Companies invest significant time and resources in onboarding and training new employees to have their skills and workflow integrate seamlessly into company operations. However, once that initial training period is over, this does not mean the company should abandon all future training programs. Ongoing training for employees is an organization’s strongest asset in building an effective, resilient workforce.
Understanding the profitable benefits of ongoing employee training and overall investment in your team’s skills and growth can guide human resources (HR) teams on where to start with training implementation and strategies to lean into. Here’s some key points learning leaders can communicate to HR on the benefits of investing in ongoing training.
Training Leads To Employee Growth
Employee development can empower employees to take ownership of their work. And ongoing training ensures that the growth is constant and employees are improving within and past their roles. Even though the initial training period is over, when new employees join the company, they are just starting to reach their potential. Investments in employee training should focus on keeping them up to date on new industry technologies, practices and developments.
Each employee comes to an organization with a different set of skills and experiences. Allowing them to take part in training that enhances those skills or encourages them to pick up new skills can help bring those unique perspectives to the forefront and develop well-rounded skill sets beyond what is laid out in the job description.
Employee Retention and Satisfaction
Employee retention is a major obstacle for many organizations, with over 1 in 4 businesses reporting difficulties retaining employees. An employee who feels satisfied with their role leads to enhanced productivity and reduced employee turnover, saving the company valuable time and financial resources.
Employees want to feel their contributions benefit their career growth. When an employee feels stuck in their role with no room for development, they may be less likely to feel motivated, reducing their overall productivity. Allowing employees to continually grow, regardless of promotions or title changes, ensures that they know the company views them as an important asset and demonstrates that the company sees a future for them at the organization. Offering continuous training is an excellent way for a company to showcase to its employees its long-term investment in their future at the organization and commitment to them as individuals.
When employees recognize this investment, they are more likely to remain at a company long-term, helping to reduce employee turnover rates and overall build a culture of people committed to the work they do.
Creating a Competitive Advantage
With dynamic changes in the way employees approach work, ongoing training can equip organizational people to remain on top of innovation in their industry. This training must be relevant to the new employees’ role. Role-specific training ensures that employees learn and develop new skills that they can use day-to-day. Strengthening role-specific skills can promote proficiency and mastery in their job roles, and their adaptability to a constantly changing workforce that is influenced by innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI).
These trainings can consist of cybersecurity awareness to improve business security in a digital era from technology training to learn how to operate new AI tools. Whatever these specific skills sets are, investing in ongoing training can bolster an organization’s competitive advantage, keeping them up to date during constant changes.
Investing in continuous training as a company benefit can also help foster future leaders by leveraging training experiences. Training can work to identify future leaders within the company and enhance current management skills. Promoting from within can build cohesive teams and preserve company knowledge. Lastly, it can demonstrate an organization’s commitment to their people instead of posting job ads to fill higher positions.
Many worker’s value organizations who invest in employee training and career development. Ongoing training as a part of an employee’s benefits package can be an attractive feature for employees who look for comprehensive benefit plans beyond salary compensation. Training as an employee benefit can also help to attract candidates. For companies looking to grow their workforce, ongoing and comprehensive training is an excellent way to show new and future employees that the organization is committed to their growth, satisfaction and future.
Conclusion
It’s not enough to limit employee training to a few weeks or months. To attract top talent, nurture employee growth and stay competitive in their industry, organizations must prioritize continuous learning and growth. This is not only beneficial to meeting business objectives, but also improving employee satisfaction, which in turn can result in lower employee turnover rates. To achieve this type of business success, L&D and HR departments must partner together to leverage training as an employee benefit.
Ongoing training can create new opportunities within the organization, giving employees the chance to develop the skills and knowledge to internally move up the ladder. This can be a valuable benefit for both new and seasoned employees.
