How Employee Training Leads to Business Success

Approximate reading time: 6m 49s

The change in employees’ mindset and behavior is the subject of an entire science (behavioral science). It seeks to understand the reasons leading to this change. A key role in behavior change is played by employee training.
For employee training to be considered effective, it must change the way people think and act in different situations. That is why every company prepares and implements an annual employee training program. It includes an employee training plan, where suitable employee training methods are selected. The costs of implementing the training programs, as well as the appropriate topics, are also part of the training program.

What needs to happen in a person’s brain for the desired change to occur?

As with anything, it is much easier to talk about it than to do it. You cannot simply close your eyes and achieve complete change. This is directly related to what is happening in your brain.

Psychologist Dean Ware explains it as follows:
“When brain cells communicate often, the connection between them strengthens, and the messages that travel along the same path in the brain again and again begin to be transmitted faster and faster. With enough repetition, behavior becomes automatic. Reading, driving, and riding a bicycle are examples of complex actions that we do automatically thanks to the neural pathways that have formed.”

How can this be achieved? Through employee training, of course!
This means that changing the way people think and behave requires creating new pathways in the brain. Then you have to strengthen them until the new pattern becomes your second nature!

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Why is it important to change employees’ mindset and behavior?

People’s behavior affects everything inside and outside their workplace. It determines how this influences company culture, engagement, and motivation levels. James P. Carse writes: “Only that which can change will continue.” There is no place where this statement is more applicable than in the business world. If an organization cannot influence the behavior and change of its employees, it will not have a good future. On the other hand, if you encourage a culture that is open to change and are willing to work for it, there is absolutely nothing that can prevent your company from achieving its goals! Does employee training help? Without a doubt, this is the way!

Five ways employee training and mindset change affect business:

1. Increases happiness at work
   Investing in employee training that leads to behavior change will help reduce unnecessary sick days, staff turnover, and tension among employees. The better trained an employee is, the happier they are, because they will be more capable at work. Happy employees are up to 20% more productive than unhappy ones.
2. Increases profitability
   Being open to changing the way you think and act not only saves money, but can also increase revenue. In fact, high-performing sales organizations are twice as likely to provide timely updated training through an employee training system than those with low efficiency. This is because training changes behavior and improves performance!
3. Saves time
   Rewiring the mind can significantly improve your team’s efficiency. For example, the average employee loses 22 minutes a day dealing with IT issues. With the right employee training, that time can be put to work. This can have a huge effect on productivity.
4. Improves employees’ qualifications. Well-chosen training topics will improve not only the skills for dealing with difficulties in communication, but also specific skills and the knowledge needed to perform each trained employee’s specific job.
5. Specific training. Many professions require continuous training and upskilling. In such professions, for example doctors, insurance brokers, investment intermediaries, and accountants are required to undergo employee training programs every year in order to be familiar with the latest developments in every aspect of their dynamic professions. For example, these include data protection training, training for insurance brokers, training for accountants, and more.
6. Compliance with certain standards - there are professions that cannot be practiced if employees do not have the relevant diplomas or have not completed the mandatory training required for the profession.

Preparing an employee training program, choosing a training methodology and an appropriate training system will make it possible to achieve the goals the company has set for the stage of development it is currently in. Selecting suitable training topics, as well as providing the necessary budget for implementing the training program, will contribute to improving employees’ qualifications and organizational culture. They will support change at every stage and make the company more resilient and competitive.

What happens to an organization if its employees’ thinking and behavior never change?
Imagine what your company would look like if it had not changed in any respect over the past thirty years - everyone would still be strutting around at work in electric-colored suits, sitting in front of beige computers and using fax machines while sipping cheap coffee. Such an organization will never survive in today’s fast-paced world. If employee training does not lead to a change in how your employees think and act, then the budget for it has gone to waste!

 Would you like us to help you create trainings? You can contact us at tel.: +359 878 685 304 or e-mail: office@nitbg.com.

Why is it important for training to be learner-oriented

In every organization, creating a training program involves a number of important considerations, many of which are unique to each individual business.

The decisions may include considerations of which training topics are most important across the organization or for individual teams, for example.

Another consideration is how to provide the training materials - is content creation from scratch necessary in this case? Can courses be purchased ready-made? Is it necessary to work with a training provider to create unique content?

This can make the idea of creating a suitable and effective training program daunting. That is why it may be helpful to always return to a simple question.

What do we want to change as a result of training?

The only way to build an effective training program is to consider where the organization is currently at every level and where it needs to go... and the only way to bring any business closer to its goals is to equip people with the necessary tools and knowledge they need to grow and evolve in the right direction.

Taking into account what learners need to help them achieve their personal and business goals is called learner-oriented training. A training program that puts learners at the forefront is more likely to achieve a higher return on investment.

It is important to note that learner-oriented training can be delivered regardless of the training format. Whether training takes place face-to-face or online, a learner-oriented approach is possible and can have a huge impact on information retention and engagement.

Why is the learner-oriented approach useful?

The learner-oriented approach treats learners as active participants who will use their own knowledge, past experience, education, and ideas to take part in the training. This subsequently affects the way they perceive new information and learn.

When training is tailored to your learners, they are more likely to engage successfully with it, whether consciously or unconsciously. Active engagement is the key to real learning.

We all seek meaning in our work, and the feeling of being valued and connected to the training program can help employees motivate employees to recognize the desired outcomes and the need for certain training, thereby encouraging their enthusiasm and engagement.

It also reduces the likelihood that employees will receive training on something they do not need or already know. This is not only a waste of investment, but can also encourage employee alienation from the organization if they feel undervalued or patronized.

How can I put learners at the center of attention?

The most fundamental step in the process of considering learners is to try to understand them as individuals or groups, rather than as cogs in a machine.

One of the biggest workplace trends in recent years has been a focus on employees’ mental health and well-being. A primary goal is for employees to know that they are valued as individuals for the work they do.

Think about your learners...

Who are they?
How do they function in the organization?
What is their learning experience?
What do they already know?
What do they need to know to move forward?
If you are evaluating an existing program, collect data and review its successes and failures. What is missing? What are the skill gaps in certain teams?

Consider the context...

It is not always possible to choose how training is delivered. The rise of remote and hybrid learning means that in some companies all training is delivered online. However, this does not mean that training cannot be adapted to their needs, and there are many alternatives. When possible, consider the best option for the specific learners you have just reviewed.

You can ask them directly how they prefer to be trained! Perhaps e-learning is ideal, or perhaps a classroom session (in person or virtual) is more appropriate.

Different topics may also be suitable for different approaches.

Ultimately, you want to develop the course with the learner, the context, and the outcomes in mind. The information collected on these three indicators allows you to make decisions that are directed toward the expected changes for the learner.

What are learner-oriented activities?

The following list is a little simpler than the discussion above, as it is not unique to any organizational context. If you are delivering training or creating your own e-learning course, the following activities help put learners, their experience, and preferences at the center.

Encourage collaboration through group tasks;
Allow learners to participate in content creation;
Use learner presentations;
Hold a debate;
Use gamification;
Present scenarios;

Ultimately, putting learners at the center means considering them at every stage of the process, including the topic, the delivery method, and the measurement of return on investment.

The potential of every employee is increasingly recognized as a driving force of organizational success, and employers should evaluate their existing and future training programs with this in mind.

Finally, it should be noted that upskilling can be of enormous benefit to employee engagement. Including training opportunities that may not directly impact your business goals, but aim to develop your employees’ skills, is crucial for employee satisfaction and retention in the modern workplace. Employees who feel valued and see opportunities for growth are more likely to stay with your organization. Not only that, but employees with well-developed soft skills perform better in all aspects of their work, which means they indirectly help advance your business toward the stated goals.

When considering how to put your learners at the center of training, think about soft skills training in areas such as leadership and communication.

Encourage and motivate your employees to work on changing their mindset and behavior. This will be beneficial both for them and for the successful development of your company’s staff.

Create an appropriate employee training program and implement it. Use modern training methods: remote learning platforms, interactive e-learning, competency academies, and testing to receive feedback and results from the application of the employee training program.

Check out the free resource "E-learning Trends in 2022."