every future hire, and lets the new person check something at 9pm without finding a manager.
How it works
- Talk it in. Walk through the job out loud, in whatever language you think in.
- Get a clear routine. Tiendo structures it into steps, safety notes and checkpoints, then translates it into your team's language — numbers and times kept exact.
- Your team reads and confirms. Post a QR code or hand a new hire one link. They read it on their phone and tap "read and understood."