Some may argue that training and developing employees is unnecessary because they should have come with the required skills, expertise, and experience when they were hired. However, employees who are coached on their performance and given opportunities to learn and grow are better able to accomplish their jobs, are more invested, are more likely to go above and beyond, and are more likely to produce high-quality outputs. New knowledge and experience can be empowering, allowing an employee and their supervisors to unlock potential.
Training and development programs help businesses attract and keep the best talent, boost morale, increase productivity and, as a result, raise profits. By investing in their employees’ training and growth, businesses help ensure that their workers possess the specific set of expertise that they need to perform their jobs effectively.
Many organizations’ training and development programs aim to increase productivity by teaching workers new skills or enhancing those they already possess. Businesses with engaged and committed workers also benefit from lower absenteeism, increased output, and higher retention. Here are five learning and development opportunities that leadership can offer their employees.
1. Cross-training
By practicing cross-training, you train people to work in several different roles, which may fall outside their primary duties. The benefit of cross-training is having people able to perform jobs that may unexpectedly become vacant. It also teaches employees to become more flexible, enabling you to react quickly to disruptive business conditions and changing goals. Cross-training also helps strengthen team relationships as it helps team members understand what others do.
2. Peer coaching
In a peer coaching scenario, two people of equal status participate in helping each other on specific tasks, such as projects or problem-solving. Through peer coaching, colleagues may learn from one another, allowing them to refine their process and expand their knowledge.
3. Classroom-style learning
Class-room style learning is not much different from learning as you did in school. The training sessions are led by a qualified facilitator or a trainer. This type of learning is best when employees need to consume larger amounts of knowledge, such as case studies or company policies.
4. Online training/Webinars
The benefit of online training or eLearning is that employees can attend training sessions anywhere, never having to leave their desks. Many companies invest in their own online coaching portals designed by their teams. In contrast, other companies tap into the many available platforms that provide webinars, specifically choosing modules for their sector.
5. Coaching from manager
When people hear that they’ve been scheduled to be coached by their manager, their immediate thought might be that they’re about to be reprimanded. However, coaching an employee is not only about bad behavior, poor performance, warnings, and corrective action. Coaching can be approached as mentoring and an opportunity for a manager to pass on valuable skills and knowledge to an employee that needs extra guidance or has shown potential. When managers coach employees and demonstrate that communication channels are open, they show that talent is valued and shows commitment to the employees’ future.
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