Workplace training is a practice whose benefits might seem obvious. By equipping employees with the skills they need, employers can effectively create better versions of the same workers; workers can complete the same tasks to a higher standard, and in a shorter amount of time. Moreover, they can spread these practices throughout the organisation as a whole.
Instantprint is a Rotherham-based printing company that produces flyers, leaflets and posters. They have commissioned research into the attitudes of both employers and employees towards workplace training. This revealed that almost a third of workers (31%) have left a job where no training was available, and that more than half (56%) would leave their current position if they felt they weren’t being offered sufficient training. With these figures in mind, what possible justification could there be for failing to offer training?
What’s Wrong With Training?
The research revealed several justifications for an absence of in-work training being offered to employees.
Of these, the most common was a lack of resources. 53% of those polled said that their budget could not extend to training. This is an easy concern to sympathise with. The costs of training are up-front and immediate; the benefits of training are long-term and diffuse.
38%, moreover, claimed that they lacked the time to offer training. Given that the right training can allow an employee to extract greater productivity from a limited number of hours, and that many of the more skilled and valuable employees are likely to leave the company, this is almost always a false economy.
Other concerns were a little more niche. 7% said that they lacked the facilities to offer training, and 2% said that they couldn’t see the value in training. The former problem can often be solved by outsourcing to an outside venue, and bringing in outside experts to carry out the training itself. The latter problem is demonstrably not a problem, given the tangible benefits that the right training can confer.
What Does Training Accomplish?
The benefits of training are many, but it’s worth singling out three as especially important.
Improves Productivity
As we’ve mentioned, the skills developed through training will enable workers to be more productive, creating better results with less stress and in less time.
Builds Trust
By investing in training for an employee, an employer demonstrates that they have a stake in the future of that employee. This creates an atmosphere of trust that suffuses the entire business.
Improves Employee Retention
Staff turnover is a huge problem for many businesses. Whenever an experienced person leaves, they take with them all of their knowledge and experience.
By providing employee training, businesses can demonstrate to these individuals that they will have an opportunity to progress, and thus there’s no need to look elsewhere.
