Many organisational problems can be resolved with the appropriate staff training.
Here are OUR TOP TEN TYPICAL WORKPLACE ISSUES - just click on the problem to find
out just how training can help:
Problem |
Possible training solutions |
| Are some staff not performing to their potential? |
It’s time to take stock; perhaps they do not
have the necessary skills to perform to their potential. Do they have:
Many people wrongly assume that some of these are innate skills –
they are not. All of the above involve trainable techniques that anyone
can benefit from.
|
| Is there a high turnover of staff? |
Recruitment is a very costly and time consuming business.
Training in recruitment,
selection & interviewing skills ensures the process is efficient
and effective. Recruiting the right people for the job is half the battle.
To retain staff they need to enjoy high levels of job satisfaction which
often stem from feeling part of a team, and being
offered opportunities for personal
development. Managers also play a key role in maintaining job
satisfaction by offering sound leadership,
team
motivation and effective performance
appraisal. |
| Is it an up hill battle to implement new ideas or changes? |
Many people find change uncomfortable and yet it is a
constant feature of the modern business world. Project
management skills help people to deal with the practical issues of change
whilst techniques to deal with the emotional aspects can help people to
really embrace
change. Furthermore, developing managers’ change
management skills can ensure the process is appropriately controlled,
and general training in problem
solving, quality
and continuous
improvement can promote a cultural acceptance and recognition of change
within the organisation. |
| Are your organisation’s achievements disappointing? |
How effective is your strategic
and business
planning? Training can ensure that well thought out, stretching
yet achievable plans are at the forefront of your organisational goals.
Managers need to be skilled in leadership,
commercial
awareness and financial
management in order to direct resources appropriately and maintain
focus on key organisational objectives. |
| Is much time spent fighting fires with deadlines frequently missed? |
Effective planning,
prioritising, organising and controlling of work are the key to creating
a proactive rather than reactive environment. With good leadership
skills managers will clearly communicate business priorities
and the techniques of time
management and stress
management can help staff to work more efficiently to meet these
goals. Problem
solving and decision
making training will also help to encourage staff to take responsibility
for their workload and deal with issues at source. Ineffective meetings
can account for much wasted time; training in managing
meetings can however ensure that meetings act as a valuable communication
tool, clarifying priorities and driving action. |
| Do you have problems with excessive absences, lateness, or other work
withdrawal behaviours? |
Managers need to be skilled in adopting
a counselling approach to understand and deal with the root cause
of these performance issues. De-motivation can often be a problem, but a
manager trained in motivating
the team will quickly identify and know how to address motivation issues.
Conflicting personal and organisational needs can also be the cause of the
problem, and staff training in such areas as self management,
self motivation,
time management,
assertiveness
and stress
management can help them to successfully meet both requirements.
Effective performance
management is an essential skill for any manager and, when necessary,
it is important that a manager knows when and how to instigate disciplinary
procedures and deal with grievances.
|
| Are internal politics and conflict grinding you down? |
The way people behave within a workplace can sometimes
be embedded in the organisation’s culture. Cultural shifts are notoriously
difficult to make but can be achieved when the change
is appropriately planned and managed. Business
planning and performance
appraisal reinforce the process, and it is supported with the
appropriate skills training. Managing
conflict is a difficult task, especially for the more inexperienced
manager, but when managed appropriately it can be very constructive leading
to the generation of new ideas and ways of working. Using effective communication
skills and emotional
intelligence staff will learn to relate to others better avoiding unnecessary
conflict situations. Team
Working skills help staff to formulate a common vision and recognise
and play to other’s strengths to create a winning team. Indeed, training
in itself can act as a valuable team
building tool, leading to a more constructive working atmosphere.
` |
| Are managers too busy coping with their own workload to provide the guidance
and inspiration needed by their teams? |
Comprehensive self management
is crucial if managers’ are to work to the best of their ability at
all times. Learning how to manage time,
stress,
how to be more assertive and how to get the best out of their team
can reduce the pressure on managers. To be most effective managers need
to concentrate on providing leadership,
and learning the art of delegation
will free up their time to enable them to do this. Sometimes managers can
be reluctant to delegate responsibilities and training in coaching
and mentoring can allow managers to pass on their skills and
have confidence that their delegated duties will be carried out appropriately.
|
| Are you finding it difficult to retain existing or gain new customers?
|
Training in customer
relationship management will enable all staff to ensure that
their first priority is the customer, and they will learn how to keep existing
customers happy and build new customers. Communication,
improving quality
and commercial
awareness training will all help to retain customers whilst improving
the service that you offer. In addition training in Marketing
skills will help managers to identify markets and choose appropriate marketing
strategies to meet your business objectives. |
| Are your costs spiralling with no match in revenue? |
Taking a tighter control over day to day finances can
be achieved through resources
management training. Before embarking on a large purchase, investment
appraisal techniques can ensure that the purchase is properly
evaluated. Are cost budgets constantly exceeded? By learning how to
manage
budgets effectively, staff can stay within budget and even find ways
of reducing costs. |