It can probably be safely said that no employee ever quit a job because of “too much training.” Not only is it important to invest in your team, but you also want to make sure that you’re doing it the right way. When employees feel that their managers value them enough to invest in their personal and professional development, it increases loyalty, engagement levels, and productivity.
Unfortunately, too many managers believe that if they spend “all of that money on training, employees will just take that knowledge and quit.” Here’s a little food for thought – what if you don’t invest in them, and they stay?
Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure that your training efforts are not punitive. Don’t “send” someone for training because you think they need to be “fixed.” After spending several years as a contract trainer, I can tell you that we lovingly refer to those individuals as “hostages” or “prisoners.” You are not getting any return on your training costs.
However, when you let them know that you are making an investment in them, and you follow up with them to see what they learned from the training and ask for ideas they would like to implement, your investment pays off – many times over.
Here are three essential elements of a successful training program.
Analyze Actual Training Needs. There are all kinds of “bright, shiny objects” out there when it comes to training. Of course, you want to keep your employees up to speed on the latest developments. However, spending the time to understand how your team members are working now, what’s changing in their roles, and how urgent this new training compares to other business priorities makes a huge difference in the value you receive.
Be Versatile. Each of your employees learn differently, and at a different pace. Even employees who are doing the same job often understand their role in vastly different ways. When you recognize the various learning styles, and consider your employees’ learning strengths and challenges, it will help you to improve your professional development outcomes.
Train your trainers. Training is a learned skill, just like anything else. When employees are nervous or uncomfortable speaking to their peers, they probably won’t perform at their peak. Offer some kind of training “on-boarding” process to help your potential employee trainers identify different training methods and learning styles. Help your trainers get comfortable with the tech they’ll use. Encourage them to shadow your top trainers to see how it’s done and get comfortable with the training role.
When you put some thought into your training curriculum, the ROI on your investment will be measurable and will give your leadership team the results they are looking for.
The Role of Training in Employee Engagement
