3 Thoughts on Best Practices for Employee Training

3 Thoughts on Best Practices for Employee Training
by Leif H. Smith, Psy.D.

There is no #1 best strategy, but with most companies there is probably a better strategy than the current one. With regards to training, it always needs to be aligned first with corporate mission. I find this isn't always the case. Training consultations should be specifically tailored to corporate needs (top-down approach), as determined by corporate mission. Many companies use an "off the shelf" vendor approach (bottom-up), whereby they have money available to spend, and then seek out someone to provide some general training for employees based on current situations (which may or may not represent typical corporate culture) or issues.
The benefits received from training (increased employee cohesion, improved communication, improved leadership among mid-level management, etc) need to be evaluated with regards to up-front investment. Your investment should be returned ten- fold (at a minimum) with regards to concrete, measurable results. Thus, an investment of $10,000 in a one day training sales seminar should result in at least $100,000 in increased productivity (as a unit or division). Far too few companies measure their ROI with regards to training consultations.
Any opportunity to bring in quality, outside training consultation should be exploited, as it provides a new perspective, an objective viewpoint, and a catalyst for improved employee culture in any aspect. These are benefits you don't receive from using in-house training staff.

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