Managing Employee Training

By James A. Baker
Founder
Baker Communications

One of the most important tasks of a manager is to ensure that employees are properly trained. We are all aware of this, yet many of us have a tendency to enroll a new employee in the company training program or assign a senior employee to mentor them, and consider the job done. Additional training for existing employees tends to be a low priority because it takes time away from their regular work.

Then, when an employee is ineffective, lacks knowledge of company policy, or demonstrates a poor understanding of how to do some aspect of their work correctly, we wrongly assume the problem is with the employee.

Managers are busy people. With so much on your plate, taking the time to ensure your team is properly trained can be a challenge. However, good training is critical to the success of your employees and your team. Aside from the most obvious advantage - that a properly trained employee will be able to perform his or her job effectively and efficiently - there are a number of other reasons why training your employees well should be a top priority.

Employee Morale
Employees want training, especially when they are new on the job. Very few people enjoy being thrown into an uncertain situation without first being equipped with the necessary tools to handle it. When you, your company trainers, and senior employees take the time to make sure the employee has all the training they need to be successful, it demonstrates that you care about and are willing to invest in the employee’s success. For the new recruit, this inspires confidence in the company and a willingness to adapt to their new role.

An effectively trained employee will be able to integrate more smoothly with your existing staff and gain the approval of co-workers. The resulting positive feedback will keep new employees happy and motivated. A well-trained team functions better as a group, which fosters higher morale, and contributes to greater success.

Proper training, and the resulting level of confidence and satisfaction, greatly contributes to employee retention. Nothing will kill an employee’s motivation like being left to flounder and fail. An employee who dreads coming to work every day because they don’t know what they are doing is not an employee who is likely to stick around for long. Employee turnover is a costly and inconvenient problem - far more costly and inconvenient than getting the employee adequate training to begin with.

Making Your Job Easier
While taking time out of your regular schedule to help with training may seem like a hassle at the time, your return on investment is likely to make it all worthwhile. You know that good training will give you a more effective employee, but what does that mean for you in the long run?

For one thing, you’ll spend less time compiling constructive feedback and cleaning up after the mistakes and messes made by a poorly trained employee. Someone who doesn’t understand their job, know the proper procedures, or have adequate resources will only create problems. These headaches and problems can all be averted by providing thorough training at the outset.
A well-trained employee will be better able to take responsibility for their own work, and ask fewer questions. While you should always be open to questions from employees, especially during the initial training period, the ultimate goal is to get your personnel up and running on their own two feet.

Once they find their footing, employees will gain proficiency and eventually develop into a valuable resource - someone to whom you can delegate. Delegation is one of your most powerful management tools, but obviously you won’t be able to assign anything to an employee who doesn’t understand the job. Grooming employees to take on more responsibilities is an important priority with huge potential payoff for the manager.

The Benefits of Effective Training
Effective employee training is a group effort, but the final responsibility for ensuring your employees are adequately trained rests on you as the manager. The training process is time intensive, but in the long run the investment is well worth the effort. Your team members will be more motivated, more confident, more effective, and more able to take on responsibility. Good training is the foundation of your team’s future success.

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