The Importance of Training & Development | Source

The Importance of Training and Development for a Successful Workforce

Career change

 

Have you got a training and development strategy in your agency? Rather than implementing a plan for future succession, many agencies simply live in the ‘here and now’ when it comes to their workforce. This often means a lack of training and development, which is frequently viewed as an unnecessary cost.

The truth is that failing to provide adequate training and development can often lead to employees becoming stale within their roles, or leaving to join competitors. The result of this can mean higher costs for the agency and an unhappy workforce. There are many reasons for the importance of training and development within a growing workforce. As Source LF grows I can see the benefits of training and development in our team, are you implementing similar strategies in your agency?

Why is Training Important?

Improve Employee Performance

Providing adequate training and development can allow staff to grow within their role and develop their skills and knowledge within different areas. The performance of employees can be greatly improved through the implementation of training and development and can make them feel more engaged and motivated within the company. They will feel valued that the company is investing time and money into them, which in turn will make them more motivated to improve their performance.

Understand Development Areas

Training and development is not designed to focus on weaknesses, but it is a way of understanding areas which may require focus and improvement. No one performs their jobs perfectly, but having a good understanding of any weaknesses will allow the company to provide a suitable training and development program. In turn, this will help employees to perform at their optimum level.

Investment for the Future

The world of employment is becoming increasingly competitive and many agencies are struggling to fill vital roles due to a skills shortage. The mistake that many employers make is to invest resources and effort into recruiting new members of staff when they already have the talent available in-house. If you can provide training and development for current staff to allow them to move into other hard to fill roles, it will eliminate a huge headache further down the line. It makes sense to invest in the talent you already have and this will also make staff feel more valued in the agency.

Retain Staff

It is a common belief that employees are only interested in the size of their pay packet, but this is not always the case. Of course, the amount of money you are paid is significant in terms of enjoying a good lifestyle and in many ways, it shows what value you have to the agency. In reality, most workers are also interested in developing within the agency and if they are, it is important to retain these individuals. The retainment of staff is important in any industry, but particularly those with a skills shortage.

Stability

Most of us don’t like change and by offering training and development programmes, you can provide a stable workforce, which is beneficial for all parties, including clients. Employees develop a rapport and relationship with clients over a period of time and they build up a knowledge and understanding of how their business operates.  It can cause a lot of upheaval for clients if there is a high turnaround of staff and it doesn’t give a good impression of the agency’s ability to retain staff. A stable workforce is beneficial for everyone and this can be created by providing good training and development opportunities to keep staff motivated and happy within their role.

Competitiveness

When employees are constantly developing their talent, it can give the overall agency a competitive edge, which can enable them to become more profitable. If you provide a specific service to a long standing client, you may be able to expand the services you can offer by developing your current workforce.

What are your thoughts on the importance of training and development in the workplace? Have you ever left a role due to lack of training? We would love to hear about your experiences!

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Date published
Date modified
23/04/2018
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