Why organizations don’t focus on training their employees?

Most of the organizations in India even today are ownership/ partnership firms. They are run in a traditional way. Concept of training and development of employees is relatively new that doesn’t fit in traditional mindset. Human Resource Department in such companies have limited role to play. Their focus is more on controlling and disciplining their employees rather than developing and growing.

Training is an investment on employees. Companies see it as an expense on employees. Impact of most of the training sessions (especially the behavioural trainings) are not immediate or equal on all participants. They are not visible in the short run. Also, proper systems to evaluate the impact of training is an additional process and organizations rarely follow such processes citing lack of time and resources.

However, there is a list of trainings like positive attitude, personal effectiveness, ownership, time management, communication skills, presentation skills, teamwork, mindset of development and growth, managerial skills, leadership skills, listening skills and assertiveness etc. which don’t change with industry. The concepts remain the same.

Many such organizations where there is no culture of training, when sessions are conducted for the first time, in some cases HR comes back and says there was no impact of training. In some sessions, questions and answers are prepared to check the improvement in terms of knowledge in behavioural training. They should be checking behavioural change rather than knowledge change.

Managers with old mindset who learnt everything on the job doesn’t see any training requirement. Moreover, they don’t see any need for training themselves. Above all, they hardly see any value in behavioural change. Such managers would rarely encourage or recommend training (Read – Why I consider behavioural trainings more important?)

Nowadays, opportunities for employees have increased. Employees are always looking for better opportunity. Concept of loyalty to employer is gone. HR now has a recruitment and selection process for the employee hire. You cannot always find right fit candidate for the job. Jobs now require certain behaviours and skills.

Hiring a candidate with great technical skills and poor leadership skills, at even supervisory level can create havoc in the department. I have seen mass resignations and management doesn’t know why it is happening.

Companies are worried that if they spend money on training, and if the employees leave, then their investment would go waste. This is short term thinking.

Companies don’t realize that by not providing training, they are actually not able to utilize their human resource potential to the optimum.

By imparting training, company is thinking long term. Also, when companies provide a learning culture, employee engagement is high. Employees see themselves more connected with the company and are less likely to leave the organization.

By spending on training, organizations are ensuring that they build right culture where focus is on performance. There is a sense of collaboration and teamwork. Right work environment ensures employees stay longer and perform to their potential

Solution is not that companies do away with training but impart trainings and build right culture in the organization so that employees feel connected and stay longer.

Thank you.

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