There’s no doubt about it; in the past five years alone, the corporate landscape has undergone a drastic transformation. From pandemic-fuelled shifts in workplace models to the increased emphasis placed on a business’s values and culture, the way both employers and employees’ function in a professional capacity has changed forever. This period of evolution has brought with it many positives, shining a spotlight on the importance of certain practises, such as the continuous training and development of a workforce.
While training has always formed a part of company policy in the context of induction and onboarding, the benefits of ongoing professional development and upskilling throughout an employee’s time with a business has become increasingly apparent in recent times.
Here, we take a look at the top five reasons why training and development should form an integral part of your company’s mission statement.
If you train, you’re more likely to retain
With 76 percent of millennials citing professional development opportunities as one of the most important aspects of a company’s culture, it’s time for employers to sit up and listen if they’re hoping to hold on to their valued team. What’s more, 41 percent of employees list their organisation’s career advancement opportunities as a key influence on job satisfaction. When it comes to offering opportunities to your existing workforce, it seems the proof is in the pudding: those that continue to encourage, nurture and back their team’s potential are more likely to reap the benefits of a skilled and loyal workforce.
Upskilling opens doors for internal promotions
Aside from improving retention rates, providing your employees with further opportunities to upskill will also enable you to access a pool of new talent that exists under your own company roof. Promoting from within allows you to fill crucial roles with promising new candidates who already know the company ropes, while creating a culture of internal progression that will inspire and motivate other team members. Furthermore, with large business budgets attributed to recruitment drives every year, implementing such measures would also prove to be a very cost-effective exercise.
New talent is attracted by training and development opportunities
The advantages of continuous development are clear in the context of existing employees, but it also holds more than a little weight with potential new recruits. In fact, a survey carried out in 2020 found that a staggering 97 percent of employees want to expand on the amount of time spent learning on a job. The masses have spoken; by integrating education and training opportunities into your corporate benefits package, you will immediately become a more attractive prospect to emerging talent on the hunt for their dream job.
Nurturing existing talent will bolster your company culture
One of the markers of a successful business these days, is its status as one that employees, clients and service users alike can get on board with ethically. If your company’s core mission statement involves nurturing and encouraging your workforce by setting them up for further opportunity and progression, you’re already on a winning path. Employee satisfaction has a knock-on effect on client and customer relations, so by investing in your team, you are essentially investing in the success of your business. As Richard Branson once said: “Take care of your employees and they will take care of your business. It’s as simple as that.”
And a great way to boost company culture is organising Team Building activities and we discussed the Benefits of Team Building for your Law Firm in another article here.
Encouraging your team promotes confidence and improves productivity
By opening doors for your team through opportunities for further education and development, you actively showcase your belief in their ability to progress professionally and rise through the company ranks. This is a key motivator for employees, which not only builds their confidence levels but also inspires them to work harder to get to the next level. Encouraging them to come to you with ideas on areas they would like to upskill in will also give them more ownership over their career progression and will enable you to provide them with opportunities that might play more to their strengths.
In truth, there are so many more reasons to invest in training your team. When you consider how a highly skilled workforce enhances the service offering you provide to customers, you will realise how this can help you to both attract and retain clients more easily. It can also give you the upper hand when it comes to competitors and your USP. And in many instances, it will enable you to charge higher rates due to the quality and level of expertise you bring to your clients.
Want to know more about training and development options for your team?
If you are currently exploring development and training options for your team, you might be interested to learn that Independent College Dublin offers a range of professional team development programmes for law professionals at all levels, including a Legal Executive Certificate in Professional Legal Studies (CILEX) commencing Feb 23rd 2022. The course is a flexible, blended, learning course delivered in-class, streamed live and recorded for repeat viewing, and is the first stage to a full diploma, which can also be completed at Independent College.
For more course information and details of a special offer available to Solicitors Growth, email profcourses@independentcolleges.ie or connect here quoting SG10.*
*The aim of our blog is to share valuable information and resources with our colleagues. This is not an affiliate link and Solicitors Growth do not receive a commission for mentioning these courses. Follow us on social so you get notified of our latest blogs.
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