The Manager’s Role in Employee

Training

For More Information Contact:

Impact Learning Systems InternationalP.O. Box 14110San Luis Obispo, CA 93406Toll Free: 800.545.9003Voice: 805.781.3283Fax: 805.545.9075Email: info@impactlearning.com www.impactlearning.com

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The Mana

ger’s Role in Employee

Training

Whether or not you’re the person

who actually conducts the training for your staff, as theirmanager, your role in training is a crucial one. Your employees will take their lead from you when it

comes to the part training plays in the success of the team. It’s essential for you to be a s

trongadvocate and a vigorous champion of training.

It’s no wonder so many employees, in contact centers and elsewhere, dread training. It’s oftenpoorly planned and even more poorly executed. But training doesn’t have to be dry and

monotonous. In fact, effective training

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whether it’s centered around skills, product knowledge, or

anything else

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is active, informative, and fun. Yes, fun!

How to Position Training

A lot of “the buzz” about training happens in the days and weeks prior to the actual sessions. One of

the best ways you can show support for employee training is by giving it some good P.R. Followingare some tips for accomplishing this:

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Emphasize that employees will have an opportunity to build on the knowledge and skillsthey already have.

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Talk about training as an investment that the company is making in the employees becausethe work they do is so important.

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Avoid giving the impression that training is solely remedial or corrective.

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Give training a position of high priority when it comes to scheduling. For example, don’t

keep postponing a training session. Doing this

sends the message that it’s not important.

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Praise and/or reward employees who make strong contributions to the success of trainingsessions.

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Let employees know that training provides a great forum for them to learn helpful tips andtechniques from one another.

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Remind employees that training provides a break from their often-stressful daily routine.

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Set a team goal for a specific metric (along with a team reward for achieving that goal). Letemployees know that the training is designed to help them meet their individualcontribution to the team goal.

“Selling”

Training to Senior Management

In some contact centers, upper management understands the value of training and is responsive to

requests or even proactive about initiating training. This isn’t always the case, however. Some

managers have a tough time selling upper management on the necessity of training or on the addedvalue it can bring to the organization.If you anticipate difficulty getting approval from senior management for employee training, here area few tips to help you make your case:

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Show them a cost analysis that juxtaposes the cost of training with the potential savings thatwill result from employees working more productively and efficiently.

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Point out the specific objectives of the training initiative: higher customer satisfactionscores, less turnover, lower error rate, etc.

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Do a competitive comparison of your training initiative with the training programs of competitive companies in your industry. Focus on the benefits to your company.

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When talking about the cost of training, don’t just give an overall doll

ar amount (forexample, $4,750). Break down the cost to show what the per-employee investment is (forexample, $95 per employee).

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Tie the training objectives to the company’s mission statement and/or to overall

performance goals.

Be a Player

One the most m

eaningful ways to show you’re a strong champion of training is to attend thesessions alongside your employees. Of course, if you’re t

he one facilitating the training,

then you’llhave to be there. But if you’re not the trainer, it’s still a g

ood idea for you to participate.Why? Well, the reasons are numerous. Following are three of them:

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How will you know what skills to reinforce if you don’t know what employees are learning

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or if you don’t know how to use those skills yourself?

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Not only does your parti

cipation allow you to understand exactly what they’re doing in thetraining session, but it also sends the powerful message that you’re committed to learning

and improvement at all levels of your department.

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When the employees see you in the training room

, learning alongside them, they’ll realizethat the training isn’t just a feel

-good event or a waste of time.