Your business can benefit from employee training
By Carlos Rodriguez

As many business owners may know, the days of employees remaining with one company for the entirety of their career are gone.

Small- and mid-sized businesses are at a distinct disadvantage as they are usually unable to offer or manage comprehensive employee training and professional development programs that larger companies present. Still, implementing training programs can significantly further your company's growth potential and profitability.

Besides the direct financial impact to your business' bottom-line, investing in employee training programs results in other benefits. Training programs can:

• Increase employee skill levels. Increasing skill levels can positively affect performance and productivity in your employees and provide them with valuable tools to manage their activities more effectively.

• Boost employee satisfaction. If your current employees are satisfied, you defer the need to recruit, hire, and train new ones — which can add costs to your business.

• Reduce employer liability. You, as an employer, are at risk for a myriad of lawsuits, including discrimination, wrongful termination, and sexual harassment. You are less likely to face these situations if your employees and managers know their rights and responsibilities.

Training helps reduce the risk of inappropriate behavior and the resulting lawsuits, while increasing productivity and employee satisfaction.

CREATIVE TRAINING METHODS

Some businesses have a misconception that training is costly, but any business can provide its workforce with the necessary tools to succeed. Depending on the investment level you can or want to make, several different training options are available.

• Conduct in-house training. The most accessible training resource you have is your own workforce. You can conduct in-house training sessions led by employees with remarkable skills in specific areas. You can also provide access to books, videos, and e-learning tools in the staff lounge and encourage discussions between the staff.

• Join an association. By joining a local business association, you may yield new avenues of training options, including government-sponsored seminars.

• Work with a professional employee organization (PEO). PEOs can provide small- and medium-size businesses with full-service human-resource management and payroll activities. PEOs are also available to help you through employment-related situations with specialists ranging from human-resource management advisors to crisis-management counselors.

Most PEOs also offer training programs that can increase your employee productivity, with some offering specialized development programs with benefits such as online and in-person training sessions, including pre-employment and hiring, regulatory compliance, workplace safety, and legal terminations.

Regardless of which training options you implement, there is a clear correlation between productivity and training. In order to survive the unexpected and all too frequent shifts in business, it is necessary for you to have a well-prepared workforce.

Training strengthens your employee's knowledge base, increases core skills that yield higher levels of productivity, creates a sense of loyalty and well-being within the company, and is an added benefit to help you maintain and attract qualified individuals.

Carlos Rodriguez is the president of ADP TotalSource, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO). He can be reached at 800-HIRE-ADP or through his Web site at www.adptotalsource.com.