The quality of its training program directly impacts the productivity, competitiveness and success of an organization. Only when employees are fully trained and developed can a company meet its goals and achieve its full potential.
Research has shown that for many job seekers, training is just as critical as compensation. People want to do their jobs well, and they want and need the resources to succeed … and training tops that list.
Warning Signs of a Poor Program
Watch for these red flags that may indicate your training program is not up to par:
- It’s not a high priority. This means more than having a solid plan on paper. Training has to actually happen. There’s no place within a successful business for the “training gets in the way of the job getting done” mentality. In fact, the opposite is true. Training enables the job to get done faster, more accurately, and at a higher level of safety, quality and customer service.
- It’s not tied to performance. If personal development is part of your employee performance appraisal, your staff will know that a direct correlation exists between their skills acquisition and career success.
- It lacks top-down buy in. Everyone at every organizational level must fully support training; otherwise, it’s just a charade. Embrace training enthusiastically in your business and communication plans. And pony up the budget to make it happen.
Benefits of a Robust Program
The outcomes of a strong, well-implemented training program include enhanced performance, productivity and, ultimately, profitability. This happens because effective training builds:
- Engagement: An employee’s relationship with their manager is the most important single factor in a successful employment relationship. Your commitment to meeting employees’ training needs reflects your acknowledgement of this fact. Don’t talk the talk and then push training aside when ticket attainment starts to look shaky. It’s like applying a dirty Band Aid to a cut; it will stop the direct bleeding, but the resulting infection will be much worse.
- Job-specific expertise: Especially when it comes to your front-line managers, don’t assume people know how to do their jobs. They may have the general skills, but lack the specifics related to your business or industry. And trial-and-error may help them learn, but the effect on your end product could be disastrous.
- Leadership development: Today’s entry-level employees and managers will become tomorrow’s leaders. So, you should not only be hiring those leaders, you also should be developing your own.
- Recruitment: As the economy recovers, it’s become an employee-driving labor market. Top-performing candidates have a choice of where to work and they’re seeking an environment that fosters growth and development.
- Retention: Employees are more loyal to companies that value and cultivate their growth. Lower turnover means a more productive, enthusiastic workforce. Moreover, it saves you the significant expense and heartache of a bad hire.
An effective training program – and a management team committed to its success – is not a luxury. It’s a competitive and strategic necessity. And, it’s what separates high-performing organizations from those that are circling the drain.
The team at Premium Staffing can provide additional resources for developing your training program – and other tools to fine tune your HR processes for 2014 and beyond. Contact us today!