04 May Learning and development: five tips to kick-start your staff training
According to a recent study, the majority of businesses (94%) claim that even in the current economic climate, learning and development is at the heart of their business strategy. So if you’ve been considering setting up some kind of staff training programme but keep putting it off, now is the time to do it!
As Henry Ford once said: “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave, is not training them, and having them stay”. Staff training provides several benefits including higher employee retention and a more skilled workforce over time.
Providing your team with the opportunity to learn and grow will lead to them being more motivated, and therefore more productive. But where do you start?
- Encourage knowledge sharing
Building a culture of knowledge sharing within your team from the start is the key to managing your staff training effectively when it comes to setting up a more formal schedule. Acknowledging the wealth of knowledge that individuals bring to your team, and actively encouraging them to share it with one another, not only leads to stronger team performance, but grows the ‘intellectual wealth’ of your business, giving you the competitive edge over others.
Creating a collaborative work environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their experiences is the best place to start. You could even build an online knowledge library with useful development training material from past and present staff. Collaborative tools such as Monday.com, Teams and Slack provide a central hub where staff can upload resources relevant to a specific skill or topic, or share links to webinars or podcasts, for everyone to access.
- Sign your team up to online courses and networking
The rise of online courses and networking groups is making it easier for staff to book themselves in and keep the momentum going in terms of continual training and development. Online learning also provides flexibility as it fits more easily within your staff’s work-life schedule. At Organised You, we use Udemy for quick systems overviews and training. You could also take a look at Skillshare or Meetup, which allow your team to tap into external knowledge and training resources.
- Encourage industry-specific training
Honing the skills of your team with industry-specific staff training is another sure-fire way to make you stand out above the competition, as it shows your clients you’re committed to being the best you can be within your sector. Start by identifying the industry-specific skills your team needs and book them onto the relevant courses.
Asking employees areas where they would like to develop their skills, rather simply choosing which you think would be best, will show them how much you value their contribution, and lead to a more transparent company structure. Working with organisations such as framework training to create bespoke training packages aligned to your team’s educational needs and overall mission statement can work wonders in enhancing your ability to manage staff training effectively in the long-term.
- Include training in staff inductions
Incorporating some form of training as part of the onboarding process encourages staff to be receptive to continued learning and development from the get-go. Communicating the message that effective staff training should be seamlessly integrated into your company culture will hopefully lead to a higher uptake of training in the future.
- Get creative!
Although there’s great value in tried and tested learning and development strategies, the key to effective staff training lies in your ability to think outside the box with innovative ideas. Why not invite a professional from your network to inspire your team with real-life experiences? Or take your staff training beyond the office with team-building days centred around developing industry-specific skills? Inviting your clients or customers to suggest areas they feel would be beneficial for staff training could also help change your perspective, and highlight areas in need of improvement.
Hopefully these tips are enough to motivate you to get your very own training schedule up and running, and get your team motivated, but we’d be happy to help with ideas and implementation along the way!
