Keep Up To Speed – Part One

Employee training not only contributes to increasing levels of employee engagement in the workplace but is also essential for an organisation’s success.

Training presents a perfect opportunity to expand the knowledge base of all employees, but many employers find the development opportunities expensive. In addition, employees also miss out on work time while attending training sessions, which may delay the completion of projects. Despite the potential disadvantages, training and development provides both the organisation as a whole and the individual employees with benefits that make the cost and time a worthwhile investment.

Modern work environments require good communication skills, the ability to work in a team, time-management skills, the ability to adapt to change, and to work with people from diverse cultures.

By equipping workers with a modern skill set, employers gain:

Operational effectiveness and efficiency

Through good communication and team working skills, employees are better able to work across a wide variety of job functions, to apply information, and to think critically and act logically. Trained employees are better able to adapt to change, which is a must in today’s economy.

Increased job satisfaction

An organisation that focuses on employees, and training and development opportunities, increases the chances of employee loyalty and advocacy. Engaged, motivated employees are more likely stay in their jobs, thus reducing employee turnover which in turn boosts the bottom line.

More attractive workplace

Recruiting qualified talent is a challenge for any organisation. Employees want and look for a place to work where they can enhance their skills and better their lives, and the best employees are more attracted to organisations that offer appropriate and worth which training programs.

Transfer of organisational knowledge

Organisations must utilise job audits and other collection methods to document the bank of knowledge of employees who have been with the organisation for years, and they must train those long-time employees to share their knowledge with other work colleagues, especially new recruits.

Better managers

Good employees are usually promoted because they show an aptitude and capacity to become managers, but they must be trained on effective coaching, discipline, and performance-management skills.

Reduced compliance risk

Governments are regulating mandatory compliance training on a wide variety of subjects such as equality and diversity, sexual harassment, workplace conduct and a barrage of health & safety issues. By training employees in these areas, employers can reduce their risk of complaints, and, equally important, create a positive work environment.

It’s clear what the benefits are to organisations who provide training and development opportunities to their staff and tomorrow we will look at what organisations need to achieve these results.

Want to know more about how training and development opportunities can increase employee engagement levels? Then why not contact us on +44 (0) 1255 850051