Fall is a great time for a fresh start. In the workplace, this can mean encouraging (or requiring) employees to brush up on their skills and participate in some professional development to ensure that your business has a knowledge base you can rely on.
We frequently hear about the importance of annual refresher training. Now we know, some refresher training is required by the job, or by regulation, or by company policy but we also find that certain types of training are essential to the ongoing health of a business. In other words, there are training topics employers should be focusing on to get the best bang for the training buck. Based on our experience, six topics that seem to rise to the top of the list for many of the businesses we work with.
Are they on YOUR list?
1.Workplace safety
If your business operates in dangerous conditions, safety training is a crucial investment. Employers can reduce liability by putting processes in place that include regular safety training. In addition to requiring employees to take these courses once a year, businesses need to also train supervisors so that they can help keep workers safe.
2. Workplace harassment
When a hostile work environment exists, a business finds itself at risk. With workplace harassment training, a business reduces its liability by ensuring every employee has been properly trained. In addition to sexual harassment training, workplace harassment courses focus on behaviors such as bullying and profiling. It just makes good sense to educate employees about these issues.
3.Title VI
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 directly addresses discrimination on based on race, color and national origin. There are multiple training resources available for managers and employees. Annual trainings ensure that everyone receives the same, current and relevant information.
4.Cybersecurity
Employees need proper training to keep a business’s technology systems safe. One year, consider a course on password security training that could be beneficial. The next year, consider providing a course on mobile device safety.
5.Regulatory compliance
Different businesses have regulations specific to the work they do. Whether governed by laws or industry standards, compliance often requires that every employee be trained. If you collect healthcare information, operate a commercial motor vehicle, collect credit card data from customers or some other specific type of regulated data, you’ll want to find a course that fits. Remember, regulations often change from one year to the next and you want everyone in your business to be up to date.
6.Customer service skills
If your employees interact with the public, with customers or with clients, the ability to professionally and tactfully handle every situation is essential to your business’s growth. Fortunately, there are numerous customer service training options available to businesses. This gives you the option of offering different courses depending on the unique challenges your business is facing during a specific period of time.
This list is by no means the be-all and end-all, but it is a good start. You and your employees know what it is you do, and you do it well. Keeping current with relevant training and informed about ever-changing regulations and technology is essential. The right training, done right, is an investment that pays returns.