Tag Archive for: why provide training for employees

Training Dollars — Power to Your People

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You’ve read countless articles about the importance of investing in your employees. You know that an engaged, well-skilled employee will be more productive and contribute to the overall growth of the organization. You may also know that employees who are holistically developed and evolve within an organization have a better chance of attaining long-term success. Since you know all of the basics, here are a few facts that you may not know. A strong investment in employee training and development can produce benefits to the bottom line. It can lead to a:

24% higher profit margin
218% higher income per employee
86% higher company value
21% increase in productivity
300% reduction in employee turnover
A return per dollar invested of $6.72
(www.gazelles.com/roi.html Executive Training is a Must in Today’s Competitive Markets, by George “Bud” Arquilla III)

So why don’t organizations invest more in training? You’ve heard it a million times – “our employees are our most valuable asset,” but in reality they are tracked as costs. Training and development has great potential for returns but it’s also one of the first budgets to get cut when times are tough. Organizations must be committed to the long-term goal and it’s hard to connect revenue and profit back to intangible assets.

There are some companies out there that get it. “A comparison of organizations on Chief Learning Officer magazine’s 2012 Learning Elite and the 2012 100 Best Companies to Work For show some familiar names on both, including General Mills, Qualcomm, Accenture, Deloitte and NetApp” (Being an A-list Company Pays, by Keith Dunbar, Chief Learning Officer, February 2013).

These companies understand how learning and development can impact an organization’s overall performance beyond just employee engagement and retention. It’s important that learning leaders understand the goals of their organization and act as advocates for the development of their talent. Learning programs need to be aligned with the long term goals and direction of the organization.

“The single biggest predictor of a company’s ability to beat its direct competitors in its industry and the overall stock market was the amount the company spends on training its people” (Dr. Laurie Bassi, author of Good Company: Business Success in the Worthiness Era). So again, why invest in training? Yes of course, to improve employee productivity, retention and loyalty. But in the end, the bottom line is – to improve your organization’s competitive advantage.

 

Author: Jenny Dickey

A Case for Continuous Learning in the Workplace

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There’s something about spring time…the days are longer and brighter.  The songs of the birds in the morning are a little louder.  People start to shed their heavy sweaters in favor of airy cottons in perky colors.  All of those things put a little more bounce in your step as the winter (at least in Michigan) melts away.

But what about energizing your insides?  What can you do to feel like you’ve opened the door to your mind and brushed the cobwebs out?

At Brightwing, we have an ABG Program (Always Be Growing) where  employees  collaborate with their managers and choose their own path to learning something new.  It can be something traditional – like a class; something hands-on (like shadowing a co-worker to get a better understanding of their position and challenges); or something of a more personal nature – like getting a group of your co-workers to exercise together.

It is our philosophy that whatever you do to expand your mind and experiences will help you grow stronger as a person and improve the company as a whole. According to “How to Incorporate Career Development and Training with Work Requirements” published by SHRM (3/26/2010), focusing on the following will help determine appropriate training:

  • Recognizing departmental goals and objectives as a basis for developing employees
  • Managers should be in a position to assist the employee in achieving their goals and helping them to manage their time so they can reach their objective
  • The organization’s goals should be communicated through a policy that creates a culture supporting employee development  (tuition refund, etc.)

 

If you are in a position to offer growth opportunities to the people in your organization, make it an amazing experience for them.  Help them see the advantages of learning something new.

And if you are the one who is given the chance to learn something new???  Don’t look for the easy way out!  Challenge yourself to really do the analysis on where you want to be and how you are going to get there.  Learning is all around you.  In the words of Gandhi, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

 

Making the Most of Your Employee Training

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Hold on to your hats because it’s time for all employees to get their dose of training! Your company has found reason to give its workers more knowledge on a particular subject, whether it is the integration of a new company wide program or leadership skills.

Flight Restriction

Training usually ends up being the afterthought of doing anything new. A lot of companies think that their employees are super human robots that can pick up and go with something like a fish to water. It’s time for a reality check, though. People need to learn about the new before they can become comfortable with it. But with so many different training approaches, what is the best way to make this happen?

Take Off

According to a survey done by the Chapman Alliance, the average time it takes to create a single hour for a training session is 43 hours. That is almost two days of work for an hour of material. That is why it is so important to know exactly how to approach a training course before it takes place. I mean, you wouldn’t submerge your hand in water before testing the temperature first right? The type of training is decided upon based on the people who are receiving the information. If the employees are scattered around the state, you obviously want to create a training program that involves SWAT teams breaking into their homes at night, kidnapping them, and taking them to a remote facility in South America that has a chalk board and desks. The easier method, however, is just utilizing the internet.

Brightwing and i3Logic strive hard to find the best possible courses of action for a training class. With technology today, the realm of possibilities for learning has grown substantially. Instructor led face-to-face training is not the only way to go.

E-learning initiative (online training) has become extremely convenient and popular as well. It is separated into the three following methods depending on how much interaction is needed:

Level 1: Low Interaction. This process involves graphics and written info for one to read online.

Level 2: Medium Interaction: This process involves videos or recorded interaction.

Level 3: High Interaction. This process involves interaction with avatar interviewing.

You can also blend the two methods together and do instructor led training online with group meetings and discussions in a virtual classroom. Don’t forget your virtual paper airplanes and spit wads when you log on!

If a small amount of employees need training and are all in the same general area, instructor led training works wonders. It allows for a great amount of interaction and knowledge sharing between employees and instructor. However, a lot of companies find it difficult to provide physical training because their employees are not all in the same place. This is where customized online training programs come in handy. The level of e-learning depends on the motivation of the employees. If they don’t want to do it, then a higher level of interaction is needed to keep them interested. Shiny objects are advised as people are generally attracted to them.

Maintaining Altitude

So there you have it! Now you know what learning solutions companies go through. Are you doing all that you can to make sure your employees are trained properly and efficiently? It is a long process that must be molded to fit each individual situation. In fact, I think I’ll end this blog so I can go work on my online employee potty training class!