08. Training and Development Challenges

   by Yasodha Pathirana

Effective employee training is essential for any organization. It reduces employee turnover while driving productivity, boosts the creation of a healthy working culture and helps employees feel strong and confident to give their best self and reach their fullest potential. However, companies still find their training to be ineffective in achieving their goals (Koumparaki, 2023). This is usually because of a few common Training and Development challenges. In this blog article we will discuss about the top learning and development challenges and how to solve them.

 

Determining Training Needs

When implementing a training program, organizations need to determine the specific skills and knowledge that employees need to perform their jobs to the best of their ability. The training program needs to address both the learner’s needs and the organization’s needs as a whole. If the needs of the individual and the organization are not assessed, this can lead to wasted resources and ineffective training. To overcome this challenge, organizations need to gain a clear understanding of what competencies are required for each role and align these to their employee’s skill gaps (Quigley, 2023).

Lack of Employee Engagement

The importance of employee engagement in defining the success of any organization is huge. Disengaged employees are less likely to put their hundred percent into their job roles, thus creating an atmosphere of negativity among colleagues as well. This makes it necessary to empower employees with all the right tools and training to keep them motivated. One of the best ways to build employee engagement during training is by enabling them to become self-sufficient without them having to seek help constantly (Harve , 2023).

Managing Resistance to Change

Another common challenge faced in the implementation of employee training programs is managing the resistance to change from employees. Resistance happens due to a number of reasons such as, employees are weary of the unknown, they are uncertain about the benefits, they have a lack of understanding about the changes being made, or they are worried about the impact on their day-to-day responsibilities. To reduce and eliminate resistance, organizations need to be open in their communications. They must be proactive in communicating how their employees will benefit, how they will make accommodations for training, and address any concerns their employees have. Organizations also need to be actively listening to their employees while training is ongoing and be prepared and willing to make adjustments to programs to ensure ongoing success (Quigley, 2023). 

Poor Feedback

Giving good feedback is important for employees and their managers. However, when employees and training managers don’t receive the feedback they need to improve, performance suffers. Workers who don’t receive adequate feedback during training may feel demotivated or confused. Companies that don’t get quality feedback may continue providing ineffective training methods. To overcome this challenge, it would be better to open a two-way communication channel with learners and encourage them to speak up when they have questions or concerns. Good communication is fundamental to high performance and productivity (Newton, 2023).

Digital Transformation

 

Digital transformation, a steady rise in the adoption of various coming-of-age technologies (AI, ML, etc.,) and a decentralized workforce have given rise to several new challenges of training employees. A geographically dispersed workforce further makes it difficult to conduct training seamlessly due to cultural differences and ongoing misunderstandings. To overcome this challenge, make sure to clarify the goals of the training from the beginning. Everyone must be on the same page in terms of what is expected of them during training, and how their learnings are going to benefit them in their jobs. Apart from this, organization can use various social tools such as webinars, online forums and video conferences to better manage and unify your dispersed team (Harve , 2023).

Conclusion

Creating an effective training program is hard work. And the challenges faced by organizations looking to implement corporate training for employee development programs are many and varied. From determining the training needs and identifying the best training method, to maintaining employee engagement and measuring the success of training. Organizations need to be prepared to overcome these challenges to ensure their training is effective and sustainable. To do this, organizations need to approach these challenges with a clear and carefully planned strategy and a commitment to fostering a culture of learning and maintaining open communication. This will ensure their employee development program delivers the desired results and contributes to the long-term success of the organization (Quigley, 2023).

Source: YouTube

References

Harve , A., 2023. What are the Challenges in Learning and Development?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.hurix.com/employee-challenges-learning-development/
[Accessed 17th December 2023].

Koumparaki, E., 2023. 8 training challenges in the workplace and how to rise above them. [Online]
Available at: https://www.talentlms.com/blog/training-challenges-solutions-workplace/
[Accessed 17th December 2023].

Newton, E., 2023. How To Overcome Common Training Challenges For Improved Performance. [Online]
Available at: https://trainingindustry.com/articles/performance-management/how-to-overcome-common-training-challenges-for-improved-performance/
[Accessed 18th December 2023].

Quigley, J., 2023. The Top 10 Learning and Development Challenges and How to Solve Them. [Online]
Available at: https://www.accredible.com/blog/the-top-ten-learning-and-development-challenges-and-how-to-solve-them
[Accessed 17th December 2023].