Return on training investment tied to approach

Training staff members is critical to attain profit goals, provide exceptional customer service and ensure employee job mastery with minimal errors. Training budgets are being driven upward as a result of client demands for quality. And internal promotions coupled with education to improve weak areas are on the rise in response to low unemployment.

The top question asked by management is if the return on investment justifies the dollars spent. Three factors must be in place for the answer to be "Yes."

?Your business must truly need the knowledge taught.

To identify critical topics, list the problems you want to solve and goals you expect to achieve. Does the concern involve a limitation in one employee's personality and/or ability to perform a particular job duty? Do your challenges pertain to many people and affect numerous areas of your organization?

?The program must be solid and the instructor qualified, entertaining and highly experienced in the content.

Consider off-site seminars if only one worker needs help. The Management Development Institute through Southwest Missouri State University offers excellent courses and certifications.

If your objective includes several associates, find a seasoned trainer who will come to your location. Topics with company-wide impact include selection, turnover, basic supervision, customer service, performance evaluations, conflict management, team building and discipline methods.

You will find in-house education is significantly more cost-effective than paying for everyone to attend an off-site course. Familiarize the trainer with the unique aspects of your business and its issues. Provide input on the content to ensure customization to your needs.

?Make sure the material learned is actually used.

Give team members time to incorporate the details into their day-to-day work. Confirm that supervisors furnish positive reinforcement.

Have on-site educators develop weekly follow-up modules that allow workers to practice the knowledge acquired during class. Research shows at least 12 weeks of repetition is necessary for a permanent change in behavior to occur.

All training that focuses on solving identified needs will be worth the money if qualified instructors are used and material learned is reinforced. To capture specific, numerical measures of success, you can choose from several techniques.

For individual training, review reduced error rates, increased speed at completing duties and decreased on-the-job coaching time. Compare figures calculated to the cost of the program.

For education conducted at your site, three evaluation approaches are available. One is to statistically look at decreased lawsuits and increased quality, sales, customer satisfaction and retention rates.

Another is to list everything that should have been affected. Assign a numerical rating to each item using a five-point scale, with one defined as "did not impact at all" up through five defined as "we now walk on water." Add up the numbers to analyze achievements.

Lastly, develop and administer surveys to determine if team members believe a positive change occurred. Use rating scales to quantify the opinions.

Properly selected topics and teachers, with the opportunity for applied learning on the job, will result in a solid return on your investment. The net benefits will far surpass the actual cost of the program.

(Lynne Haggerman is president and owner of Haggerman & Associates, an employment, management training, human resources consulting and outplacement firm.)

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