ARTICLE

"IS WORKPLACE TRAINING BENEFICIAL?"
Australian Businesswomen Network E-Newsletter
July 2004

Today, more and more employers are realising the benefits of providing training to their employees. Training costs are small compared to the costs that may be incur without investment in workplace training. As your business continues to grow, new skills are required to meet the market’s ever-changing demands, and training serves as an investment for the future.

Training may be at both a personal and professional level. Either way, personal development translates to professional development – it is a natural progression. If you want your staff to change what they do, or their approach to issues and problems – change how they think! Once you change the way a person thinks, the rest will follow.

Workplace Habits
Workplace habits training provides employees with a foundation from which they can better understand what they do and how they do it. We each have a personal style of working, so understanding who you are, and why you do what you do, or why the person who sits next to you does what they do, helps us to empathise and become more aware of the impact our behaviour has on others. So, how do we gain the self-awareness to help us change the way we think?

Preferred vs Non-Preferred
Through training and development, an understanding of your preferred versus non-preferred
way of working can be achieved. We all have entrenched workplace habits. However, these may not be the most efficient way to do things. Being efficient in the workplace could mean working in your non-preferred way in order to get the optimum structure and foundation from which to operate.

You may not like the non-preferred way of working, but understanding that this is what it takes to work efficiently can assist in accepting and recognising new workplace habits. Look at it as a way of learning new skills. If you keep working the same way, you will keep getting the same results, so in order to get a different result, you need to work differently.

Lack of workplace efficiency skills training can result in a range of problems, such as employees working long hours yet productivity remaining low, high stress levels, lack of clarity about job role and responsibilities, lack of competency, things going missing and the feeling of being out of control.

Often it is assumed that everyone knows how to work efficiently. Efficiency is generally not taught as part of a degree, diploma or other trade qualifications. Unless you are a naturally organised person, this is a learnt skill.

By providing your staff with a choice of workplace habits, and the ability to choose the appropriate habits for individual situations, training ultimately leads to a happier, healthier and more productive work environment.

Five Benefits of Workplace Training

1. Increase Staff Motivation
When staff are provided with training that enables them to work more efficiently, they often claim to feel lighter – as if a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. This not only leads to higher motivation levels and the confidence to come up with ideas, but also a willingness to take on the responsibility of making any changes.

2. Increase in Productivity and Improve Service
With the increase in motivation, staff become aware of the benefits of improved workflow and are able to further increase productivity and service levels with little extra effort and great returns.

3. Enhance Job Satisfaction
Most people know what it feels like to have a good day at the office. Usually this is when everything has run smoothly, and production and service have run like clockwork. This results in feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment. When staff understand the choices they need to make in order for them to have a good day every day, it gives them added job satisfaction.

4. Knowledge
Sharing this new-found knowledge is a benefit to the business. As staff become able to multi-task, there is a reduction in the need to bring in external resources to complete the work. The self-confidence gained with this new knowledge provides them with a healthy level of perspective and self-esteem that will see them through more stressful periods.

5. Improve Staff Loyalty
Staff are the greatest asset in any business. When you provide training to your staff, it demonstrates a belief, trust and commitment to their continued employment. It is also a tangible display of their value to you as an employee, and a sign that their skills and knowledge are highly regarded as a way of contributing to the success of the business. Through increased loyalty, staff training can minimise employee turnover.

The consequences of a lack of training have the potential to be disastrous to the business and future employment opportunities. By providing professional workplace efficiency training, you and your staff can learn the fundamental skills necessary to break out of old habits and become organised in the workplace.

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