An article originally posted on LinkedIn, our Business Development Manager, Laura discusses the importance of developing staff – even if they leave.
So: An MD asks his FD – why pay to train staff if they end up leaving us?
Good question, but ask yourself this – without investing in training for your staff would your company be where it is today?
Working in the built environment sector for almost 10 years and leading a global training team, I have witnessed many managers and business owners point blank refuse to spend a penny on training courses for their staff.
Times may have been tough in recent years but in my opinion the success of a company is in its’ people.
Pay your staff well, invest in them and offer them opportunities to grow and you’ll be surprised at the outcome; amongst obvious benefits such as staff satisfaction and increased staff retention – you will notice a huge motivational increase which in turn should have a positive effect on results; particularly for productivity.
In my eyes, there are two forms of training: Product Training and Soft Skills Training.
Take 20 of your Business Development Managers and invest in LinkedIn training – demonstrating how to successfully use LinkedIn to increase network contacts and generate new meetings and you’ll very quickly see a return on investment – this is a classic example of product related training and the success of this training can be easily measured.
However, on the other hand it can be difficult to measure the success of soft skills training as the effects are intangible and take effect over a longer period; this type of training will however have a deeper effect on the individual; chances are it will carve a new and fruitful journey for the individual as well as the business.
Once you’ve made the decision to invest in training, make sure you choose the correct course and training method to suit the needs of your staff. Today there are many different forms of training – traditional face to face, live webinars, online distance learning, workshops and more; it’s important that you make the right choice here.
Contact Laura Melvin:
[email protected]
+44(0)797 217 2147