Ensure you’re getting the most out of your Training Dollars!

A day doesn’t go by without reading about layoffs, plant closings, or bankruptcies. The information filters throughout your organization and results in slashing “unnecessary spending”, which often includes the training and development of your employees.

Ask any leader to name their most important assets and it would be difficult to find one that would not place their people at the top of the list. So why do these same leaders find it difficult to invest in their employees during a recession. Could it possibly be because they have a difficult time measuring the return on investment of employee development?

The following tips will arm you with the information you need to ensure you experience a successful training implementation and can give your leaders the important measurements they need to justify investing in their people.

• Training is an investment in the future: The economy will turn around. Your company will be in a better position to compete if you continue to train and develop your people during a recession.
• Connect the training to your company’s strategic plan: Meet with your leaders and discuss how their strategic plan has changed based on the present economic conditions and how it might change again when the economy turns around. Then identify what knowledge and skills your employees will need based on this plan.
• Identify Metrics: Identify how you measure success. Effective training will result in employees demonstrating knowledge, skills, or behaviors that will increase productivity, increase sales, decrease costs, or decrease waste to name just a few. This can be measured and if you identify the metrics that will be affected by the training, your chances of achieving buy-in from your leaders and securing training dollars will increase dramatically
• Reinforce, Reinforce, Reinforce: Change is difficult and needs support. Training doesn’t stop in the classroom or on the web. It requires support and reinforcement on-the-job. Provide those being trained with support when they go back to their job and tools for their managers to reinforce the training to ensure success.

Eastern Michigan University’s Professional Programs and Training use these tips when working with its customers during all economic times and we look forward to being given the opportunity to work with you.