Turn underperformance into high performance

Practical considerations

Skills development isn't a cure-all for underperformance in your business. There are many reasons other than lack of skills why your performance might be lagging. Perhaps, for instance, your business' IT system is outdated or its financial management needs to be improved.

There are other practical matters you should bear in mind before embarking on a programme of staff development:

• You should make sure the cost of the training is justified by the improvements in productivity and performance it's likely to bring.
• You should have solid objective reasons for choosing which staff are to be given training. Allocating skills development opportunities on discriminatory grounds could result in a case being taken against you.
• Younger employees may have the right to take paid time off for training.
• In unionised workplaces, employers may be able to seek support from TUC Learning Services via recognised union learning or other union representatives.

A degree of caution should be exercised on a number of these points, but overall a policy of staff development is very positive in any business. The more skills your staff have, the more productive they will be.

Offering training opportunities also makes it easier for businesses to recruit and retain high-quality staff. People are more likely to be content working for a business if they feel their skills and prospects are being improved on an ongoing basis.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Benchmark the performance of your business
• Identify skills gaps holding you back
• Make the most of the skills your staff already have
• The importance of leadership
• Use staff training to improve performance
• The benefits of qualifications and accreditations
• The new Investors in People Standard
• Practical considerations

 

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