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Five types of training to help boost employee productivity

The success or failure of your company is highly dependent on the productivity levels of your employees, both individually and collectively. Experts define employee productivity as the effectiveness, commitment and ability of an employee or a group of employees. It is measured by the output an individual employee makes within a specified input (cost) and a specified duration.


To understand this argument best, consider an employee who works at your company for eight hours and earns a net salary of $50,000 (AUD). In that eight hours, how much work do they do? Can an average worker finish the same work within less or more than eight hours? If the average worker can complete the daily task within, say, seven hours and needs a smaller salary, then the employee in question isn’t as productive as they should be.


But, does this mean that employees are always to blame for low productivity? Absolutely not! Experts recommend that employers should train their workers regularly on why and how to improve their productivity. You need to train them on new skills in order to inspire them to productivity. Here are five types of training that will help you boost employee productivity in your company.

1. Leadership training


Leadership training comes first on our list because of its relevance to effective employee performance. When every employee under your wing is trained as a leader, you will have a team of motivated and competent workers. Trained leaders understand the importance of teamwork, so you will not have to remind everyone every morning to sacrifice for the team. Employees who train as leaders know the importance of transparency, diligence and trustworthiness.


Research shows that even when an employee doesn’t get a higher office or a team of junior employees to lead, leadership skills give them the organisational citizenship and commitment that is needed for anyone to perform optimally. Such training satisfies their hunger for career growth and gives them hope that, with a little more hard work, they stand a chance of rising through the ranks. Maybe that explains why companies that organise regular leadership training forums have a higher employee retention rate than those that don’t.

2. Cross-training and development


Cross-training equips employees with the skills needed across multiple departments within the company. It enables the involved employee to wear multiple hats when the need arises and perform a variety of roles within the organisation. When employees acquire skills in different positions, they are able to rotate them on a yearly or monthly basis in order to kill boredom and monotony. 


This is also a good gesture in the employees’ eyes, as they feel like you really care about their eligibility for employment across multiple job descriptions. That strengthens their attitude towards your company. Besides, if one employee decides to leave your company, you will always have the in-house talent to occupy the vacant position. Everybody wins.

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3. Time management training


Enroll your employees in time management courses if you want them to beat their workload and achieve more within the short time they are at the workplace. The core skills of time management include scheduling, focus and prioritisation. This training inspires employees to be more effective in their official capacity, deal with the challenges of lateness and workplace interruptions, and set achievable goals.

4. Teamwork training


This goes without saying: when employees work together and everyone commits to the team, the individual performance of every employee involved with the group soars. Teamwork is the backbone of employee engagement.

5. Emotional intelligence training


This is the ability to analyse emotions and reason without allowing your emotions to interfere with your better judgment. Employees who are trained on emotional intelligence are able to make informed decisions and live in harmony with colleagues. Their emotional awareness helps them develop healthy workplace relationships and control their reactions when dealing with difficult clients.



Also Read: What small business workers really want from their employers

Make it fit your company


Your primary goal as a business leader or owner is to help your employees achieve their peak productivity index. You will only achieve that by making genuine efforts towards employee motivation and growth, both at a personal and professional level.


The good thing is that among the five strategies we’ve discussed, at least one will work for your current workplace setup. Note that when employee productivity is optimal, the employees feel confident with your leadership and motivated to help you achieve the company’s overall goals.




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