Staff retention and continual training are the key to creating a business that expands. Loyalty from your employees communicates directly to your clients that your company has core values that your staff believe in. However, ongoing training programs also affirms the idea that you are progressive and receptive to new ideas, and that you are not prepared to entertain the possibility of stagnation.

Retention and training balance the ideas of old and new. Clients like a company to be familiar and reliable, but they also want it to be forward thinking and dynamic. Retaining and training your staff is a difficult line to walk, especially if you’re not sure where the strengths and weaknesses of your company actually lie.

Identifying the Weak Links

Training programmes can aid with employee retention and work for the company on a number of levels. Not only does it introduce your employees to new business ideas and approaches, but it also tells your staff that you see them as an investment and that they are valued. In addition, training promotes teamwork; all the components of your team get a greater understanding of the parts their colleagues play in the grand scheme of business and, in turn, when a team feels united they become more secure in their positions, reinforcing that feeling of loyalty.

Many CEOs and managers are put off by the idea of training programmes because they find it difficult to identify the strong and weak links in their company’s chain. Many training companies offer bespoke packages, in which they promise to build on the existing strengths within the workplace and reduce the weaknesses. The problem for CEOs is working out which areas of the team need building on and which need attention. This is where accountancy software can become an invaluable assessment tool.

Let the Numbers do the Talking

The ultimate quantification of a company’s highs and lows is translated into sales, both as a business and on an individual level. Accountancy software doesn’t just have to be about balancing the books. It can also be used to give a detailed appraisal of how your company and your staff are performing both as a collective and individually. The best training programmes will involve a collaborative aspect. The trainer should consult with you to understand what you want from your business and the goals you have set yourself. Armed with cold, hard facts, you can explain in advance where you feel your team is falling down and what you want from the program itself.

The aim of any business owner is to run a loyal, co-operative and efficient workforce. However, it can be an extremely difficult and time-consuming task to try and evaluate the performance of each individual. A far more accurate and more cost effective approach is to let the numbers do the talking. In choosing to train your staff, they will become aware of their weaknesses and, through the program, will develop new skill sets that offer the company greater strengths. Retention and training are flip sides of the same coin; in engendering a positive approach to rectifying the weaknesses in the workplace, you will engender a feeling of value and loyalty.