By
Becky Mee
September 27, 2017
So is it possible for you to train your staff in a flexible way, which is also fun and engaging to be a part of? Becky Mee, HR Partner here at HR180 has some top tips on how to make this happen.
Everyone knows that training and development is an essential tool to help companies thrive in their sector.
However in many businesses, finding the time and motivation for training courses can seem like a chore, with pressures like time and money often getting in the way of employee development.
Let’s face it, for many of us in SMEs, training is a “nice to do” activity and learning is more “show and tell” – sitting next to someone hopefully more experienced showing us what to do. Plus, it’s often something we’re expected to do in our spare time and pay for ourselves (not likely!).
Having come from a more corporate background, learning was a structured and expected part of life. So a recent conversation with a former colleague – now working for a large US corporation – intrigued me. In quite a senior role and increasingly being asked to be a leader, she faces the common challenges of goal setting, getting the best from her colleagues, building collaborative relationships, and challenging conflict between teams with different objectives.
What surprised me was the company has no formal development program in the traditional sense. Instead, they develop the softer and behavioural skills needed for leaders as well as the business to thrive, through a structured mentoring scheme.
This then made me ponder…
What’s the alternative to formal learning and development, particularly for SMEs?
The challenges faced by many SMEs (like our clients) when developing their teams are often around the following:
You want something:
So, what can you do to break the traditional system and come up with something that both meets these needs and actually works?
Whatever you chose to do, make sure it works for your business, fits your ethos, and encourages the skills you need now and for the future. Have fun breaking the system!
Part 2 will be a case study of this in practice from Laura Morris, Director at Trinity McQueen
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