The Importance of On-Going Development of Employees
Regardless of the industry, for businesses to thrive and compete successfully in today’s ever-changing business environment, it is imperative to invest in employee training and development.
Not only do training programs help employees avoid making mistakes that result from their lack of information and knowledge but they also help the company increase employee retention, gain their loyalty, and ultimately boost organizational productivity.
Introductory Courses vs. Continuous Training
Where many companies have been seen to invest time, money and energy on introductory trainings for new employees, they often overlook and fail to understand the importance of continuous training and development of the entire workforce as a whole. And this is exactly why many companies fail to maintain their success and experience a high employee turnover rate.
Studies show that for a majority of job seekers today ‘growth’ is considered to be a distinguishing and a top characteristic when evaluating a new job opportunity. They’d be ready to switch from their current jobs with new job opportunities especially if they offer them opportunities to grow and climb up the corporate ladder.
Therefore, instead of just focusing on introductory courses and mentoring new employees, it is extremely important that your leadership team and HR department incorporate continuous training programs for existing employees and provide them opportunities to grow both personally and professionally. Your training programs should be set out according to your organizational needs and the rapid industry developments so that your employees are kept abreast of the changes and have adequate skills to perform their daily tasks at work efficiently.
Why Invest in On-Going Employee Training and Development?
Some organizations ignore continuous training sessions for employees as they feel they are expensive and employees miss out on their work time while attending these sessions which causes delay in completion of projects. What they fail to understand are the underlying benefits of these continuous training sessions and how they contribute to the organization in the greater scheme of things! Benefits of conducting these programs are far greater and long-lasting.
Some of these benefits include:
• Addresses Blind Spots A training program allows you to develop and strengthen the skills of your employees that they need or should improve upon. But not just that, it also identifies employees’ strengths and allows them to utilize those as well. It is a great way to address issues at the right time and ensure organizational productivity is not compromised.
• Increases Employee Satisfaction Access to continuous training programs and workshops shows the employees that they are valued. They feel appreciated, challenged, and are more satisfied with their jobs. It helps increase their knowledge and work harder.
• Boosts Employee Performance On-going training empowers employees. It gives them the confidence that they are aware of the new developments within the organization and have a stronger understanding of the direction the company is heading. This confidence pushes them to perform better and think of new ideas to excel. An increase in employee performance leads to an increase in organizational productivity. A team of competent and knowledgeable employees is all that a company needs to compete successfully and hold a strong position in the industry.
Center for Victory offers a variety of training programs for employees at all levels. For more information or to learn how you can provide continuous training to your employees get in touch with us today!