You CAN Teach Them New Tricks
“What’s training really worth?”
It’s a question all companies face when aiming to develop strong employees. However, there is some concern as to whether or not the cost is justified in today’s economic climate. The question being, does training contribute to the bottom line? There’s also the long-standing criticism that training employees will ultimately help them land new jobs – resulting in your valuable, well-trained assets (fresh skill set included) walking out the door. 
A recent piece from CIO Insight’s Brian P. Watson addresses this very issue, noting that “too often, CIOs train their workers on technologies that will benefit the IT operation, but not necessarily the overall business.”
He states that CIOs should create training programs that address and benefit the business as a whole, not just IT department concerns. This a key strategy for the IT department, and easily translates to other departments within an organization. Watson profiles Mykolas Rambus, CIO of Forbes Media, who embarked on a training program for his employees that went beyond traditional IT issues to focus on other operational aspects like hiring and firing, as well as on “emotional intelligence.” It is such instruction-across-disciplines concept that truly digs into the value of training.
As employees take on larger roles with increasingly diverse responsibilities throughout the workplace, people are being forced to do more with less. Managers will be making a costly mistake by choosing to simply pile on new tasks, especially if such obligations reach beyond the employee’s experience or educational wherewithal. Though an investment, installing a multi-faceted training program will do wonders to strengthen the skill set and morale of your workforce. In today’s economic climate, you’re going to have to fight for your training budget, but it’s a justified battle as it ultimately benefits the business when done right.
The other half of the equation is team building. Watson aptly notes that training is key in building a bedrock of strong team relationships. He writes, “Giving workers the opportunity to expand their skill sets and hone existing specialties helps keep them satisfied in good times, but can also help boost morale in bad times, when little else does the trick.”
With all these benefits, it looks like training is one area still worth investing in while finances are lean. If you want to succeed, you must invest in your biggest asset – your employees. It’s like the old saying, “you need to spend money to make money.” Well, you definitely need to invest in your employees if you want them to excel and contribute to your company’s bottom line.
