Every year department heads submit their budgets with the best of intentions.
After the new year, the first quarter starts out with all types of line items, possibly even training. There will be a kick off of some sort and managers will jump enthusiastically into the first quarter revving up their teams, until – oop’s – quick changes and cut backs wherever managers can manage, as soon as the third quarter begins. Finally, when it comes to training and developing employees you hear things such as,
“We’re too busy to learn something new right now” or
“we just don’t have the money to pay for training.”
Another reason that companies often neglect to train employees is due to past training experiences. Sometimes it was done poorly with little to no measurable results (making it a waste of time) or the topics just didn’t help. This is a risk most companies just can’t afford to take.
Don’t get me wrong – training does come at a cost. The two biggest resources used for job training are time and money. What if instead we called this development, rather than training. Whether you are talking about new or existing employees, development is vital for both. The importance of developing employees – both new and experienced – should not be taken lightly in such a competitive economy.
All employees, new or old have certain weaknesses, which may hinder them from giving their best. Developing workers’ skills and knowledge brings them all to a higher consistent and uniform level. The moment the employee gains those needed skills and knowledge, employees will become more confident, perhaps even more self-reliant. This strengthens the company all around.
Development of an employee’s worth is about building the personality and attitude for their all around growth. This increases confidence and helps them face future challenges. And that is way more effective than merely training for
Having qualified employees means they are learning new skills. This can be summed up as:
- Satisfaction is greater the morale, leading to greater contribution to organizational success, which means lesser absenteeism and turnover. Priceless!
- Less supervision results in less wasted time and effort. Employees will develop new tactics to overcome challenges. Priceless.
- Acquiring skills and efficiencies means employees find themselves more eligible for promotion and they become a greater asset for the organization. Priceless.
- Consistency with training and development allows for a constant flow of knowledge and experience. This makes everyone aware of company administrative procedures and ethics. Pricless
- Improved quality means employees are able to maintain uniformity in output, resulting in customer satisfaction. Priceless.
Agreed that development costs have easily measured up-front costs of time and money. Those line items are difficult to handle on a tight budget, especially after a first quarter, where unexpected costs will pop up. However, the costs of not developing your employees can hurt your bottom line even more.
Make sure that your 2016 investment is done with the right outcome in mind. Investing in the development of your employees’ skill sets is an investment in the company.
I invite you to share your experiences or thoughts, or comments. You can email or call me for more information on soft and interpersonal skills workshops that can transform employees.