| In today's competitive environment, the drive for | | | | buy-in and managerial support than the training |
| efficiency seems to be ever paramount and can | | | | itself. |
| sometimes even over-ride common sense. Often, | | | | Without effective line management support |
| irreplaceable skills are lost forever, and | | | | around 25% of training falls short of delivering |
| redundancy savings are reversed with expensive | | | | performance improvement. And it's vital that in |
| hiring costs within twelve to eighteen months | | | | order to apply learning, and to improve |
| down the line. Also, the training budget is often | | | | performance improvement staff will need the |
| the first to be cut, and all-in-all staff become less | | | | ongoing support and coaching of their line |
| focused and demotivated. | | | | managers. |
| This scenario is evidenced particularly in the public | | | | For training to be effective it's vitally important |
| sector and with a recent report by the CPD | | | | that before anyone is sent on a training course |
| highlighting that around 30% of Government | | | | that a personal needs evaluation is conducted to |
| organisations looking to shed staff, this could | | | | ensure that the training matches the needs not |
| become an even bigger issue. As a consequence, | | | | only of the individual but the organisation. |
| an immediate challenge for those organisations will | | | | It's estimated that around 15% of learners attend |
| be to maintain the focus and motivation of the | | | | training that is either miss-matched or delivered at |
| remaining staff. | | | | the wrong time. To be truly sustainable and |
| Customer Service departments within many | | | | following training, line managers need to |
| organisations in both the public and private sector | | | | subsequently support their staff on the job. |
| are often operating on a skeleton staff and this is | | | | Without such coaching, it becomes more difficult |
| only set to become more and more common as | | | | for staff to achieve the desired outcomes. Don't |
| time goes by. | | | | assume that by sending staff on a customer care |
| Following a redundancy programme, training is not | | | | course in isolation this is job done. |
| only vital to demonstrate commitment to | | | | In the immediate future, the public sector will |
| employees, but it also plays an important role in | | | | need to get even greater value from expenditure. |
| skill enhancing those who have to manage a more | | | | This process will be better supported through |
| stressful workload. However, training can be a | | | | conducting a more insightful analysis of training |
| costly investment if it lacks purpose, focus and if | | | | requirements, driving senior management |
| devoid of any outcome measurements. Public | | | | engagement and the training of line managers |
| sector organisations should root out ineffectual | | | | first. If all this is achieved then organisations will be |
| training and ensure that any expenditure invested | | | | better placed to gain tangible ROI in terms of the |
| in up-skilling employees delivers positive outcomes. | | | | performance - and the motivation - of its |
| Driving forward performance improvement has, in | | | | employees. |
| many cases, more to do with the management | | | | |
