Don't Forget Training & eLearning in 2011

In an economy like what we are experiencing today one of the first budget cuts we see is usually in training & development. As we all know, training is one of the key life bloods of an organization that builds your workforces skills and is a platform for growth.One of the key elements for continuing training of your human capital is instilling that training is important to them and that they should take the time to expand their skills, grow their competencies, and make it a ritual in their working lives. So how do you do this? Here are a couple of important guidelines:

• make sure there is a solid training strategy that ties to the corporations' goal/objectives
• keep the training budget as much in place as possible
• make sure your managers buy into the training strategy
• managers must emphasize that training is important to them
• offer eLearning options for your employees through companies like Skillsoft
• provide time each week for learning
• show the outcome of skills training so people see the end result
• post notices on your intranet regarding skills training
• make sure that you subsidize if not pay in full the training that people take that is relevant to their current position or one that in next in line for them. There has to be a solid ROI

These are just a few areas where you as managers and leaders of organizations can ensure that you build and maintain the most competent workforce that will help you drive revenues and profits. It will also help reduce turnover and build loyalty within the organization.


Your comments are welcome at wgstevens2@gmail.com .

Developing Leaders From Within

The IBM Global Human Capital Study 2008 suggests that company leaders emphasize on building leaders from within the company. The survey reflects that it is the leading challenge faced by the organization.

So what are they doing to assess and develop leaders from within the organization? The top executives reported using of initiatives such as Action Learning; Mentoring; and Job Rotation.

Action Learning and Job Rotation are methods where the future leaders gain hands on experience in different projects. Whereas mentoring is one of the most widely used training method to develop future leaders by providing guidance and feedback on one's performance through a one-to one mentor-mentee relationship.

Having worked for IBM for two summers and a parent that spent 43 years with the company I can attest that they have one of the best programs in business today, THINK. Do you agree?

Interesting Analytics on HR Changes

In the most recent Workforce issue it had some interesting statistics that relate to the economy and how businesses have reacted. The one statistic that troubles me is the number of companies that have pared their training budgets. I hope this statistic does not mean they are placing less emphasis on leadership development. So here are the statistics:

Hiring freeze - 72%

Layoffs/reductions in force - 72%

Organizational restructure - 49%

Mandatory shutdown or furlough - 41%

Reduced workweek - 22%

Salary freeze - 60%

Salary reductions - 21%

Reduced employer 401(k) match - 22%

Eliminate/reduced training - 42%

I am sure each HR leader has been deeply involved in these decisions but I can only hope that the training and development budgets were the last resort change. If you want to keep your people don't forgo training.