Should training be linked to a business need?
What is the business need that drives you to get your staff trained?
Is it the fact that it seems to take far too long to get work out?
Is it the fact that the work being produced is not very good or does not look professional?
Do the documents your staff create reflect your company brand?
Is there a new piece of software that everyone needs to learn in order to make best use of new functionality?
Is it none of the above or something else entirely?
It is a good idea to link training to a clear business need. That way you can demonstrate to the budget holder why the training should take place and what the benefits to the organisation will be. What would happen if you decided out of the goodness of your heart to provide training for your staff? Nothing bad for sure. They would be delighted that you are showing them how much you value them and are willing to invest in them.
They may resist the training even though they appreciate it. Giving excuses as to why they can’t show up at the required time. Here are just a few.
- I am too busy
- I have too many meetings
- How on earth am I going to meet this report deadline if you take me out of the office for half a day or a full day of training, I will have “lost” that time!
If you have linked the training to a clear business need and that business need has been clearly communicated to your staff, there will be a greater chance of buy in from the staff leading to increased motivation for learning.
When staff understand that training will help them improve their performance at work, whether in knowing how to create a formula, format a report, make a professional presentation or stop being a slave to the inbox, then they will have a reason to show up and even more importantly be present.
Do you think training should be linked to a business need? Leave me a comment below with your thoughts.
Definitely training should be linked to a business need. There’s hard directly measurable tangible like productivity and intangible benefits that can only be measured indirectly when things don’t happen. In some cases doing a procedure right can be the difference between being compliant and being non-compliant. The latter could shut down a business. Then there’s no option but to take on board training and implement it. But often it’s about doing a better job because that’s what’s required for the customer. You can only measure that when it doesn’t happen, via complaints and attrition. Not easy!
Hi Judy, yes getting those procedures right is really important. Many people don’t realise the cost of not training their staff too. Thanks for your comments.