The importance of training in a downturn

To train or not to train

My colleagues and I passionately believe that taking care of people takes care of the business. We know we are in difficult times right now and that the instinct of the average UK plc enterprise is to cut back on, or axe completely, any spend on training. This strategy may make sense in the short term in terms of cash flow etc. but can have disastrous consequences when markets pick up and demand for high quality goods and services is back to normal or better.

Maintaining morale

There is another aspect and that is staff morale. In tough times those people who remain in leaner businesses often feel under pressure to produce or provide more with the same or less resources. They may be asked to take on additional roles or jobs – some of which they may not have been trained to do - or are competent in. This can create a huge amount of stress and unrest in a previously content workforce. Morale can plummet quickly unless staff feel supported and valued. Additionally in times of downsizing there is also the question “Who’s next?”

Support and feeling valued

Support can be as simple as giving help and guidance (and extra resources where possible) on the job and giving the opportunity to learn new skills to cope with additional (or new or unfamiliar) tasks and responsibilities. Making people feel valued can be equally as simple as listening and responding to their current issues and problems, keeping them informed of company events and – wait for it - saying “Thank you”.

Does size matter?

By the way, the same applies whether the workforce is large or a very small handful of dedicated people. Although the logistics are different, the principles are the same.

Five steps to surviving a downturn

You need a flexible motivated workforce so:

1. Offer on the job support and coaching
2. Review available resources – what can you re-engineer – what else can you offer at low/no cost?
3. Consider short off job training courses for staff who need new skills
4. Keep your workforce informed, listen to them and react to their needs
5. Ensure they feel valued; recognise hard work and say thanks!
   

Here is the link to some information about our training courses:

http://www.gatewaytraining.net/

Labels: coaching, motivation, training