When questioning the importance of training employees, it is complicated to get negative answers or for anyone to doubt the usefulness of doing so. However, not enough time is spent reflecting on its benefits and the extent to which organizations facilitate training for their employees and benefit from it when it comes down to it. I
Why should we invest in training employees?
It is a commitment to sustainable growth. This type of growth can be achieved over time by using two aspects. Firstly, the company’s capacity to generate knowledge by training employees in different skills. Secondly, by providing them with access to external sources of training that can then be passed on to the company.
In other words, investing in employee training does not only mean using economic and temporary resources to provide employees with specific training. It also means facilitating (with flexible scheduling or even some degree of financing) the possibility for employees to obtain training outside the company that they consider interesting for their professional development, even if it is not strictly related to their position or the sector to which the company belongs.
In any case, the objective is to update the workforce according to the current needs of the labor market. This is usually included in the reskilling and upskilling processes: learning new skills and updating existing competencies in a continuous process that, in a more or less intense way, should take place throughout the entire professional career.
Issues related to investing in training for employees
Although, in theory, everything seems to be advantageous, making or facilitating this type of investment does not always meet with the unconditional support of management but rather with some resistance. The following are the three most common obstacles that are often cited:
1. It’s expensive
This does not necessarily mean that it is expensive, but it does require a cost for one of the parties, which may be directly or indirectly economic.
2. It is not considered a priority
There is always something more important to do, something more urgent to devote time and money to, and something more profitable in the short term where company and employee resources are put.
3. The ROI is not always immediate
The return on investment from investing in training employees does not always come quickly, which is why it is often difficult to convince those in charge of this area of the advisability of this investment.
Benefits of training employees
In particularly complex jobs, strongly influenced by the evolution of knowledge in this area, investing in training employees becomes a fundamental strategic axis if the company continues to prosper and stand out from its main competitors. Working with the best is not only achieved by attracting the best (which is also the case) but, most importantly, by having a good capacity to create the best.
We can usually differentiate between the benefits of training employees directly impacting them and those that relate to the company. This way, what is suitable for the employees is also good for the company, and vice versa. However, the benefits of investing in training are a clear example of how the difference is not so clear-cut when it is done correctly.
Here are 5 benefits of investing in training employees:
1. Improved social benefits strategy
It is a social or non-financial benefit that can effectively attract future employees and increase and enrich their professional development once they have joined the team.
2. Facilitates employees’ work
This reduces their stress and improves their skills. In addition, it influences the person’s professional self-esteem and improves their bond with the company.
3. Improves corporate reputation
Investing in training employees positively affects the internal and external reputation of the company, especially if the training is consistent with their roles and of high quality. This also optimizes the inbound recruiting strategy.
4. A gain in efficiency and agility
Greater knowledge, together with well-designed processes, avoids the waste of economic, time, and material resources and leads to greater satisfaction with the results obtained.
5. Significant profitability
When carried out strategically and consistently, investing in training employees is profitable. This means that it implies an ROI that can be evaluated, generating tangible and intangible benefits for both the company and the employees in the short, medium, and long term.
We care for emotional well-being in organizations
At ifeel, we believe that one of the best ways to achieve sustainable productivity is to provide employees with the best possible tools and facilitate their professional development by making them grow and learn.
With this objective in mind, our team of psychologists, experts in well-being at work, has created an emotional well-being program for companies that can guide Human Resources managers in this task and help the rest of the company’s members.
With this service, HR managers can receive personalized, data-driven advice on improving the psychological well-being of the teams in their charge. If you are part of the HR department in your organization, we recommend that you try our program now and see how it could help you.
This program offers all employees a complete mental health care service that they can access in different ways depending on their needs. Those who wish to have access to an online therapy service with one of our psychologists specialized in cases like theirs or interact with one of our professionals to receive emotional support in a more specific circumstance that worries them.
Of course, in our Resources section, you can find different materials that will help you with many of your day-to-day functions as part of the HR department. For example, podcasts, HR guides on various topics (e.g., employee experience or how to design a good HR strategy), or interviews with leading HR executives. In addition, we have a Psychosocial Risk Factors Template, which you can use to comply with the requirements of the Labor Inspectorate.
We hope you found this post on the importance of training employees useful and interesting. If you would like more information about our emotional well-being program for companies, simply request it, and we will contact your team as soon as possible.
