Measuring results
Before an employee begins training, testing the skills that will be built upon is important. Testing will help determine where the employees’ skills are today and where they need to be after training. Making sure the employee, trainer and you are on the same page with expectations will help eliminate any miscommunication about future performance expectations.
“In this economy, training has got to be all about the company,” Murphy says. “It has to tie back to the company and meet what the company’s needs are. Results can be measured through testing but also with employee retention, revenue increases and post-education growth.”
Prior to training, discuss the reason for the education and the way the training will be measured with the employee. Tell the employee how the new knowledge directly impacts his or her daily responsibilities. Managers should tie the training into performance evaluations to determine its true impact on the enhanced ability to perform.
“Measure how the training impacted the bottom line and process improvement,” Ulrich says. “Setting up metrics for efficacy of training will help you monitor the impact training has on job performance and revenue in years to come.”
Even after trimming the education budget, some companies say the cost is too much to handle right now. If you still believe in education, but can’t afford it, reassess it in nine months. In the meantime, use in-house training and coaching capabilities.
“Speak with the university to see what options they may have for you when money is tight,” Murphy says. “Don’t run too quickly to, ‘We can’t do anything right now.’”
