As 2009 is rapidly coming to a close, I know many companies are evaluating 2009 and planning their budgets for 2010. This year has been a rough one in terms of the economy. However, it looks like we are having some good indicators that we are at least beginning the recovery process. Some companies cut back on training budgets for 2009. As a proponent for training (as if you can’t tell from my blog posts) I have been thinking lately about how to encourage organizations to add that training component back to their budgets for 2010.
A favorite quote of mine is: “If you always do, what you always did, you will always get, what you always got!” I think that quote applies here for companies that want better productivity and effectiveness from their employees but haven’t been willing to change how they do training. I think that it is vital that companies look at their training “return on investment”. How have the current training practices translated into increased production, engagement and employee development?
In a recession environment, more is required of every employee. Training is even more crucial in this setting. As just one example, I think about how Versitas Outlook training classes that I have done have helped employees process their email, schedule, and other items more efficiently. Many people are self-taught Outlook users and so may not know about some helpful practices to manage their electronic inboxes and schedules.
After the Outlook training sessions, I’ve received feedback from many students about how the tips and tricks they learned would help them feel less overwhelmed in their jobs. Many of these classes were 1/2 day training sessions, so only required 3 hours! Having a feeling of empowerment over the huge number of emails received daily can make a big difference in how productive a person is in their job.
Obviously, corporations working on their training budgets want to develop their priorities and align those with the training classes they need. I think it is important to make sure the training provider is able to customize and focus the training sessions to be efficient and effective. I think they should ask how they can get the best value for their clients and stakeholders. The recession has caused all of us to look at how to work smarter. I think training deserves to be considered a key component of that thought process.
When some organizations think about providing training for their employees, they sometimes worry about the logistics of having the training on-site. What they usually find out is that they needn’t have worried at all. You don’t need to have a dedicated training room to have a successful training class on-site. The training room setup can prove to be very simple.