The importance of staff engagement by Kevin Young, Managing Director, Skillsoft on 20-May-2014

UK  businesses are under more pressure than ever. With restricted resources, more competition and quickly-shifting markets, a highly-trained and adaptable workforce can be the key to success, says Kevin Young, Managing Director at Skillsoft.

With job titles and responsibilities ever-changing and expanding and the growing need for employees to stay ahead in a competitive job market, staff training has become a hot topic. Whilst some businesses may argue that they don't have the time or money to train their employees, these organisations could find that they are losing out and hindering overall business growth by not implementing integrated training methods in the workplace.

Many organisations may have different policies when it comes to training staff, but one thing that most can agree on is that training employees and actively engaging in staff development can provide a number of fundamental benefits.

Productivity

In order for a business to run at its most efficient, it requires a well-trained and knowledgeable workforce. For this reason, one of the early benefits - and often the main objective - of employee training is to improve productivity within the organisation at its very foundations. Training staff can be a necessary step in boosting business efficiency and developing accomplished and productive staff.

Research has shown that an individual's productivity levels can increase by eight per cent if they can apply their training specifically to their role. Meaning that on-the-job training can significantly increase the employee's productivity.

Competitiveness

A business is only as strong as its workforce and failing to recognise strengths and weaknesses of employees could be detrimental to the growth of the organisation. Workers need to be encouraged and supported by their employers and given the tools to further their knowledge in order to meet the growing expectations of a highly-competitive industry.

Up-to-date training is one way to ensure your employees are always aware of the changing climates in their respective industries. Furthermore, if your staff are not trained to work competitively within their fields, it could mean that your company may lose out to one who has invested time and money in employee development and, as a consequence, has a more proficient workforce.

Improving company culture

Flourishing businesses are ones where staff are kept engaged and feel valued. Poor company culture and lack of training are often amongst the most common issues that staff feel affect their overall well-being and happiness in the workplace. Not only can an unhappy work environment have a detrimental impact on the company's profitability and productivity, but unhappy employees are more likely to feel less company loyalty and may produce lower quality work due to lack of motivation.

Continuous training can lead to employees feeling much more engaged and integrated within the company they work for. When an employer invests time and money in staff development, it makes them feel more valued and happy in the work environment and in turn leads to positive results for the company.

Business agility

The business landscape is constantly evolving; with customers' and clients' needs changing. In order to address this and thrive within this developing market, it is essential that the businesses, and employees, are adequately prepared and able to respond faster to their daily demands. By ensuring that learning is a continuous part of every employees' work life, workers will feel more confident and be better at their jobs, while businesses will benefit from a more skilled and responsive workforce that are able to adapt and thrive in ever-changing markets.

Cost

In the long-term, having a poorly trained workforce can often cost you more than you might think as it may lead to your business losing out on significant customers and hefty profits. However, if approached appropriately, training doesn't have to be an expensive commodity, or take up too much of the employees' time.

With the advancement of technology and the evolution of e-learning platforms, businesses are able to offer high-quality and interactive training that can be undertaken anytime, anywhere; allowing employees the flexibility of having access to ongoing training and support as and when needed.

As well as saving money, these types of e-learning courses can save time by being able to deliver training to a larger number of staff at the same time.

As the UK workforce continues to evolve, it is essential that training methods are also moving forward to meet the changing needs of the job market. Without a proper training policy in place, businesses could find that they are putting themselves at risk of being unable to thrive in such a competitive landscape. Investing in your staff;s development has a number of short-term and long-term benefits that will increase productivity, improve company culture and fundamentally assist your company's overall growth.

For more information, please visit: www.skillsoft.com

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