When to train employees--and why

by Stan Sinclair, Managing Member

The famed motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said: “The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training employees and keeping them.”  He was referring to a fear that is apparently widespread among employers: that if they offer too much training to their employees, they’ll leave and go somewhere else with the skills they’ve developed.

In nearly every case, however, the opposite is true; people who’ve received significant training opportunities are grateful to the organizations who have provided them with the chance to improve their skills and abilities.  Whether you provide in house training by fellow employees or by organizations like ours, send people to local seminars, give them time to participate in “webinars,” or offer them the opportunity to pursue degree opportunities at local institutions of higher learning, you’ll soon find that training is a great employee benefit that helps you keep good employees and make them more productive.

There are any number of areas in which employee training makes good sense.  Most employers, however, offer training for one of four reasons:

·      When an employee is not doing well, and an improvement in his or her performance is needed. (Many Federal agencies make training an important part of Performance Improvement Plans.)

·      To teach employees about specific topics, such as communication, customer service, computer security, ethics, human relations, quality and safety.

·      As part of succession planning, to help employees be ready to assume new duties in their organization.

·      As part of overall professional development programs for employees.

I was very proud to have been appointed Dean of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Learning University (VALU.)  As an “in-house university,” and as a catalyst for Department-wide learning initiatives and strategies that develop and sustain a high performing workforce, VALU demonstrates VA’s commitment to continuous learning programs for all its employees. 

At VALU, we knew that employee training was not something nice for us to do for our employees; it was a necessity if we were going to have a Department that could meet the needs of America’s veterans in the 21^st century.  I’m proud of what we accomplished in the development of VA’s future leaders at VALU, and what the organization continues to accomplish today under the leadership of those who have succeeded me.

If your organization or company wants to remain competitive in today’s environment (and tomorrow’s) you need a solid training program.  If you need assistance in developing one, let us know.  We’ll be glad to help!