TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT: Cost effective employee oriented training ideas

Training and development is one of the most important aspects of HRM. It is a tool for employee motivation, career path development and organizational development. It ensures that essential skills are developed and impacted into the organization thus keeping it abreast with the relevant industry trends and gives it a competitive edge.

Training can also be very costly and most organization forget that they have a powerful resource and it can be used for training and development therefore bringing down the expenditure of the organization significantly.

Below are some ideas of effective employee oriented training ideas that are really cost effective

 Mentoring

A mentoring relationship is a win-win for all parties: the employee who seeks a mentor, the mentor, and organizations that employ the mentoring pair. Mentoring is also a powerful form of training and can contribute experience, skills, and wisdom to a mentored employee to increase and expand employee development.

Periodic In-House Training from Internal Experts

This is one form of training that not only passes expert skills within the organization but also promotes motivation as the internal expert is an employee Identified for his/her superior expertise. The cost of getting an employee to conduct training in her area of expertise is way cheaper that getting an external expert/consultant and the employee would have more typical examples and presentation skills basing on the fact that he works in the organization

Implement a Book Club at Work

Form a book club in which a group of employees voluntarily reads the same book. Combine the book reading with a regularly scheduled discussion meeting to actually use the book club as a training tool. In the discussion, the employees should talk about their perception of the book and how the contents of the book can be applied to the work place.

Require Employees Who Attend External Training to Do Job Training

When an employee attends an external seminar, training session, or conference, establish a company norm that the employee is expected to magnify the experience for the company by training other employees. This is effective employee development because it introduces new ideas to your organization. It is cost-effective in that the attending employee provides employee development for other employees. These presentations promote employee development, the promulgation of new ideas, and extend job training knowledge. The requirement also develops the skills of the employee who attended the external event. He or she practices sharing ideas and presenting - both significant skills for employee development

On the Job Training

On the job training is normally emphasized for job training for any new employee. Whether structured, with written processes and procedures, or informal, the power of on the job training for employee development cannot be overemphasized. Early and timely job training ensures that the employee will perform his or her job effectively. Competence builds employee morale and motivation and ensures employee commitment and retention. Employee on boarding or new employee orientation is also critical in this job training mix. You can also produce internal job training videos and other resources that allow employees unlimited access to job training.

Coaching

Executives, managers, and others interested in career growth and employee development increasingly turn to a business coach, either internal or external, for a personally tailored development process for themselves or reporting employees. Coaching from a boss or other interested manager is always useful job training. Coaching is also a different delivery system for training, since training, especially with long term managers and people who are further along in their careers, is not working. The coach works with the manager to tailor the job training program in skill areas that need an impact.

Job Shadowing

Job shadowing allows an employee to learn about and benefit from brief stints of job training while the employee observes and participates in the work of another employee. Job shadowing, whether for a day, a month, or some other period of specified time is a little used form of employee development. Job shadowing is also an excellent approach to training of employees who provide back up for jobs such as payroll.

Provide Intranet, Training Courses and Resources

If your company is not providing online training in your Intranet or other online employee resource, you are missing a golden opportunity for employee development. Portions of employee on boarding, access to company and departmental information, even your employee handbook, are better accessed online. Everything that any employee needs to know about your company should be accessible to employees online. Different course material can also be placed online and employees provided with limited period passwords/ access to read through after which they can be assessed.