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In organizations, there are people who love to participate in employee training events and there are at least an equal (most likely more) amount of people who hate training events. Those haters of the training events are most likely not opposed to learning. In fact, when they need to know something, most of them will find a way to learn it.
So why do they hate training events?
Here are just a few reasons that might be on their list:
- The training event doesn’t teach them anything new
- The material is not related to their current role
- They are busy with deadlines and see training as a waste of time
- Past experiences with poor trainers
- Prefer self-directed learning on an “as needed” or “just in time” basis
- The training location is……..
- There were required to go
Regardless of the reason, if the employee training event meets any of the above reasons, then just don’t waste your time or your money.
What to do instead?
Invest in development not training sessions or events. Development should focus on ensuring your employees have the skills that will be needed to support the strategic direction of the company. Development is not an event. Development requires a mixture of experiences and events that result in mastery of skills and encourage effective behaviors.
How to start?
- Determine the direction of the company. Use an analysis tool such as S.W.O.T. to get you started.
- Analyze the skills you will need to succeed in the future.
- Identify the key roles in your organization for now and in the future
- Complete a gap analysis
- Create a development plan to fill the gaps
Note- This is one of the hardest parts for many. I recommend starting with the assumption that all of the employees in your key roles will not be at work for the next month. What would you do? Who would have to step into their roles? What would it take to get them ready? What wouldn’t happen if they weren’t there?
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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.
