Small businesses these days have many worries on their minds, including how to keep and find great employees and continually grow the business.
Most small companies know that having talented employees helps them be successful.
Achieving these goals starts with a supportive work environment. Business leader Richard Branson once said, “When you take care of your team, they’ll take care of your business.” Review five ways to build up employees to build up your small business.
1. Provide leadership and problem-solving training – Teaching employees leadership skills helps them learn how to take charge of their work and solve problems. They learn to be more proactive in recognizing potential issues and providing the right solutions. They don’t require daily step-by-step instructions to complete projects or take care of customers. Leadership training helps them be more aware of the complete product-customer sales cycle. And in the process of learning these skills, employers will unlock their workers’ abilities.
2. Build skills with expanded knowledge – Due to the pandemic, small business leaders spent limited time building up employees’ skills and knowledge. However, now is the time to start investing in employees’ development. Research shows that 33% of employees surveyed identified a lack of career opportunities as the reason they’d leave a job.
Show workers that you care and want to help them improve their skills and abilities. This training could include teaching skills to expand employees’ capabilities in communication, computer software and technical certifications. Employees appreciate this investment and are more likely to stay on the job. Another bonus is that small businesses end up saving money on turnover costs, which benefits your bottom line.
3. Encourage input – Often, employees don’t feel comfortable sharing their opinions on the issues and problems they experience at work. They may have ideas for making product improvements or enhancing sales communications, but they hesitate to communicate these details to the owners.
Open up relationships by informally talking with employees and asking them to share their insights to improve the business. Set up regular touch-base opportunities for workers to pass along ideas. Encourage them to ask questions, especially those, “Why do we do ____ this way? Have we ever tried other ideas?
Sometimes team members are hesitant to share their ideas, worried that others might make fun of them, or their idea won’t be taken seriously. Set up a safe environment where all opinions and ideas are welcomed and appreciated.
4. Support career development – Ask employees for training ideas to help them with career development. Sometimes small business leaders hesitate to help employees improve in their field because they’re afraid they’ll leave. But employees leave their jobs for many reasons, such as a move or a desire to pursue work in a different area. Upskilling employees helps build up your team members and supports their career development.
5. Focus on team building – The pandemic has changed many employee relationships. Take the time to help employees reconnect by scheduling team-building activities. Encourage them to share experiences, dreams and career challenges. Building up your team will enhance business operations and customer experiences
Tips for employee training
Employee training doesn’t have to be difficult. Find an online training software program that provides the tools you need. Most small businesses don’t need software with a lot of fancy features. So, make sure the program is easy to use with tutorials to help you figure out how to create the training modules that fit your employees’ needs. Review these blogs for tips on designing the modules:
Why Use Photos to Enhance Employee Training Programs
How to Use Fonts for Effective Online Training
9 Tips for Selecting the Right Online Training Software System
How Small Businesses Can Create Better Employee Training