Wood Words

Training on a Shoestring for Middle Tennessee Employers

In times like these, how can you afford employee training?

Given our country’s current economic situation, many managers and HR professionals like you understandably struggle with training expenditures.  Should you cancel upcoming classes?  Postpone all your plans until a brighter tomorrow?  While these solutions may seem attractive to your bottom line, they are probably too drastic.  The fact is, you need to continually train staff to remain competitive.  Why?

  • Training keeps you and your staff on the cutting edge of your industry.
  • Training keeps your employees motivated, interested and innovative.
  • Training increases efficiency levels, while minimizing errors and delays.
  • Training boosts worker morale, confidence and collaboration.

So when it comes to your staff – especially knowledge workers – the question isn’t, “How can we afford to train employees?” it’s, “How can we afford not to?”  Try these ideas to creatively enrich your staff – without breaking the bank:

Cross train.  To keep workers from feeling isolated or stagnant when budgets are tight, consider rotating them through different tasks and/or projects.  Their new skills will make them more versatile assets to your organization, while encouraging collaboration among work groups.

Use inside trainers.  Does anyone within your organization already have the expertise you’re trying to teach other employees?  If so, consider developing that individual as an in-house trainer.  You can easily go online and access a “train the trainer” program, and then use your new inside trainer to educate other staff.

Leverage your training resources.  Building on the last point, your inside trainer can create a PowerPoint which covers the training material.  You can then use a software sharing program (such as NetMeeting or WebEx) to conduct the training with small groups at other locations – and save yourself the travel costs.

Bring in temporary experts.  If you lack internal knowledge or resources, consider hiring a trainer through a staffing service for a short-term contract.  Give him access to existing materials and the direct staff he’ll be training, so he can quickly and cost-effectively customize the training to your company’s culture, values and goals.  Once the training is complete, so are your additional expenses.

Barter training services with other companies.  Collaborate with other organizations to share your knowledge.  If a company is in the midst of a systems upgrade you’re considering, send a representative from your staff to observe, learn and share his findings with his colleagues.  Likewise, if your workers are well-versed in operating a specific type of new equipment, invite team members from another organization in for a training seminar.  Not surprisingly, collaborative efforts like these work best when participating companies are not in direct competition.

When you need highly trained and experienced workers immediately, give Wood Personnel a call.  Throughout Middle Tennessee, we rapidly deliver temporary, contract and direct staff to keep your business competitive.  Contact us today to learn more.

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