Are workers underutilising staff training?

New research has revealed that a majority of Aussie companies offer staff training, but many don’t utilise them.

A study compiled by COS has highlighted that 62 per cent of Aussie workers are offered training and development programs, yet more than one in five fail to ever use them.

According to the report, the main reason behind this lack of use when it comes to development programs is that they felt they were too busy to add additional items to their workload (30 per cent) and that they often forget that they have such access to these programs. They pinpointed towards how leaders fail to pass on that message (24 per cent).

On the findings, COS co-chief executive Belinda Lyone said: “It’s interesting to hear that many people are forgetting they have access to these services, and it’s a good reminder to leaders and managers that they need to speak to their employees about this.”

As the response levels came from a variety of genders, ages, and locations, the data highlighted that the more senior and staff members were more likely to utilise training and their personal development budget, in comparison to their younger counterparts.

“Not only does this commitment to ongoing training and career development opportunities benefit the employees, but it also helps to ensure the team is productive and performing at a high standard, so it’s truly a win-win,” said Lyone.

Lyone went on to offer strategies that organisations can deploy to ensure that learning and development (L&D) is undertaken by their employees, as it benefits both parties.

Be clear on what budget each team member has access to for professional growth. Often, there is confusion around what a team member is able to redeem as part of their L&D budget. Being clear about this and having it included in the individual’s contract or readily available on an online portal means there are less barriers.

Keep the process as simple as possible. Similarly, if there are too many steps needed to book a course in, most employees won’t make use of their L&D budget. At COS, we have created a streamlined process where a team member only needs to identify a course that is relevant to their current or potential future position and go ahead and book it; no approval required.

Keep it top of mind. Remind the team regularly about the offering, and the benefits to them of utilising this. Whether it’s leaders mentioning it in their casual team catch-ups, flyers designed and distributed around the office, management teams talking about it at quarterly/annual company-wide meetings, or internal e-newsletters, there are many ways to ensure staff don’t forget about it.