Goal setting
Training that educates employees on ways to increase revenue or decrease expenses or that improves relationships with customers is a business necessity and has a place in your training regimen.
Determine what your company needs to work on and what areas you need to continue to grow in as well as the basics to keep up with the competition.
“Keep in mind what you’ve done in the past — what worked, what didn’t work and what direction you need to go in order to improve on past mistakes,” says Victoria Culbreth, executive director, educational outreach, Northern Kentucky University. “Ask employees what it would take to do their job better. You can do this through survey or just asking them.”
Considering who will be receiving the training is an important step. Being wise about your budget means training those who are in a position to benefit the company most instead of offering a la carte training to whoever is willing to trade a few hours of work for classroom duty.
“Look at opportunities to reduce costs, period,” says Thomas E. Murphy, executive professor, Miami University. “You can’t think about the employee selection as an emotional choice. People that want to keep learning are the best employees to educate. Not growing or challenging these minds stops the ability to progress as a company.”
Considering the type of education you need has equal importance to the way the education is delivered. While some companies find online courses give employers the best return on investment while saving on travel and driving time, others find in-house courses or a classroom setting to be the best delivery method for employees.
