We typically improve productivity at work through the act of working (if things get better at all.) But a new infographic notes that on-the-job training is not only surprisingly effective at building new skills—it actually improves employee morale.
The image comes from the folks at Compliance and Safety. More after the image:
Truth be told, on-the-job training is a little hard to define. If you pull people into a conference room to teach them a new skill, that certainly counts as on-the-job training. But what about if you ask a coworker to show you a trick on the computer or you offer some coaching to an employee about handling a difficult situation?
In many respects, the most significant element of on-the-job training may be an old standby: The Hawthorne Effect. Put simply, morale improves at work when people know you are paying attention to their contribution.
Not Training is Like Not Talking
There are lots of business improvement techniques. Training is only one of them. But educating your employees is kind of like pizza: even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. The worst thing you can do is to never offer training opportunities. Kind of like the worst way to motivate people is to say nothing. It actually may be better to do bad training than none at all, because then at least people know you’re paying attention!
The infographic is right. On-the-job training can boost morale. So go take a class. Ask for help. Or if you have something to offer, organize a brown bag. Your colleagues will be glad you resolved to improve your business.
@robbyslaughter
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