When running a business, the top priority is often to ensure that nothing affects the continuous and consistent work output of the team.
One essential, and often unaddressed, consideration is staff training. Having staff with the most up-to-date industry and processing knowledge can only benefit the business. Even though work output may slow minimally in the short term, there are many long-term positive outcomes.
Here, one of the UK’s leading providers of driver CPC training, Driver Hire Training, shares some top tips to ensure staff training is up to date without affecting work output.
1. Plan ahead
When arranging staff training, it’s important to plan in advance. If you leave the necessities until the last moment and you’re not sure about legal obligations, this could create a problem.
Certain qualifications, such as first aid and Driver CPC, have expiration dates. If you’re not ahead of the game, you could potentially run the risk of holding staff back until you’ve been able to take care of the legalities. By planning time in for staff to update their training well before it expires, you can avoid unnecessary downing of tools and even arrange temporary cover for drivers or admin if you need it.
2. Prioritise necessary training
When organising training, it’s vital that staff complete the essential training and courses for their job specification.
Of course, it’s also worth considering additional courses that could add further value to your staff’s training. While this may affect work output, the sacrifice is usually worth the investment. Plus it’s always going to benefit staff to be able to develop to their own skill set, as well as the skill set your business offers.
Consider each individual circumstance carefully, however, to ensure you avoid paying for unnecessary or irrelevant training.
3. Consider geography
Companies with multiple site and office locations may find it logistically more difficult to arrange appropriate training. In some instances, businesses may need staff to travel from afar to receive in-house training at head office. If this is the case, working with a regional supplier to deliver training locally may prove a much more efficient use of time and resources.
4. Provide regular training
Depending on your industry, knowledge and best practice can change relatively quickly, in which case staff may require regular training. So, in order for your business to succeed, it’s important to allocate time for staff to update their knowledge. To do this efficiently, the best way to get the desired results is to offer short, frequent training sessions.
In part, this is because it’s important to avoid bombarding staff with huge quantities of information. Not only are they less likely to absorb information in extended training sessions, but they’ll probably need to take the training again.
5. Think long term
As a business, expenditure is crucial. If you don’t invest the appropriate funds into the correct areas, you may well encounter problems further down the line.
Training staff is likely to boost their output and your overall return on investment in the long run. Well-trained staff who feel their employer is investing in them are significantly more likely to increase both the quantity and quality of their work.
Richard Owen-Hughes is group marketing director at Driver Hire Group Services Ltd.
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