Key things that your staff training must achieve

In order for a business to remain on top of its game, it will have to consider continually increasing the capacity of their staff. One of the ways that a company can do this is through staff training. But, what are the things you must consider before you send your staff off for training?

Why should you train staff instead of hiring already competent workers?

Hiring new staff requires you to go through lengthy bureaucratic processes that may not even guarantee that the person you will get will be a good fit for your organisation.

On the other hand, when you train staff whose competencies and attitudes you are already familiar with, you have a good idea what specific extra skilling they need in order to perform better at their jobs.

Existing staff also know your business really well and are more likely to be able to translate the competencies they gain into practical solutions to the challenges that your business faces.

In what ways does staff training contribute to the overall results that a company achieves?

When you invest in training your staff, you increase the efficiency with which they work. Better quality products being produced in less time means that there will be a reduction in expenses that you incur in production. An increase in profits will result.

In the services industry, staff that are well trained will provide higher quality service leading to greater customer satisfaction.

How does a manager decide that their staff needs to be trained?

The following are some of the ways that you may decide that your staff needs extra training:

• If you are receiving frequent complaints from customers regarding poor product quality or deficiencies in service delivery.
• When you are ready to grow and expand into new markets or products, you will need to train your staff in order for them to cope with the new venture.

What kinds of staff training should I be focusing on? How do I know what training my staff needs?

• When you are facing several incidents of disruption due to absenteeism, then you may want to train some more staff in the basic skills that cover crucial roles. This way, when the person who is supposed to perform the role is away, it does not cause too much disruption.
• When you have introduced new technology, it is important that all the staff that will be exposed to it are well trained on its use.
• Situations where staff do not seem to be aligned to the company objectives also call for training in the company purpose and mission. This will help to give a clear direction to all. There are several signs that will show that staff are not well aligned. These include: friction between members of staff especially between management and junior staff, frequent failure to achieve company goals in the agreed time, and so on.

How do we find the time to carry out staff training when the core business activities need to keep on going?

Finding time begins with the attitude with which you regard training. Investing time and resources in training will earn your company gains in productivity that will make it worth it. Surveys have shown that team members who train just one hour per week saved 1.8 hours per week.

This means that the company may have to forego certain activities in order to ensure that their staff are getting the necessary training. This may mean taking an afternoon off by closing the business early, or paying for your staff to put in some extra hours at the weekend, perhaps.

How do I know that the staff training is working?

Ensure that you keep good records of the areas that have been covered during the staff training. Improvement in these areas can be monitored through performance reviews carried out by line managers.