Developing your workforce results in improved competence, production, and work satisfaction. It produces more well-rounded, experienced employees. However, some employees may be reluctant to take part in the training. Many widespread beliefs exist about training and development, which distorts your employees’ views and could lead to bad decisions. As the change agents in your company, your leaders need to understand these misconceptions, what truths they are founded on, and how best to educate your workforce and motivate them to take ownership of their training. Here are some of the most common training myths.
Employees Want to Separate Work from Personal Lives
Employers worry if their workers don’t have a strong work-life balance, stress and pressure will lead to burnout. However, instead of expecting to keep the two aspects of their life separate and distinct, people increasingly expect them to blend. Mobile devices and technology advances allow employees to stay connected to work when they’re at home and interact with family members when they’re at work. Instead of balancing, they juggle.
Research by IBM’s Kenexa shows workers are energized by tight deadlines and hard-to-reach goals. Stress increases, but so does engagement. The greater the challenge, the greater the personal satisfaction. Workers are willing to access training at work and during personal time, because it helps them meet their goals.
Employees Will Learn and Leave
Often employers feel if they invest in high-quality, engaging training, their high-potential employees will use that knowledge to negotiate a higher salary with a competitor. Employees are less likely to do so when they can put what they learned into practice. Create an environment where learning is prioritized then funneled into innovation.
Online Courses Are Easier Than Live Training
A common misconception about online learning is that employees can just click through without paying much attention. Employers worry they’ll pay for training that doesn’t result in employees learning critical skills. Online learning environments encourage engagement with sophisticated learning tools. They enable teams to collaborate in real time to assimilate knowledge and immediately put it into practice. Employers can access data on where employees struggled and what modules resulted in the most engagement to plan future training.
Training Participation Will Cost Sales
Businesses fear taking their corporate sales teams out of the field will result in losses, but training equips teams for even greater success. Research shows every dollar invested in training results in improved ongoing revenue. Even the most experienced salespeople can refine skills to stay ahead of the competition.
