Working to Improve Training Productivity

It is a sad fact that not a lot of companies conduct necessary training programs for their employees. And for those few companies that actually do, their training productivity needs to be improved.

Usually, companies conduct some training sessions for their new employees to familiarize the latter with their corporate procedures, policies and culture. This may be done by an older employee who shows a new employee around an office or workplace. Some companies, particularly in highly competitive industries, conduct employee orientation that may take weeks and even months. Within the duration of this training, the trainee is taught the company’s products, processes and competition. Generally, these companies believe that these sessions will eventually lead to an impressive performance from the employees. It is therefore, unfortunate that this viewpoint is not shared by several other companies. According to a report by the American Society for Training and Development, budget for training per employee did not reach $1,500 as of 1996. This reflects the fact that several companies are hesitant to spend even one centavo in training since the results that they initially got from these did not work to their advantage. This is especially true for companies that are experiencing high turnover rates. This is where training metrics come in. With the identification of the essential training metrics, companies would be able to ensure that the training programs they implemented will lead to significant return on investment (ROI) on their part.

The employment and designation of effective Human Resource personnel is a crucial contributor to making training programs productive. These people should be able to design the necessary training programs that employees will need for career development. They should also be able to provide venues for employees to hone their existing skills and develop new ones that will help them qualify for higher positions in the organization. Several studies show that employees become more motivated when they see a lot of training and development opportunities within the workplace. In the same way, high employee satisfaction shows a direct correlation with productivity.

Training needs of organizations are not constant. They will vary because of the difference in size, goals and nature of these companies. A number of factors would have to be considered in assessing the training needs of an organization. Some of these may include the pace of technological and organizational change, the increasing number of related jobs in similar fields, complexity of the working environment and the need to acquire new skills.

HR personnel who are tasked as training managers should be able to prepare training sessions that are conducted either onsite or in training classrooms. They should also prepare all the materials needed to help achieve training objectives. These training specialists should likewise be able to respond to skills development requests from both corporate officials and skilled workers. They should also regularly consult with onsite supervisors in order to identify areas where employees could improve through skills learning and development. Thorough planning and careful implementation of career development programs will surely reflect high training productivity.