9 Powerful Benefits of Global Employee Training & Development
Clarke Ricks School of Business,
Liberty University
BUSI 690: Policy and Strategy in Global Competition
Dr. Hicks
May 7, 2022
9 Powerful Benefits of Global Employee Training & Development
Training employees should be at the top of most organizations' learning strategies.
When you offer employees training opportunities for personal and professional
development, you build a learning culture that benefits the entire organization. Workers can
develop a range of skills to achieve their career goals while you benefit from increased
employee engagement and productivity stemming from training initiatives.
It's clear that learning benefits workers and is ultimately good for the organization.
Businesses that create and execute a robust enterprise learning strategy will also experience
other positive impacts. These benefits extend far beyond the expected perks like increased
efficiency. In addition to keeping workers engaged, there are other reasons for organizations
to build a powerful learning and development strategy.
Here are the most powerful benefits of employee training an organization can expect to
receive:
1. Increased employee performance
While positive attributes, such as a willingness to work hard and empathy, are undeniably
natural assets, they are becoming eclipsed by the value of learning. Today, knowledge can be
relevant in one moment and outdated in the next. Without access to learning and development
to keep knowledge up to date, other skills or attributes lose their impact.
Furthermore, when organizations invest time and money into professional development,
they see a significant return on their investment. Companies with an effective learning strategy
are more than twice as likely to achieve their production goals.
2. Stronger workforce
Workers often stayed with the same employer for many years in the past. The training
focused solely on developing the skills employees needed to meet the company's goals at any
given time. Now, most workers don't expect that much longevity in the workplace.
Today, employees are only likely to stay where they are if they feel they're contributing to
their career growth. Organizations that want to retain top talent need to balance their own
training needs with workers' expectations for professional development opportunities.
Employee training impacts worker retention as well as helps companies attract new
employees. If your organization offers excellent training opportunities, that should be a
significant feature in your value proposition.
Why Upskilled Employees are your Secret Weapon
3. Alignment with organizational goals
When an organization builds a training initiative and makes access to knowledge a priority,
it communicates its values and priorities. Employees know that their employer values
professional development and growth, remaining competitive, and adapting well to change.
It is more important than ever for employers and workers to share the same values.
Millennials and members of Gen-Z highly value working for companies that share their values.
Also, the rise in virtual work has led to tenuous bonds between employees and employers.
Brands that can get their team members to connect with their values are more likely to
overcome work-from-home challenges.
4. Boosts motivation and engagement
There is scientific evidence linking learning and happiness. The effects of learning include
increased self-determination and motivation. It also gives people a broader worldview and
offers perspective.
When people work in organizations that offer them access to learning, they are more likely
to be motivated and engaged. This motivation and engagement lead to innovation, creativity,
and an increased willingness to take ownership.
5. Expand knowledge sharing
Relevant, effective, and accessible training breaks down information silos. The more
people that have access to knowledge, the fewer teams or individuals are left in the dark.
Democratizing knowledge also increases transparency and prevents anyone from becoming
territorial about information.
Additionally, by creating a learning strategy that fosters knowledge sharing, you can foster
a culture of empathy. When knowledge is available to all, teams better understand one
another's goals and roadblocks, which leads to better communication and cooperation.
6. Fosters innovation in the workplace
Any organization that prioritizes learning will be better positioned to foster innovation.
That's because good leadership, engaged talent, and a desire to learn are vital components
businesses need to increase their capacity for innovation.
For examples of a strong learning culture, consider companies like Google, where
employees have the time and resources to learn for their own development. Employee training
impacts workers' sense of empowerment and encourages them to develop and present
innovative ideas.
7. Improves company processes
When employees work at their highest level of competence, they spend less time dealing
with crises. This leaves them with more time and resources to create better processes and
strategies. Ultimately, it allows workers to improve customer experiences, boost productivity,
increase efficiency, and create growth.
8. Creates a stronger brand
Your employer brand is the totality of your reputation, values, and standing as an
employer. It's as essential to craft an attractive employer brand that builds a successful
company as it is to formulate a compelling consumer brand that attracts customers.
When your employees have access to learning, they are more competent and better able
to achieve results to reach your organizational goals. This improves your industry standing,
which enhances your employer's brand.
In turn, potential employees view your company more favorably. They also associate your
employer's brand with a culture that values their goals and development.
9. Promotes a competitive advantage
Unemployment is at an all-time low. At the same time, the current employment ecosystem
has left many organizations struggling to find qualified workers. This has created a learning gap
that can make it challenging to remain competitive.
Additionally, the cost and resources involved in onboarding employees often make it
difficult to rely on new hires.
Instead, it is often more efficient and cost-effective to provide more training opportunities
to existing talent. This includes offering cross-training opportunities that boost workers' skill
sets and allow them to take on additional challenges. When this happens, leadership can better
meet organizational goals and objectives by moving team members around as needed.
How to Get the Most out of Training Employees
Prioritizing employee training can affect your organization in many ways. However, the
extent of any benefit you see will directly relate to the quality of any initiative and your
commitment to it over time. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your company will get the
most out of your learning strategy.
Step #1: Make Autonomy and Access a Priority
The best learning culture empowers people and gives them as much agency over their
development as possible. This does not mean that employer-directed, instructor-led training is
no longer valid. Both are necessary to ensure that workers have the skills to do their jobs
effectively and meet any required competency standards.
Still, while workers value the training they receive that allows them to do their jobs better,
they value self-directed learning even more. That is because the training they choose and
pursue on their own is likely to relate to their professional development goals directly.
Additionally, when workers have access to training, wikis, procedures, technical manuals,
etc., they are empowered to seek the knowledge they need to solve problems and complete
tasks. This can reduce frustration significantly.
Step #2: Ensure that You’re Entire Workforce Benefits
Before the pandemic, the process of delivering training was much less complicated. While
online and video training strategies were absolutely part of the equation, corporate training
was largely designed under the assumption that a significant percentage of workers would be
present on-site. It's no longer safe to make that assumption.
Training delivery methods that worked for your organization in the past may no longer
serve your changing business model. To get the best possible impact, you may need to modify
your learning strategy to accommodate a remote or hybrid workforce.
For many companies, this will mean leaning heavily on virtual training. If this represents
new territory, it may help to learn the ins and outs of creating engaging virtual training.
Step #3: Create Immediate Connections
Workers get the most out of workplace training when they see the immediate value and
can apply what they know immediately. That's why it's crucial to connect trainees with the
materials as quickly as possible by showing them how they will benefit from the knowledge.
One of the most effective ways to do this is to apply the principles of contextual learning.
This is a training method that contextualizes learning content to be relevant to participants. The
features of contextual learning include:
Encourages a focus on problem-solving
Aligns with employees' daily tasks
Is a natural way of learning for digital natives
Can be scaled to meet evolving needs
The organization also benefits because workers can better retain what they learn by
applying it immediately to real-world scenarios.
Step #4: Know What Your Employees Value
If your employee training initiative is solely centered around your organizational goals, you
may not see the full benefits of worker engagement and retention. Instead, you are going to
want to take a balanced approach. Consider that workers today expect training opportunities to
align with their professional goals.
Communicate with your team members to learn what they value in professional
development and what they need to perform most effectively. Then, ensure that your training
and development strategy considers these things.
Step #5: Be Prepared for Ongoing Change
There's no such thing as a static learning strategy. If the last two years have proven
anything, it's that businesses must be prepared to pivot in the face of rapid change. Learning
and development strategies that worked in the past are no longer effective today and will need
to continue to evolve in the future.
Step #6: Create Learning Pathways
A corporate training initiative is more than a collection of courses and knowledge base
resources that exist independently. While workers can benefit from having access to task-
focused training components that help them work efficiently and productively, they should also
have individual learning pathways.
Learning pathways are curated and personalized training programs for each worker. They
should align with each worker's current skills and career goals.
Additionally, this approach to corporate training lends itself very well to self-directed
learning. Workers can participate in creating their learning pathways, which gives them a sense
of agency and motivation. Encourage them to communicate their goals and complete
assessments that provide insights into their capabilities.
Training From the Employee's Perspective
45% of exiting workers said they left because of a lack of learning or advancement
opportunities. Inadequate employee training also makes the top ten. Both of these point to the
fact that workplaces need learning initiatives to keep employees engaged and prevent them
from finding better opportunities elsewhere.
When it comes to investment, the employee/employer relationship is reciprocal. If
employees feel the organization invests in them, they will return that investment with good
work and a positive culture.
Additionally, it's simply human nature to desire challenge and interest. Excitement is more
likely to happen when employees have more than just access to training and knowledge. Not
only will a culture of learning help workers enjoy their work more, but it will also better equip
them to handle unexpected events.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back after a setback or difficulty. Agility is the ability to
respond to (often unexpected) changes. Both are traits that employees must have in
workplaces where change happens quickly. Training and development initiatives help them to
develop these characteristics.
Use a modern LMS to deliver exceptional training for employees
Continu is a modern learning platform built entirely online to provide your organization
with everything they need to deliver in-person or online training for employees. Don't miss out
on capturing the benefits above for your organization through proper employee training.
Here are some features of Continu that make training employees simple and effective:
Enterprise-level learning management system
Powerful eLearning authoring tools
Create entire training programs in one platform
Improve learner retention and employee engagement
Track and measure employee training progress
Generate insightful employee training reports
and much more...
