Is More Training Needed Within My Organization?
As an employer, when you notice your employees having performance issues, you want to help them. Your first thought is to most likely provide them with some sort of training, so they can perform tasks the way you want and need them to.
But, wait a minute. How do you know that training is going to be the most effective answer to your problem? For training to be effective it needs to be the right answer to the root cause of the issue, and you need to be in the position to reinforce and reward the new behavior you are seeking to change.
As an organization, you might be doing all the rights steps to train the learner, but if the performance of the learner doesn’t change, then training might not be the issue. Effective training is to provide the learner with knowledge or skill, but if the root of the issue stems from a behavior or productivity issue, training might not be the solution. While there may be similarities between the two, training issues and performance issues are very different and it’s up to your organization to identify which is the cause.
- Will training get to the root cause of the performance problem?
These questions can help you identify the root cause of the issue as well as what to do to fix the problem.
- Do your employees know what you want them to do?
—You need to be a clear communicator, explain your expectations and check to confirm their understanding. Sometimes we think we have been clear but in reality, we have left out important information.
- Are they aware that they are not doing it?
—You can coach them and help them recognize their own gaps.
- Do they know how to do that job?
— If the employee doesn’t know how to do it, or if they need a refresher, then training is the best solution
- Is there a roadblock keeping them from doing the job as required?
—Your job is to discover and remove the obstacle preventing their success.
- Is there a physical or emotional issue in their way?
—Seek help from your HR department.
- Do your employees want to do the job?
—This is the most difficult problem. If you find the job is not a good fit for the employee, you may determine the employee will not stay in that position.
- Will you recognize and reward the new positive behavior?
Many leaders pay for their employees to be trained, but don’t give recognition to employees’ new, positive behaviors. New behaviors need to be nurtured. If employees have put in the effort to master a new way of doing things, they need and deserve clear and positive feedback. If their effort isn’t acknowledged, they may revert to their old methods. “Nobody cares…why should I bother?”
- Will you provide opportunities to reinforce the new skills throughout the year?
Many things we learn slip away because we aren’t called on to use them on a regular basis. To keep what has been learned fresh, hold weekly/monthly huddles to discuss what is working/not working from the training. Have one on one discussions with trainees. Refresher webinars can also help you make the most of your investment.
If you would like to learn more about training within your organization, contact StC today.
