There is a time and place for knowledge and skills training. For example, for some professions it is crucial to have advanced medical training. But such training is a strategic and ongoing effort that takes years to accomplish and often involves large amounts of schooling. Very often employees do not become “lifers” in medical professions, nor do they learn their specialized skills. With some exceptions, the average employee spends 30% to 45% of his or her career training for the same job. This might be a significant amount of time that could be better spent meeting new goals, strengthening existing skills, and even progressing to different roles within the organization.
Employees’ career progression may take different forms, depending on their interests and abilities. For some, such as accountants and journalists, this might be obvious. It is obvious, for example, that highly specialized accounting skills are not useful for a cashier. Not all employees have the same level of skills. Before hiring an employee whilst going through the whole background check and ‘find a person‘ searches, employers can see what a potential employee is like and how they have grown over time. They will be able to see what current skills they have and how that can be adapted, but that has the potential to change as time goes on and they want to see what else they can do, which is great for employers to see.
Employees need the freedom to learn new tasks or improve existing skills. However, there should be strategic purpose to these efforts. For example, a highly skilled, professional accountant does not necessarily need to be able to use spreadsheets. Likewise, a cashier who already knows how to use spreadsheets may never become an accountant or an accountant who already knows how to run a cash register is not necessarily of more value to the company than an accountant who doesn’t know how to use spreadsheets. It is important that employees get the training they need to become more valuable to their employers and that their training be strategic.
Employee training should be something that employees actively choose to pursue. There is a time and place for employee education in specific topics. But this is often time-consuming, even when courses are available on the job. It often takes time away from the work that employees are already paid for. This doesn’t mean employees shouldn’t be trained in specific topics, but they should actively pursue training. When they do, it is much easier to have it become strategic and to become part of the company culture. To improve the culture of training itself, which is often seen as boring, mundane and disengaging, many businesses are now looking at ways to apply gamification in online learning, which seeks to make the process more accessible and exciting.
Regardless of how they receive training, employees should approach training as a commitment to professional development. Rather than being a necessary cost, training should be a strategic commitment to learning. It should be an effort on the part of employees to develop better skills and a commitment to the growth of their careers. And by taking the time to focus on your training and implementing it into your work, you could put yourself in a good position when it comes to getting a bonus. If your employer sees that you are putting all your effort into what you are doing, they can send you more money, via something like this Roll by ADP app almost immediately. In turn, this can help with productivity levels as well as the overall success of a business.
Expanded Benefits to Employers
Employee training is increasingly viewed as an excellent and effective way for employers to add value to their employees. Check out Zoe training topics for employees for specific areas to target.
When employees can work in their current role and learn new skills for longer periods of time, this gives employers the opportunity to more quickly and efficiently develop new employees. Employee training can be a strategic win-win for employers and employees. In fact, studies indicate that training is generally an effective way to retain employees. This is likely because employees are more motivated to learn when they know they will not be working with different teams or organizations after the training.
There is a great opportunity for employers to bring in training resources. Companies that work with training specialists often have access to additional training materials that a company could not afford. These materials can help employers develop a skills plan. A skills plan can highlight current skills in their organization and teach employees how to develop skills in a competitive market.
Additionally, the strategic benefits of training are great. Many employees are spending valuable time with organizations that won’t train them. Even if they are actively learning from employees, if they are not being trained themselves, they could potentially lose that competitive advantage over their colleagues and competitors.
