Training and development is an area that every company knows they should be focusing on, but not many take the time to ensure that it is happening. When budget cuts are made it is often the first line item to get slashed. But that can be a mistake.
If you’re not taking the time to properly train your staff you are doing your employees and your company a great disservice. Employees who have not been trained well don’t understand the company culture, they can’t perform their jobs properly, and they are likely disengaged. They can send the wrong message to customers. You can’t be a high performing company if you still have these issues.
The most obvious form of training is hard skills development. Teaching employees how to perform their job duties is clearly a big priority of training, but it shouldn’t be the only one. Employees should also be trained in the history of the company. How did you arrive where you are today? They should also spend time learning about the company culture. Why do you do things the way that you do them? Finally, training should also be focused on developing soft skills, such as interpersonal skills, futuristic thinking, or self-starting.
Staff training should not be an afterthought, and it should not be one size fits all. Each employee will have a different level of development in each training area and therefore should not be made to sit through a skills training that they don’t need. It is the job of your managers to understand their employees, both where they are currently and where they would like to be in the future, and direct their training goals based on that knowledge. Letting employees have a say in what areas they receive training will boost morale and engagement. If your company is investing in training your staff, your staff will invest in your company.
If you’d like to be more intentional about your company’s growth, we can send you a workbook that addresses the most pressing issues a company of your size faces. Just register here to let us know the size of your company.
We won’t be posting a blog next week as we’ll be on vacation. Happy Fourth!
