4 Reasons to Invest in Training NOW

Economic downturns reinforce the need for businesses to develop the people that will help you through those tough times. Improving their skills and investing in their well being will help you create a competent and confident workforce well into the future. 

“All of us have been thrust headfirst into unprecedented changes that underscore the need to be equipping our workforce for what’s coming next. Sometimes “what’s next” shows up much faster than we imagined.” Mike Harris, CEO and Founder of Worksighted

With all of this in mind, here are the four main reasons to keep training a top priority during an economic downturn: 

• Skill development increases employee engagement 
• Continuous user training increases agility
• Delivering training has never been easier
• ROI needs to be proven

Skill development increases employee engagement

According to surveys, one of the things employees value most from their employer is the opportunity to learn. By making ongoing training available to your users, you are reinforcing your commitment to their growth and ultimately, their happiness. 

Did you know?: Cortisol is a chemical in our brain that tends to flow more freely and spurs negative thoughts. The more cortisol in your system, the easier negative thoughts come into your mind, which creates more cortisol – Worst. Merry-go-round. Ever. – By training your team, you’re providing a positive mental destination that can help break this cycle, even if it’s just temporary.

Continuous user training increases agility

With organizations everywhere pivoting to embrace our “new normal” during COVID-19, a flexible and agile workforce will continue to be a major differentiator between those that struggle to survive, and those that thrive. With unknown challenges ahead for all of us, training can be a catalyst for team members to look at their work in new ways, to have the courage to tackle new challenges and step up to the plate when needed. Without enabling users with the knowledge and skills necessary to respond to these challenges quickly, your business and clients will suffer. Don’t forget, change is scary. The more you can do to equip your workforce, the more successful they will be. 

Delivering training has never been easier

It goes without saying that training is a competitive advantage. As you begin to review your IT training strategy, it’s important you rethink and simplify your approach. Thanks to apps like Microsoft Teams, Webex Teams, and similar org-wide collaboration tools, the delivery of training assets should be easier than ever before. Not all training needs to be delivered by a dedicated LMS(Learning Management System), or result in accreditation and additional letters behind a name. Simplify your approach and avoid recreating the wheel. If you’re just getting started, things like “how-to” articles,  FAQ blogs, or two-minute video clips are plenty useful to get your training initiatives off the ground. 

ROI needs to be proven:

The 80/20 rule in IT: 80% of the customers use 20% of the features in the software they’ve purchased.  Want an easy win in productivity or return on your investment? Shoot for >21%. While budgets are tight and the future is uncertain, the fact still remains that an undereducated workforce causes problems and costs money – don’t believe me? Let’s talk about security breaches. 

Since COVID-19, phishing attacks are up 600%. (That’s not a typo) The news is full of companies that could have saved thousands of dollars, their reputation, and in some instances their entire company by simply teaching their workforce how to spot a phishing email, but they didn’t. Take a step back and look at your current tech stack and make a critical call on whether your team is aligned and up to speed on your organization’s best practices, or falling behind and not taking advantage of your full investment.  Are there ways that your accounting team can save time and money by learning new Quickbooks tricks? Is your engineering team using SolidWorks the same way for the last 10 years? IT Training can help your team maximize the investment you’ve already made. 

A skilled workforce relies on constant development through user training to enable them for the future. Without base-lining your team’s current capabilities to help understand your future needs, how can you be confident they will be set up for success? 

Whether you’re just getting started with training, implementing your strategy, or executing a long term training initiative, Worksighted can help enhance your efforts with live Blitz Sessions, Instructor-led training, quick reference guides, and more. Reach out today to learn more about our training capabilities, or to schedule a Power Hour™ to help develop your IT training road-map for the year.