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Often a topic that most business managers shy away from, Training and Development is a crucial part of a successful business growth model. Though it may seem like a cost component in the beginning, the rewards your company earns as your efforts come to fruition more than justifies the initial investment made. A common misconception people have about training courses is that it takes a lot of time off their work schedule and that its ‘one-size-fits-all’ nature restricts them from actually learning something that they would find to be useful to themselves. In this article, we will not only shed light on the telling signs that your business needs training, but also share with you the ideal method to conduct training sessions that employees will feel that is truly meaningful to them and their career.
So, how do you know it’s time you start planning for training and development for your employees?
We hate to admit it, but many a times, employees leave their jobs for better ones. What this essentially means is that the company was not able to provide them with enough opportunities that were challenging, yet fulfilling. As a result, these employees seek such demands in other companies. When you train your employees, it not only betters the skills of your employees, but also increases the quality and skill level of your workforce as a whole. This allows your business to constantly grow and improve, break into a higher tier in the industry, where you as a business are able to demand more value for your quality products and / or services.
What comes to your mind first when you hear of employees asking the same questions to their supervisors time and again? It’s obvious, your employees lack certain knowledge and skills that are crucial to your business. To best rectify this issue, conduct a survey to find out from your employees the common problems that they face, and tailor a training session to equip them with the knowledge and skills to tackle these issues.
This is a big no-no in all companies. If there is one key takeaway from this article, it would be that training is an absolute must. On top of that, it should be periodic, so that a learning culture is cultivated in the workplace.
When quality is compromised, one of the biggest reasons is the lack of competency in performing the task. Also, without training, employees may feel jaded in their work and hence lose interest and drive, resulting in a dip in quality.
It is common to pick things up through the grapevine. However, if you hear of employees being confused as to where they stand as the company progresses, it is most probably due to them not feeling capable enough to rise through the ranks.
When a company experiences a decrease in profits, it is stressful for bosses, managers and employees alike. In times like these, it does not benefit the company to jump into re-strategising their marketing efforts. Declining profits is often not due to one reason but rather a result of several factors combined. When your employees’ skills are unable to keep up with industry advancement, clients will seek your competitors, leading to a decreased market share for your business.Therefore, it is important to constantly upgrade the skills of your employees through training and development.
As a Manager, you realise the company lacks certain skillsets, and you end up hiring to fill in these gaps. Eventually, you find that your operational costs are high and you have gone beyond your headcount limit. This is a classic case of hiring for skill set rather than developing your existing employees. The latter should be your go-to solution because it is not only more cost efficient, but also enables your employees to progress in the company.
Training is not always about skill development or knowledge enhancement. Internal training should also be conducted to re-align employees to the company’s values. Values is the core of the company’s vision and mission. In order for a company to excel, its employees have to sing the same song and believe in the company’s values, goals, and code of ethics. An ignored case of employee misalignment to company values is detrimental as they may influence other employees negatively, causing misunderstanding to arise.
Now that you have a greater understanding of why training is vital to a company’s success, let us share with you the best way to go about doing so.
We’re business people, just like you, and we understand how a single day of training can cause disruptions to business operations. To avoid this, you can easily create training materials that employees can access when their schedules are less busy. Videos make perfect training material as they are more engaging and better received than text. Instead of preparing two days’ worth of course materials and powerpoint presentations, time would be better spent creating shorter video tutorials focused on key topics. Employees will be able to customise their training sessions and choose topics that are relevant to them. With video training, it allows you to share these materials to your overseas counterparts, thus eliminating the cost of travel. As such, it is actually a cost effective method of training.
It is that easy, actually. And if you need any help in video production, talk to us via the form below :)
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