Why Good Employee Training is Essential For Business Success

Employees are the lifeblood of any company, as all business owners and managers are well aware of: good ones know what their job responsibilities are, how to use their time effectively, and what their bosses expect them to accomplish on a daily basis. But good employees don't usually happen by accident: they are made good through effective employee training.

Unfortunately, many companies choose to cut fiscal corners in their training departments, hoping that their employees will simply learn as they go. This is a risky strategy, however, and many workers simply fall through the cracks: bosses assume they know what to do, when the employees' performance clearly indicates otherwise. Here are some ideas to help jump start a training program for small business employees.

-- Put training back into the company budget. If training becomes a priority, Human Resources will have the freedom it needs to develop a strategy that will see to it that workers get the training they need to perform more effectively. The owner and managers all need to be supportive of those in charge of developing a training program, and need to make sure that there is money earmarked for this purpose and this purpose alone.

-- There must be a consensus on what the needs are when it comes to training, and because funds are no doubt limited, the program should focus on these needs first.

-- Do not implement any large-scale training program before testing it out on a small group first. This just makes good common sense: something may look great on paper but end up being a disaster in practice. Small-scale testing will provide the feedback necessary to fine-tune the program or overhaul it altogether.

-- Choose your training methods and accountability system carefully. There are plenty of ways to train employees: you can run a mentoring program, bring in a professional trainer, or set up online training classes that can put them through a graduated skills acquisition program. Many businesses choose a combination of the above, to give their employees a variety.

-- Make sure that the training each employee receives is relevant to his or her duties: putting everyone through the same program may not be appropriate and employees will tune out if they feel like they are being made to learn skills or knowledge they will never use.

-- Follow up with training by employing a measurement system to assess the effectiveness of what employees are learning. You may also want to implement a computerized system that can track the successful completion of training, both online and through other methods, by individual employees.

Having well-trained employees means lower worker turnover rates, a more content work force that has an investment in the successful accomplishment of their daily tasks, and a more professional environment overall. Employee training is well worth the effort.