- February 15, 2021
-
Matthew F. Fox
- 3 min
Technology advances quickly, and the past year has presented us with a transformation in how we work that is highly dependent on improvement to the tools we use in response to a shift towards working from home. The shift is more than a temporary change for many businesses. It has quickly gone from an unplanned experiment to a strategic decision that looks beyond how we’re functioning during the pandemic, quickly becoming our next normal.
An immersive workspace is no longer limited to a desk in our Towers; the 9-to-5 workday is dead; and the employee experience is about more than ping-pong tables and snacks.
The choice of many professionals to move toward permanent remote working also plays a major role, with 23% of responses in a recent Blind survey stated having moved away from a major city since the shift to WFH began.
Advantages provided by Cloud-based services, collaboration tools, video-based communications, and other advancements went from new-and-different to commonplace almost overnight. Without proper training, though, these potential advantages can cause frustration, reduce the efficiencies they often promise, and even present risks to your team members and business.
According to Blissfully’s 2020 Annual SaaS Trends report, the average mid-market business (101-999) employees use 185 different applications. While the sheer number of applications in use may justify the idea of training, training is much more than ensuring your team uses tools at their disposal properly. Training ensures tools are used efficiently and help team members work together to accomplish goals, improve workplace satisfaction and retention – and it even plays a role in company culture.
Training establishes standards and improves performance
Employees that receive training, especially regularly, have improved skills and knowledge of their job, as well as greater confidence in their abilities. You’re effectively helping to establish goals and you’re providing the resources to achieve them.
When entire teams are trained at once, both expectations and the procedures to meet or exceed them are established. Group training can also lead to a reduced need for supervision as each team member has a better understanding of what’s expected of each other – and how to support each other when things aren’t going as planned.
Training is an investment in your business and your team members
Offering training helps boost morale among employees. It shows that they’re valued and contributing to a supportive workplace; something that’s incredibly important considering many no longer work from the same location.
Training also offers an improved understanding of tools and ways to achieve goals, often leading to new ideas. A greater understanding of tools can encourage creativity and introduce new points of view when building strategies to achieve established goals.
While it may not be extra vacation days or other perks, the right types of training are often seen as a benefit by prospective employees. It’s a move that generates a return in the form of productivity for your business, and additional skills for their resume. Most importantly, it can be viewed as an investment that can lead to a reduction in turnover and related expenses, as well as an increase in opportunities to hire from within.
Training contributes to business culture and attracts talent
Implementing an effective training strategy can also make a positive impact on business culture.
Offering training helps attract graduates and professionals looking to make mid-career changes and instantly makes a business more attractive to anyone who wants to improve their skills and the opportunities associated with them. It helps improve your business’s profile and makes it a place people are drawn to, providing you with the ability to pick the most ideal members for your team.
Iterative improvement is a major part of Valiant’s culture and critical to ensuring we deliver services that exceed expectations. From our service team to our sales department, we make training a regular part of our roles – continually identifying areas for improvement and creating strategies that turn weaknesses into strengths and positive customer outcomes.
