Boosting Employee Growth: 5 Strategies for Creating an Effective Training and Development Program
Introduction
Are you starting to notice higher employee turnover rates in your company? If so, this may be due to a lack of career growth opportunities. Companies should not neglect this because it is one of the key factors that attract talent to a position and motivate current employees to stay loyal to an organization. In fact, according to studies from the University of Rhode Island, providing training programs result in employees becoming more committed to their companies.
As such, it is imperative that organizations invest in creating high-quality training and development programs for their workforce. Otherwise, the lack of opportunities for growth and skills development may cause employees to seek out other companies that can provide them with this.
If your company desires to create or revamp its training and development program, you’ve come to the right place. Q2 HR Solutions is an HR consulting firm that has helped other companies come up with programs for boosting employee growth. In this article, we’ve listed five key strategies for creating an effective training and development program.
Why Workforce Training and Development Is Crucial
Training and development in human resources management refer to various activities and initiatives used to educate employees in a company to enhance workforce performance.
The concept of training and development dates back to World War II, which set the stage for establishing the U.S. labor movement. This movement became one of the main contributors to the emergence of employee training and development.
Training and development opportunities are one of the main things that candidates eye in a new company, aside from compensation, company culture, and other factors. Employees value being given the means to upskill as this allows them to be a valuable asset to the organization. Moreover, they recognize that acquiring new skills and knowledge is something they can leverage in pursuing other career opportunities.
Workers feel valued by the company they’re working for when they see it invest resources to train them and improve their performance. More importantly, training and development and the new job responsibilities that come because of it help keep them engaged and motivated, resulting in higher employee retention rates for companies.
Strategies for Creating Effective Training and Development Programs
Creating an effective training and development program is a process that requires careful thought and planning. Q2 HR Solutions can help you produce programs best suited to your company’s needs through various strategies, such as the ones listed below:
Identify Company Goals
Improving workforce performance should help support the company in its goals and needs. Thus, the first step in creating an effective training and development program is to identify these goals and needs to come up with the right training objectives and learning outcomes that can help fulfill them.
The goals of a company are broad and can fall under several categories. For instance, if your organization is focused on customer business goals, your training and development program may center on applying a new process for handling customer complaints, among other customer-related concerns.
Determine Gaps in Skills and Knowledge
A training and development program will only be truly effective once you first identify where the employees are competent and where they are not. Knowing this helps you customize the program depending on workers’ present knowledge and skill level.
So, what actions can you take to determine these gaps? Audit your past and present training programs, interview employees, check performance data, and seek the help of subject matter experts, such as Q2 HR Solutions, who can help your organization correctly identify any skills and knowledge gaps.
Choose the Right Training Tools
An array of training tools are used in training and development programs, such as videos, workbooks, shadowing sessions, conferences and seminars, coaching programs, and simulation methods. You will also need to determine the learning method, be it individual or group training, online or in-person, self-paced or structured timeline, and so on.
Choosing the right training tool and method will depend on the purpose of the training or the skill that needs to be learned. This is another area where the experience of Q2 HR Solutions experts can help your company select the best tool and method to maximize employee growth initiatives.
Get Employee Feedback
Get feedback from the employees who participated after implementing training. Asking how the program helped them and the areas that need improvement enable you to determine how to refine the program for future use.
Note that you should do this after the training ends as soon as possible to ensure the activities conducted are still fresh on everyone’s mind. Make sure to allow employees to give feedback anonymously to encourage honesty. Doing all these will be a way to let workers know that the company values their input and feelings, boosting their morale.
Create a Plan for Monitoring Performance
The only way to determine the effectiveness and success of a training program is to monitor workforce performance and measure training results afterward. After a certain period, check with managers and supervisors to know if key performance indicators (KPIs) are being met.
Creating a plan for monitoring performance should be done before training begins. All data gathered afterward will be used to determine if tweaks in the program are needed, as well as what areas should be continued and what shouldn’t.
Benefits of Employee Growth
Investing in training and development programs for employees doesn’t just benefit workers but the companies they are employed in as well. Here are some of them:
Higher Workforce Retention
As mentioned earlier, workers are more encouraged to stay in a company if they see plenty of growth opportunities. Higher employee retention rates benefit companies because it is more cost-effective and time-saving to retain top talent than to hire new employees. Plus, low employee turnover rates improve a company’s image.
Better Customer Satisfaction
Employees who are more skilled and equipped to fulfill their jobs directly impact how they interact and serve customers, resulting in better customer satisfaction. In contrast, workers with significant skill and knowledge gaps can cause customers to have a negative impression of the company.
Creates Future Leaders
When you invest in skills development programs for your workforce, you are training talent who can serve as the company’s future leaders. This enables you to select up-and-coming leaders from a talent group that is already loyal to the organization and familiar with its systems and processes. In contrast, sourcing talent for executive positions outside of the company can often be time-consuming, challenging, and costly.
Find an HR Solutions Firm To Boost Employee Development
Taking steps to boost employee growth is a must for all companies as it positively impacts both workers and employers. For these initiatives, it is best to contact experts experienced in using the right strategies and techniques to devise highly impactful training and development programs, such as Q2 HR Solutions.
We understand that a high-quality workforce is the backbone of any organization’s success. Thus, as a fully integrated HR and recruitment company in the Philippines, a part of our expertise is helping various companies take the proper steps to boost growth through employee collaborative learning strategies and other innovative tools and methods.
Schedule a meeting with us today to learn more about how we can help you!
FAQs About Training and Development Programs
What Are Examples of Training and Development?
Examples of training and development include the following:
Onboarding
Internal Training
Outsourced Training
Management Training
Technical Skills Training
Product Training
Mandatory Training
What Is the Difference Between Training and Development?
Whereas training refers to the process of acquiring new skills and knowledge for employees, development focuses more on the overall growth of workers and is, therefore, more long-term in nature.
What Are the Challenges Facing Training and Development?
There are many challenges concerning training and development, such as insufficient resources, lack of employee engagement, incorrect training tools and methods, geographic limitations, or even language barriers.
Conclusion
Training and development opportunities offered by a company are crucial factors in attracting candidates and retaining top talent. As such, organization leaders should give more thought to crafting effective programs to support employee growth through various strategies. At the end of the day, workers who are provided with the resources to upskill and increase their learning contribute significantly to the company’s success.
Q2 HR Solutions is one call away should you need guidance in implementing the right training methods to enhance workforce performance. Contact us today to discover how our expertise can fulfill your needs. You can also join us in our upcoming HRIcon event to get the latest news and insights from experts in the field.
