Training to become more proficient with already acquired skills or to learn new ones are both fantastic ways to invest in yourself, and if you’re a manager, in your team. But why would anyone sacrifice their limited time in the office in order to do training instead of the tasks they’re being paid to do?
That’s a two-fold answer. There are two main benefits that ongoing training has:
- Staying Current And Competitive
- Professional Growth/Development
While these aren’t the only two reasons to continuously update training, they are the two that impact business the most. There is a big difference between companies that choose to invest in their employees and those that don’t.
Staying Current And Competitive
As technologies advance, new trends emerge. Staying on top of these trends allows a business to stay current and competitive in their respective markets. A good example has been seen in the financial industry, with facets of accounting moving over to cloud-based programs. Back in the “good old days” financial records were all done in actual hardcopy ledgers and physical books, then it transitioned to digital ones, with Excel sheets being a popular solution. In more modern times, cloud-based accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks have made it easy for financial professionals to access, edit, and collaborate with their team from anywhere in the world, without the need for any other tools.
Staying current with the changes within an industry is what will help a business stay competitive. In the world of developers, new languages emerge all the time, it’s not about learning a new language that will take over all the other languages you or your team might have learned. It’s about the ability to work on any language and several different technologies and be proficient in all of them. The highly competitive nature of business means that all of your competition will be racing for the next big “bleeding edge” technology while using the most “cutting edge” tech in the meantime. An added benefit is the potential to offer solutions that your competitors don’t have yet, making you more competitive which leads to growth in your business.
Promoting Professional Development
Anyone in HR will tell you that companies that promote professional development have better attrition rates, and it’s true. Providing training for your employees shows that you care about them. Taking it one step further, allowing people to take training for a position they want and not just allowing training relevant to their current tasks is a huge gesture of faith in your employees. Genuine care for your employees will translate to higher morale levels.
Paid training, whether online or in-person allows people to further their careers, essentially giving them the tools to succeed. While this obviously allows them to perform better while working, it also gives them a chance to upskill. As mentioned before, this shows that you care about their professional growth and about their goals. This helps to make your company stand out from your competition. Being known as a company that invests in its employees goes a long way, even if the news only travels by mouth.
The Wrap Up
Having employees who are up to date on training isn’t just for the company’s benefit, it also helps the employees. It promotes growth, boosts morale, and ultimately, makes the staff all-around better in working environments. The benefits training brings to a company include a more competitive edge and probably the biggest benefit of all, the reputation of being a company that cares, which makes it much easier to attract and keep talent. While it does cost a company to consistently train its staff, the cost of not doing so is even greater. If constant training isn’t already promoted in your company, try it out for a while and you’re sure to see the benefits, just don’t expect them immediately.
