Employee training and development have many benefits, yet many organisations don’t appreciate this. Not training employees is short-sighted in the extreme. These days, training can be delivered in different ways, not just in the classroom. Employees can study online at their own speed, attend group workshops on-site, and have one-to-one coaching. Organising training for an employee doesn’t mean losing them for a day or more. If you’re still trying to decide whether employee training is a good investment, read on.
Health and Safety
Safety in the workplace is one key reason why employees must be adequately trained. If your workplace has machinery, you have a duty as an employer to ensure all staff are appropriately trained in how to operate the machines. Not training employees could lead to an accident or fatality.
The same applies to the safe use of PPE. All employees must be trained in how to use equipment PPE before they start work. This applies even to temporary and agency staff. In certain industries, PPE is worn as standard, and not wearing it correctly is dangerous.
Productivity
When employees are trained, they are more competent in their roles. They better understand how to use the tools they are given and can complete tasks more efficiently. Employees will be more productive when they have received training, so they’ll be better at their jobs. This is great for your bottom line.
Staff Retention
Staff retention is a big problem for some companies. It takes time and money to recruit, onboard, and train new employees, so when they leave within the first year, that’s money down the drain. One of the reasons why employees leave a job is because they don’t see any future there.
By offering existing employees training and development opportunities, you are letting them know you value their contribution and see them as important. This is a significant boost to employee morale in the workplace. Yes, offering training opportunities is a financial investment, but it’s cheaper than replacing staff with new hires.
Once you realise employees are your biggest asset, recognising the value of providing training is a no-brainer. As well as encouraging employees to stay loyal, it also makes it easier to promote from within the company rather than going through the expense of hiring people from outside the organization with positions become vacant or new roles arise.
Better Customer Service
Because better-trained employees are more efficient at their jobs and more productive as a result, this is great for customer service. Complaints often arise because tasks are completed poorly, late, or not at all. This applies to all businesses, from insurance companies to veterinarians and retail stores. Incompetent employees are bad for business on all levels.
Not all employees will improve with training – some are just a lost cause for various reasons – but if an employee is underperforming, it’s important to look at whether a personalised training programme could be the answer.
The takeaway from this is that businesses willing to invest in training are always more successful. Are you convinced now?
