Human Resource Management
Employee training is a very important component to ensure the success of a business. Particularly in today's business environment, change and development occur so rapidly that no employee can learn everything about his or her work without ever having to learn again during their work lives. The problem is that employees often find it difficult to learn for a variety of reasons. They may have fallen into the habit of repetitive work, for example, or be unwilling to make even simple changes such as learning a new skill. It is therefore important not only to implement regular training, but also to implement programs that are specifically focused upon helping employees to learn.
As mentioned above, it is important to implement training programs that occur on a regular basis. This will help to create a habit of learning within employees. It is also important to help maintain a positive attitude towards such programs, which will be induced by the quality of learning programs. According to Leslie Levine (2009), this may not even be a very great effort, as most employees today require a working environment from which they can learn.
An effective learning program is inherently supportive. Such a program can for example involve new employees that learn from existing employees in a mentoring environment. In this way, new employees are supported and existing employees feel valued for their years with the company. In the learning paradigm, employees can also benefit from reward programs, such as being rewarded for star performance or creative learning.
Finally, an important component of employee training programs is carrying the costs of such programs. Employees should not be expected to pay for any part of their tuition. Any travel or food costs should be carried by the company.
A program that helps employees to learn will therefore be frequent, supportive, incur rewards, and be reimbursed by employers.
Bibliography
Levine, Leslie. (2009). Strengthen Your Business by Developing Your Employees. AllBusiness.com. http://management.about.com/od/trainingsites/a/LunchandLearn.htm
