News

February 26, 2010

Recession pressures deter firms from staff training

Six out of ten small firms want to provide more training to staff, but the costs and time involved have prevented them from doing so, research has found.

A survey by IT firm Citrix Online in November 2009 found that 61 per cent of employers with fewer than 50 employees were deterred from offering more training due to high costs, logistics and the temporary loss of manpower.

“The recession has put more pressure on businesses to be productive and if they provide training there can be many things to organise – the travel, the venue, the cost of the training, and the cost of the staff being out of the business for the day,” said Citrix Online director of e-commerce, Andrew Millard.

“Not only this, but with workforces becoming increasingly dispersed and flexible working policies more common, running in-person training sessions is becoming a logistical nightmare.”

But he added that time-pressured small firms could still offer training. “Online training is not a replacement for face-to-face training, but it is another option for employers, particularly if they have staff working on different sites or from home,” he said.

However, HR consultant Margaret Dale said that online training was not suitable for everyone. “It can be expensive – not everybody learns effectively by using a computer,” she said. “You have to look at the individual and what they need to learn and the best way to teach them.”

Dale added that training was not something that firms should ignore. “Training is a worthwhile investment,” she said. “If you are losing productivity because people aren’t working effectively day to day, taking an hour a week to learn how to do something a little bit better is not a massive cost.”

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development policy adviser, Claire McCartney, said: “It’s always important to develop your people and it’s short-sighted not to just because we are in a recession.

“If they’re creative with their training and development they can find a way to provide it,” she added. “A lot of firms are doing more on-the-job learning and sharing the skills that already exist within the business.

“Other possible low-cost solutions for smaller firms are setting up leadership exchange groups, where firms partner with another small business and allow the staff to spend a bit of time in another company,” said McCartney. “If people work remotely, firms can train them using e-learning or over the phone. There are always ways around it, if people are positive and willing to be flexible.”