As a leadership speaker, I recommend that all companies make an investment in ongoing employee training and development—but I don’t want anyone to do so under the wrong pretenses.
Employee training is something that comes with a few misconceptions. Today, I’d like to clear up a few of the most common ones, and to shed some light on what the employee training process is really like.
Employee Training: Myth Busting
Employee training will effectively solve all of your internal problems. While I clearly believe in the value of training, I don’t want to give the impression that training your team will immediately solve all the problems your company faces. Those problems could stem from any number of factors, and training isn’t a silver bullet. With that said, it will provide your team members with better skillsets for addressing those problems, critically and efficiently.
Training doesn’t prepare employees to address real-life issues. The analogy I’d use here is that of a flight simulator: A novice pilot may start out in a “fake” plane, but he or she is still learning real skills that translate into actual, physical flight. Similarly, employee training can be seen as something of a simulator. It may not be “real,” but it can certainly provide real skills.
Training is a waste of resources. Certainly, if you don’t approach it carefully and intentionally, it can become a kind of glorified office holiday. Here’s the truth, though: Not only can training help develop actionable skillsets, but it can facilitate team building and also help with retention. It’s a way of investing in your employees and their development—and your employees will understand that, on some level, and appreciate it.
Employee training does not offer a return on investment. Not only is there a return on investment, but it’s a starkly, distinctly measurable one in many ways—improved employee retention numbers, productivity, and more. In some industries, employee certification numbers will also provide some insight.
Employee training is expensive. Not necessarily. Actually, there are many ways to do training, and not all of them involve the expense of bringing a trainer in-house. Training modules from ACES represent a great way to get team development at an affordable rate, for example.
Check out some of those modules today—and learn more about the very real benefits that employee training delivers. Connect with my team at the ACES site today!