The pursuit of the perfect workforce is what drives most business owners. Some of the world’s corporate giants are now even embracing remote working as a means to eliminate location restrictions to finding talent. The skills shortage and the quest for the best employees has opened up a whole new world of recruiting and hiring strategies. With the option of teleworking talent can now be found around the world. Almost every major corporation is now spending their time chasing the elusive ‘perfect’ worker. What could they be doing instead of chasing down talent that they may never find? They could invest in training and developing their own employees to meet whatever skills gap that they are lacking.
There was a time when training meant more than just an induction day. Companies would invest in young graduates, teach them the ways of the industry, and reap the rewards. Above all, that was a far cheaper method than simply plucking the best and brightest from the competition. What does training give you? The opportunity to mold an already creative and impressionable mind in your vision.
Now, however, companies aren’t interested in developing young, hungry, and ambitious staff. They want the cream of the crop now, and they’re willing to pay top dollar to get it. That’s short-term thinking, as far as I’m concerned. What happens when the well dries up? What happens when all these presumed safe bets reach retirement age? Well, we’re left with an awful lot of world-weary, inexperienced, younger workers that lack the skills we need. None of whom, it must be added, have been given the opportunity to work, learn or develop in their career aspirations. (Which is why we are seeing a lot of people turning to entrepreneurship.)
So, what are you supposed to do? You can’t skimp on finding talented staff. Not in today’s world, where competition is more rife than it’s ever been. But consider rather, taking on a young intern – a blank canvas – to teach and mentor into a future position. That’s a sustainable approach. Here a couple of areas to consider investing in for training and development.
Admin & Payroll:
There has never been a shortage of willing administration experts, nor math whizzes. Will you be able to say the same in the future? Or will these talented young thinkers have moved into more profitable – and unattainable – industries? As a business owner, it’s your duty to invest in the future of your business and that means employees as well. Consider sending your interns or new administration staff on a Microsoft Excel training course. Excel is very useful in administration and finance if you have the proper skills.
Customer Service:
There are few businesses in the world without a customer care team. They’re your front line – and your sounding board – to your consumers. People skills, in this age, are harder to come by than you may think. But they’re still as important as ever. Make sure that your staff enroll on customer service training, so that you maintain a happy client base. A happy customer will always come back for more.
By investing in the future, you are ensuring that a conveyor belt of talented staff are always at your disposal. A failure to do so could not only be a failure to your business, but have dramatic consequences on the economy as a whole.
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