Why Employee Training and Development Matters in the Workplace

Admin February 17, 2021

Most organizations aim to retain and improve the system’s efficiency and productivity regularly, but this is impossible when employees resign. 

Employee turnover and its causes

In their research about employee retention, Reyes and Aquino (2019) mentioned that employee turnover is detrimental to a company’s overall goal. Often, it results from organizational reasons, or in layman’s terms, the neglect of the organization to provide personal and professional growth. 

There could be other reasons for employee turnover, but the lack of opportunity to learn and develop the current skillset can lead to career stagnation. Volmer (2011) argued that career stagnation is the direct impact of the organization’s lack of support programs, such as mentoring and coaching (both are essential elements in developing employees’ skills and behaviors).

For an organization to thrive, there must be a constant effort to provide new learning and development opportunities.

On employee training and development

The task to offer learning and a developmental avenue for employees can be daunting and involve additional resources and extra costs. This process involves hiring a team of industry experts who will craft the overall delivery design after extensive research and training needs analysis. The employees’ developmental programs will come from various sources, such as employee feedback through human resources, manager interviews, surveys, and observations. This process alone needs a considerable amount of time. Still, with the right training design and objectives, the employees will see their value as contributors to the company’s drive for career and skills growth. Employees will actively engage in these proposed developmental training as these are exactly what they need, which they revealed through the data gathered. 

The developmental training program can include training courses related to time management, mental and physical health, corporate social responsibility, effective communication, and leadership and social skills. All of which are tailored fit based on the nature of the job and the employees’ needs. 

Anchored on the company’s core values and mission-vision, these training programs’ objectives focus on the employees’ skills and behavior enhancement, which is crucial in building their respective career paths within the organization. These training courses do not only define the needed skills and behaviors, but they offer practical ways on how to acquire them. Not only do employees gain additional knowledge, but they are also embodied with new perspectives and higher skillsets that they can use for a potential career movement. Should the employees decide to take a new role, they already have the necessary knowledge to utilize to adapt and cope. More importantly, they have a higher chance of excelling because they are already armed with the skills and behavior required to perform a specific task. 

Another benefit of employee training is the cultivation of employees’ morale. Employees can find their current role less challenging because they may have already gained mastery of their tasks and responsibilities; thus, they feel less significant and invaluable to the department or the entire organization. Employees are naturally inclined to hear new insights on how to accomplish their job more efficiently, so coaching and mentoring are appropriate steps to provide these new insights. These coaching and mentoring programs can be offered through employee training courses that tackle current trends and research in their respective fields. If thoroughly planned and well-executed, these training courses can augment the employees’ interest to find revolutionary ways to perform their tasks and responsibilities. 

Employees can become active seekers for challenges, making them highly motivated members of the organization.

In reality, a handful of company owners see these valuable training and development programs for employees as another liability as the program’s overall creation can take loads of financial and physical resources. For organizations that target only at financial remuneration, they can be blind-sided because employee training equates to employee retention. They fail to see the importance of investing in training and development for employees who are the most significant company resource. Should company owners decide to take on this new endeavor, they will see the benefits to their employees and reap the financial gains from investing in employee development. 

Sources Cited

Reyes, Amelia & Aquino, Carlota & Bueno, David Cababaro. (2019). Why employees leave: Factors that stimulate resignation resulting in creative retention ideas. 10.13140/RG.2.2.17579.39203.

Volmer, Judith. (2011). Career Stagnation: Underlying Dilemmas and Solutions in Contemporary Work Environments. 10.1007/978-94-007-4059-4_7.

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