Save On the Donuts and Bring on the Training
Training is highly valued by employees, outranking even cash and food.

By Kelly Tyler

Put your money where your mouth is. If you say your employees are your greatest asset, show it. And, make sure they are great assets.
One way to stand behind the oft-quoted declaration about human assets is with training. Small business owners know people work for people these days, not for companies. That’s why it’s critical to stand by your word and take care of your people.

Training is a powerful reward and motivator for employees of any size company, if it’s done right. For training to be rewarding, the program should be:
•    Career-enhancing
•    Chosen by the employee
•    Convenient
•    Confidence-boosting

Companies also benefit when employees develop additional skills. Your company can benefit from training investments by making sure the right skills are trained in the most appropriate format, making the best use of budgets and time. A thorough initial assessment will make it possible to reap the rewards of training.

The initial assessment should include three components:
1.    A review of the business strategic plan. What do you want to accomplish this year? Who is responsible for each goal? Are they prepared for the task? Is everyone on the team capable of reaching the goals? Identify gaps between current capabilities and those required to accomplish goals. Be sure to assess long-term goals and the development needed to reach them. For example, are front-line supervisors being groomed to become company leaders?
2.    Employee performance reviews and management interviews.
3.    An employee survey. Find out what areas of development they deem as critical to reaching goals. Ask employees to identify strengths, weaknesses, interests, level of job satisfaction and personal goals.

Upon completion of the assessment, create a training strategic plan tied to the business plan, current performance and employee needs. Prioritize the training needs and create an annual schedule that includes topics, formats, facilitators, budgets and designated employees.

Consider the following topics as essential for small businesses:

1.    New Employee Orientation – People don’t need to spend hours watching a slide show about the health plan, but they shouldn’t be thrown to the wolves on day one either. New employees should come to a clean work area with working equipment. They should be introduced to every coworker, including the founders and leaders, and they should learn the company objectives. Treatment on day one is remembered and sets the foundation for their work ethic and loyalty.
2.    Front desk training –The receptionist affects the way all callers and visitors view the company, so make sure all front desk support personnel are well trained. A client greeted as if she’s important will respect a company, but one who has to spell her name 10 times then listen to it mispronounced will be annoyed.
3.    Teamwork – Don’t think of teamwork training as “fluff” but rather as a way to make sure the best tools for working together are employed by everyone. It’s a lot more cost effective to train on teamwork than to cross your fingers and hope they all get along in a way that yields profits.
4.    Cutting edge industry knowledge –For example, an art director at an advertising agency is only as creative as his technology will allow. He should be on the cutting edge of new technology, so the agency can offer such advances to clients. Small businesses need a competitive edge, and making sure the staff’s job skills are updated can be one.
5.    Coaching – Company leaders should consider working with a coach to bring out strengths and prepare for the future. An objective outsider often has a keen eye worth relying on.

A few additional areas of training small businesses might consider:
•    Presentation Skills—If you have a team pitching to clients, get them trained.
•    Diversity—Expand beyond “tolerating” to “welcoming” differences.
•    Harassment—It goes beyond “sexual” and costs companies millions of dollars.
•    Relationship Selling—Cold calling is outdated and doesn’t work for most businesses anymore. Update the sales process.

It’s standard in Kansas City for a one-day program to be limited to 20 people for $2,000 to $4,500. Small businesses can tighten the purse strings by asking to include more people, printing program materials themselves, sharing the day with another small business, asking for a discount for additional programs, offering a valuable barter arrangement and charging for referrals. Training isn’t free, but it’s worth investing in a powerful motivator and competitive advantage.

Dr. Bob Nelson, author of 101 Ways to Reward Employees, found learning and development was the fifth most desired reward. In his survey of 2,400 employees, training followed support and involvement, personal praise, autonomy and flexible work hours. However, training ranked above cash and achievement awards, and even outranked food.
So, save on the donuts and bring on the training.

Kelly Tyler is president of Kelly Tyler Training Services, a full-service training company specializing in training planning, management development and team training for small to mid-sized companies. She can be reached at (816) 353-8786 or www.KellyTylerTrainingServices.com.