Training is something many people see as a requirement and nothing more, but offering good quality training to all of your employees is the best way to increase your chances of success. Your employees are the powerhouse behind what you do, and so making sure they have the knowledge and skills to reach their full potential will only boost your business. Here are some key reasons why training your employees is essential to the success of your business.
It Makes Sure Your Employees Are Up To Scratch
No matter how kind or lovely your employees are, they still need to have a standard of quality in their work, and this can be missing more often than you think. Sometimes, their motivation and work ethic can decrease over time, meaning so does their quality of work, and sometimes employees just don’t have the qualifications they need – this is especially common as a business progresses and becomes more professional. The easy fix to this, however, is offering those qualifications or the training that they need. For example, an accountant is essential to every business, so making sure they’re up to scratch by keeping is essential in your business functioning well. Click here for the kind of course your employees should have under their belt to make sure they can maintain good work quality.
It Improves The Quality Of Your Service or Product
Training is there, first and foremost, to help your employees improve on their skills, and not just do the standard. It’s there to encourage employees to strive and work as hard as they can, meaning this effort will be put into what they produce. Whether they’re delivering a service or creating a product, giving employees a greater understanding of their responsibilities and giving them the opportunity to ask questions about uncertainties means your employees will find it easier to work at a much higher quality than before. The higher quality product produced, the more likely it is that you’ll end up drawing customers back as well as the more tempting you are to your target market, meaning your company can only grow larger.
It Creates A Happier And More Confident Workforce
Happiness and confidence work hand in hand, and are the ideal mix you should have in your employees’ morale to ensure a good effort is being made. Offering training to your employees will allow them to get rid of any doubts they may have about their work, and learn how to improve their skills, giving them more confidence in their abilities. Offering employees training will also show them that they are valued, as employees know they are supported and can access help at any time. You may even offer employees the opportunity to access training, courses or qualifications they may not have known about or may have struggled with before and give them the confidence to achieve it and improve their skills.
If your employees feel happy and content with their environment, and feel as if they’re being cared about, they’re more likely to feel motivated and put more energy into their work – they will work because they care about the business and want to show their appreciation in return for yours, rather than working simply because they have to.
It Ensures Consistency
Making sure there’s a notion of what is expected of employees will provide them with a standard that they need to either aim for or maintain. This should, in theory, keep the quality and efficiency of your company consistent, and leave you less likely to hit slow or dry periods. This isn’t the only way in which training ensures consistency, though – it gives employees all the skills they need to produce high-quality work, meaning you’re not consistently producing average work, but rather, consistently producing high-quality work. This makes it easier to predict the growth and development your business is likely to undergo, meaning you can make plans and preparations in advance and be more certain of risks, meaning growing your business is more of a certainty than a lucky chance.
It Increases Innovation And Creativity
Training gives your employees confidence in what they’re doing, and once they have confidence in their abilities and understanding, they may start coming up with their own ideas. Confidence in the process gives them the chance to then think about that and come up with ways in which it could be improved or new ideas altogether that could be what sends your business to the top of the market. Training sessions within the office are also the perfect chance for your employees to voice their opinion and let you know if there’s anything about the process they don’t like that you can alter, as well as improvements. Having input from the people who know the process inside and out will definitely aid you in improving the efficiency of your business and implementing new ideas you may not have considered before. Don’t just wait for them to say so, though – ask for their feedback. This will let them know they’re valued and allow them to speak up, as they may not feel comfortable suggesting improvements if they’re not asked for.
It Gives Your Company A Better Reputation
Improving your training has tons of implications for your reputation, all of them positive. Firstly, showing that you care about your employees and are willing to support them and give them help not only speaks volumes about your work ethic but also comes across well to your audience. It also means potential applicants that work with you are more excited and passionate about your business, and you won’t deter people from them thinking they can get a better offer somewhere else, meaning you’re likely to pull in the best workers you can find.
It also means you’re bound to draw in people who are looking to improve themselves and learn new skills, meaning they’re going to be passionate about the work they do and put tons of energy into your business. Finally, training will follow on from your employees to your target audience. If your employees are passionate, happy, and have good expertise in their area, customers will pick up on this and be more likely to return to your business. A friendly face, whether it’s someone offering a service, someone within a store or the customer services department can make a world of difference to customers, so maintaining a good customer relationship is something easily secured through training.
That Sounds Great – But What Sort Of Training Should I Offer?
The type of training you should offer depends on your business and where you think the improvements need to be made. Some common examples are:
Online courses: Online qualifications and degrees that your workers can do in their spare time will get them more integrated into their work and help them achieve a high level of quality. It gives them the opportunity to learn in their own time at their own pace, without the pressure of making a mistake or looking foolish, meaning they can develop their confidence in their skills.
Coaching: Offering your employees someone who can mentor or coach them is a great asset. This helps employees feel supported and have a friendly face to turn to in times of confusion or stress, particularly if they don’t feel comfortable asking questions in a more crowded environment. It builds a relationship and helps your employees feel more secure and happier in their work.
Hands-On: Hands-on training is great for offering employees the “deep end” experience – that is, throwing them straight into the action and seeing how they do. Observing and offering advice whilst they do their work, and giving them valuable experience, is a great way to tackle specific weaknesses and support them before they become fully independent in their work.
Role-playing: Role-playing is a great way for employees to see the kind of impact they have on a company, as well as how to react if something goes wrong by offering difficult situations and seeing how they react, and then showing how they should. This is not only good for developing skills, but it can be a bit of fun too and can help create a bond between team members and boost morale.
Opting for a mix of different types of training is the best way to ensure they have the support they need both to maintain a high-quality level of work as well as stay happy and comfortable in their job. Some are more time-consuming than others, so extra funding may be needed for certain types, but it’s worth it in the long run – money spent on training will be earned back very quickly via a boost in sales and efficiency.
Without employee training, it would be almost impossible to succeed as a business. Your employees are the driving force of your company, and without their hard work and effort, progression is way out of reach. Looking after everyone and making sure they are comfortable, confident and happy in their work is the best way to boost efficiency and ensure you reach success.
Great post, Tanveer! In my opinion, the importance of training can’t be overstated. All too often, I think companies feel their onboarding is enough training for employees and stop there. But, the benefits you shared prove it’s so worthwhile in the long run. I also really appreciate that you shared the various methods for training. Training isn’t useful if it’s delivered in a way that isn’t engaging or easy to understand. I truly believe organizations need to assess their team’s training needs and preferences before launching any type of training initiative. This will help them zero in on the best strategy for them, get buy-in, and improve!
Thanks Rachel; I’m glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate your thoughts on this. As people who’ve attended my speaking engagements or who are regular readers of my blog know, I’m a big champion of promoting a learning culture in your organization, which is why training can’t be seen as something that’s done only for employee onboarding, but something you continue to provide to your employees so they can continue to help your organization meet today’s challenges, as well as those on the horizon.
Thanks again, Rachel, for sharing your thoughts on this piece.