5 Benefits of Ongoing Staff Training and Development
If training and developing staff is something you do once, upon hiring, then never bother to provide updates or the chance to learn new skills, we may have just discovered why your business is in the doldrums. There are so many reasons why staff training is important that, were you to ponder them all simultaneously, it would literally blow your mind. Your industry is not stagnant. Ongoing training allows a company to target its skills in whichever direction profitable operations deem necessary. We’ll get into even more reasons below, but perhaps the biggest benefit to corporate training programs is that it is the best way to let your employees know that you care enough to invest in them.
1. Keep Up With a Changing Industry
Unless you’re selling dirt – and even then, there is always a new, better shovel – there’s a good chance your industry is in an eternal state of change. From the boss’s side of the table, this might be the number one reason to Always Be Training (ABT). To choose to not keep up with state-of-the-industry knowledge and skills is to choose to watch your company eventually wither and die on the vine. And how will anyone know about the latest industry regulations promulgated by the government or watchdog organizations if you unplug from regular refresher course?
2. Improve Customer Service Skills
This is probably the single most important factor that determines whether your business stays profitable or not. Customers don’t like to be met with grouches, anger, ignorance, disinterest, or any of a dozen other descriptors when they call or visit your store. Even if you’re not working in service industry jobs, you better have darn good customer service. If you can think of a business model that is completely independent of keeping happy customers, please let us know in the comments. It just doesn’t exist. If you believe the maxim that 80 percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your customers, then it is even more incumbent upon managers to train, train, train in order to make sure those who spend regularly on your product or service continue to do so.
3. Keep Good Employees
Good employees are the keystone of any business. The trouble is, without company support, just paying a good wage may not be enough to stop them from eventually leaving. Yes, believe it or not, money isn’t the only motivator when it comes to work life. They also want to feel like they are contributing to the company in a substantial way. It’s good for their self-esteem and great for business. New or refresher training allows them to build skills for in-house promotion or general skills to be stay competitive in the job market. Obviously, you don’t want to train people to jump ship for a better job at the first opportunity. It’s your job to always be the better opportunity.
The hardest part about keeping good employees is to find them in the first place. Your business needs to be able to attract applicants who will become your future superstars. Good pay and benefits are a good start, but you might be surprised how many people are looking for a company that shows a real dedication to preparing workers to succeed. One of the ways to do that is to offer a rigorous, worthy ongoing training program.
4. The Gaming Industry
Gaming industry management (casinos, hotels, clubs) have a special duty to both company and employees. This industry lives or dies on the principles of exemplary customer service and a strict adherence to applicable regulations that sometimes require staff to protect customers from their own disastrous impulses. For this reason, RSA refresher training is critical to staying safe and profitable.
5. Identify the Good and Bad
Sometimes the most difficult thing for a manager to see are the strengths and weaknesses of the company, particularly, where employees excel and where they don’t. Here’s the scenario. You decide to put all employees through an online refresher course when they reach six months with the company, but find they all struggle in a certain area. That shows where training needs to be focused. Rather than a general approach, target weak areas. Conversely, less time might be needed on where there is already strength – take care not to let a strength turn into a weakness from over time from neglect, though.
Businesses are beginning to see the wisdom of devoting time, effort, and money towards maintaining a stable, skilled workforce. The old “churn and burn” way of thinking has been proven to be bad for morale and profits. Bear in mind that all trainers are not created equal. Don’t jump into bed with the first trainer that turns your head. Do your research. Interview the company to see if their strengths match your weaknesses. Talk to references. Get your ducks in a row and then put the pedal to the metal on implementing the kind of training regimen that makes the rest of the industry sit up and take notice.
