5 Signs Your Employees Need More Training

Signs your employees need training can be subtle, especially if your corporate culture has grown accustomed to working around gaps in skill sets and knowledge. This type of situation invariably results in problems for your company, whether those problems stem from lower quality work, lack of compliance with safety regulations, or high turnover rates. Conversely, a well-trained staff produce consistent, high-quality results, have better morale, and have safer work practices. Here are five signs your employees need more training.

Inconsistent Work Processes

Inconsistent work processes are a sure sign employees need more training. When different employees perform the same tasks in different ways, the quality of your product or service is in jeopardy. At the very least, productivity drops, as some of the ways workers complete their tasks will be more time-consuming or waste more resources than others.

To resolve this issue, each task needs to be broken down into efficient, step-by-step instructions. Employees should then be trained to complete tasks in compliance with your standards. (Supervisors should monitor employees after training to ensure no-one falls back into old work habits).

Your Workforce Has Skill Gaps

Skill gaps occur when a work position is difficult to fill because of a dearth of properly trained workers. This problem often occurs when you have a mix of older, more experienced workers and new hires. Having old hands mentor new hires can help reduce skill gaps (as long as the more experienced staff are trained in consistent work methods).

Identifying a skill gap not only helps you determine which staff need more training. It also helps you spot employees who are already trained. These employees represent a potential talent pool for further training, grooming them for higher level positions.

Quality and Productivity Issues

Drops in product quality and productivity can result from increased customer demands, the introduction of new technology, equipment, or systems, and sudden market changes. Any of these factors can drive the need for additional training.

New Compliance Regulations

State and federal regulations, changes to the National Electrical Code, and alterations to OSHA compliance guidelines are often a sign employees need more training. Bringing employees up to speed on compliance issues helps maintain the highest level of safety in your workplace.

The ROI on training is high. A well-trained workforce is safer, more productive, and generally has higher morale than their untrained peers. Today’s employees value opportunities to learn new skills and are more likely to remain with companies that offer training opportunism. You get well-trained, happy workers while reducing turnover rates.