Companies agree that regular employee training is detrimental to the success of its business operations. But if a small company is without human relations department then it’s possible that it wouldn’t really know the specific training requirements of its employees. More so, because of their small operations it cannot fully give its support to training because it cannot afford the employees time away from work.
Regardless of the company size or the absence of human relations department, organizations should consider the benefits of training, especially in business problem solving, and try its best to provide them to employees through a systematic approach.
What do they really need?
In identifying the training needs, organizations must first establish the areas where it could reap the greatest reward in the fastest time possible. Once established, the management must then identify the gaps in skills that continue to hamper success in these business areas. To fulfill this step, management must provide keen observation on recurring problems as well as the source of the problem and see if training might help in part or as a whole.
Trainees may provide the right answer
In determining what type of training is required, why not ask the trainees or employees themselves? Employees involved or will be involved in any particular business operations would know what exactly they need to create success. Because employees understand their accountabilities at work, they would desire to level up their skills in order to achieve their goals.
Different personalities, different learning preferences
While trainings may be standardized in format, it is also valid to consider that different employee personalities also involve different learning preferences. This may seem like an issue in the beginning but management needs to know that the more important thing is how training is properly consumed and the learnings put into practice. Some employees would prefer group study while others prefer the opposite; some would like to study on the go with an audio material, others would rather watch a training video. Create a personal development plan and see how each learning preferences can be addressed to maximize training and results application.
Develop a group training plan
Once skill gaps have been identified, it is now time to select the best from of training that will help in achieving the best results. At best, avoid the mistake of selecting the training first and let that fit into the employees; this method is likely to fail with few employees engaging in the process. For best results, plan for training ahead of time with ample communication with participants, that way they can express their needs based on both individual and organizational goal.
Off-the-Shelf or In-house?
There are trainings available considered “off-the-shelf” where companies send their employees for training along with employees of other companies (usually a competitor). This kind of training is cost effective with access to training experts with the least amount of investment.
But there is also benefit in in-house training, even though more expensive, where the trainer can customize the training and supplemental activities based on the company’s needs and goals.
Read also: Talent Archetypes – Specialists, Generalists and Versatilists
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Article Contributed by HR in Asia‘s Team.
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