Benefits of Ongoing Global Staff Training and Development
Clarke Ricks School of Business,
Liberty University
BUSI 690: Policy and Strategy in Global Competition
Dr. Hicks
July 9, 2022
Benefits of Ongoing Global Staff Training and Development
Ongoing staff training and development could be one of the best investments your
business ever makes!
Staff training and development pays major dividends: improved staff morale, greater
productivity, reduced turnover … and many more.
1. Employee morale, satisfaction and motivation
Research shows that when staff are learning and improving, they feel much more positive
towards their employer. In turn, they are more satisfied with their role in the organization, and
they’re usually more motivated to do a better job also. Staff training and development
therefore directly benefits your organization by producing more motivated and productive
employees who are improving your organization’s profitability.
2. Reducing skill gaps
Ongoing staff training and development reduces the gaps in employees’ knowledge, allows
them to multi-skill and thereby makes them more valuable to your organization.
This improves your organization’s competitiveness, allows for succession and progression
and results in a far more effective team.
3. Improving employee performance
Staff training and development motivates staff, makes them more productive and can even
increase innovation within teams.
Better trained staff are more capable and willing to assume more control in their jobs. In
addition, less supervision is required. This in turn makes for a more productive and effective
team, allowing management to focus on more strategic tasks.
4. Keeping up to date with industry trends and changes
Regardless of your industry, the pace of change is increasing relentlessly. To keep up, you
and your staff need to stay up-to-date with the latest developments and innovations in doing
business.
This often means learning new technology, complying with new regulations, and
even developing whole new strategies to address new threats and opportunities.
5. Staying competitive
Staying competitive is a great reason to continue up-skilling your employees. Remember
your competitors are progressing too.
Improving your employees’ skills ensures your business will be able to continue
competing in its industry, continue employing staff, and continue to grow.
6. Retain good employees
The best employees will be looking for the next big challenge. If they can find this with
your organization, they will probably stay with you. Staff training and development increases
the chances of retaining your best staff and reducing employee turnover.
Knowing that their company is investing in their future often instills a greater sense of
loyalty in employees. Knowing they will be continually improving with you, gives them a reason
to stick around.
7. proving you care
Investing in ongoing staff training and development programs gives employees a sense of
belonging within the team. Showing employees that they are highly valued is a very effective
way to display appreciation to staff.
Staff training and development can even provide an effective tool for bridging
communication gaps, reducing conflict, and reducing harrassment or discrimination claims. For
example, training that relates to understanding personality types, thinking in different ways, or
educating staff on appropriate workplace behaviors can all provide tangible benefits in these
areas, showing how much you care about the well-being of your employees.
Talent development is vital to sustainable business growth and success. Organizations go
through lengthy processes to recruit and onboard qualified and suitable employees, but often
the emphasis stops there, with some business leaders disregarding the importance of
developing their employees and nurturing their potential. Over the past few years, the world of
work has been disrupted, initially and gradually, by the onset of the 4th Industrial Revolution
and this disruption was accelerated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the staggering ramifications of
the rapid integration of technological disruption and digital transformation has resulted in
many businesses struggling to keep up with rapid innovation in the workplace. This, combined
with widening skills gaps, is why actively investing in employee training and development is
essential for both the growth of the business and the workforce that propels it. Filling the
company’s skills gaps through the upskilling and reskilling of individuals or groups of
employees, could be the difference between thriving or barely surviving through any change.
Employee training and development are terms often used interchangeably, across sectors,
and encompass various employee learning practices. More specifically, employee training
involves programs that enable employees to learn precise skills or gain knowledge to improve
job performance. Employee development is a process whereby the manager and employee
work together to create a development plan. This plan identifies areas to develop or enhance,
and ascertains what actions or activities need to be taken to acquire and embed that learning.
This development plan is aligned with the organization’s goals and ultimately serves as a
template showing skills that the employee requires and how they can go about acquiring them.
Now, more than ever, owing to the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19
pandemic, learning and development (L&D) in business is taking top priority in the workplace.
One of the biggest challenges faced by business leaders driving the adoption of disruptive
technology, is insufficient internal skills when combining technology with technical proficiency.
As industries innovate so new technologies emerge, which has a profound impact on education
and development. The ability to merge new technology with creative learning methods will
ensure that teams learn new skills or reskill dynamically, through a future-oriented approach.
The benefits of upskilling or reskilling your team
A changing world means that professional development will need to be constantly pursued
and prioritized. Employers play an important role in supporting the acquisition of those skills. In
fact, 54 percent of respondents from GetSmarter’s ‘The Future of Work Is Here’ report agree
that upskilling or reskilling is the joint responsibility of the business and the employee.3
Here are four reasons why employee training and development is important:
1. Positive employee retention
The hiring and retention of talent can be an ongoing challenge for employers, however one
way to retain your staff is by providing them with career development opportunities. Including
development program offerings in employment contracts establishes an employee’s sense of
value within the company, fostering loyalty and ultimately increasing staff retention. Investing
in your staff’s professional development is not only vital for team retention, but learning and
development professionals worldwide have reported that they’re observing a stronger appetite
for upskilling than ever before.4
More than half the professionals surveyed by GetSmarter in 2020 say they’re either
somewhat likely or very likely to change jobs in the next 12 months. Even more notable is that
51% claim they may change job functions or business areas entirely.5
2. Training future leaders
Acquiring leadership talent can start from the initial acquisition, or human resources
professionals can select current employees as managerial candidates. Having
established leadership development programs ensures that a business is always considering
future organizational goals and succession planning by preparing promotable talent.
3. Employee empowerment
Recent research shows that leaders who inspire, ignite people’s imaginations, and mobilize
them with a compelling vision are more impactful than managers who simply focus on the
bottom line.6
4. Increased workplace engagement
Regular development initiatives can help keep employees motivated, while frequent
training programs will also establish regular re-evaluation of employees, skills, and processes.
Assessing the current skills and abilities within a team will enable managers to strategically plan
targeted development programs that consider any potential skills gaps.
Companies that immediately engage in employee growth and potential learning
opportunities – from the moment an individual is hired to the moment they leave – will greatly
impact future employee performance and dedication.
“The most obvious solution to upping employee retention is creating more effective training
and development programs. […] The main issue is that many of these programs aren’t designed
with the user, or the employee, in mind.” 7
Here are four effective strategies for developing workplace talent:
1. Target soft skills
The latest GetSmarter 2021 report, which focuses on resetting professional careers in a
COVID-19 world, found that training for soft skills and enhancing interpersonal (or more
human) skills is a key trend for talent development in 2021 and the foreseeable future.8 Driving
this is a surge of industry change, automation, and technological advancements. The modern
workplace requires adaptable, critical thinkers who can communicate effectively and are aware
of their value as well as their areas of development. The GetSmarter Skills Hierarchy enables
you to identify individual or group strengths and areas of growth, and can reveal skills gaps in
your team that need to be filled.
2. Personalize employee development
A few years ago, delivering tailored and sophisticated learning experiences at scale seemed
out of reach, but modern talent development technology has made learning personalization a
reality.9 Approaching workplace development with a one-size-fits-all mentality is counteractive
to a growing, diversified workplace – employees need to be assessed on and acknowledged for
their specific skills, technological fluency, and learning approach.
3. Emphasize digital learning
Employers need to reduce resistance to learning by engaging talent through the existing
platforms they already choose to spend their time on. Agile learning methodologies that focus
on speed, flexibility and collaboration are the future of learning and development. This is the
approach that will enable leaders to better manage skills gaps by ensuring people are rapidly
upskilled or reskilled for the benefit of work and business performance.10
4. Create a strategic development plan
According to the World Economic Forum, 50 percent of employees will need to be reskilled
by 2025.11 As the skills gap continues to widen, employers need to take the initiative in training
employees to reskill and upskill them. The steps involved in creating a development plan begin
with establishing business goals. Upskilling and reskilling efforts can sustain and fuel company
growth. In planning for future growth, and creating training solutions that target those goals,
L&D needs to collaborate with all stakeholders to identify current and future skills gaps.12
In Summary
There are many reasons why improving staff training and development is incredibly
beneficial to an organization. Although courses are sometimes costly, if they are effective in
changing staff behaviors, they provide major benefits and an amazing return on investment
(ROI).
