The importance of investing in Training

Organisations can sometimes be reluctant to really invest in the training and development of employees. However, we would argue that the age old concern of ‘What if I train them and they leave?’ has by now well and truly been rebutted by ‘What if you don’t train them and they stay?’. Here’s what you need to know, says Tommy Smyth

The training and development of team members happens in all organisations, every day. Sometimes it is structured, planned and deliberate and sometimes it’s more organic in nature where newer members of the team follow the lead of other, more experienced employees. We want to encourage all retailers to take the time to research, collate and document learnings into a concise set of teachings for all colleagues, both new and old. Remember, a quality training o ering does not have to be expensive and time consuming, however it will reap rewards across your business. We also want to advise on some key areas where, for HR and Legal reasons, you need to be proactive in moving beyond a static contract or handbook clause and genuinely educate all team members on certain expectations and standards.

Create your own learning experience

What are the standards you expect of colleagues in areas such as customer service, merchandising, ordering, sales techniques, stock management and handling, report preparation etc? If I asked you to picture the champion of these, and any other, areas of your business does an employee name immediately spring to mind? Why?

What makes them so e ective?

Why not ask them to share their knowledge and encourage them to become the company champion in this eld. They can prepare notes and slides on how they approach and execute these tasks and possibly conduct online or in person training with groups of colleagues to share their method and approach. Instead of employing expensive trainers, who may not intimately know your business, you are, in a coste ective manner, raising the bar of standards and performance levels in a common-sense way.

Expectation For Training In Critical Areas

Recent WRC cases, which centred on a range of issues, contained quite similar comments and streams of thought from the Adjudication O cers. It’s very clear where aspects or standards of business operations are so critical that failings may lead to the termination of an employee’s position, employers must proactively ensure that regular reminders and training on same are provided.

Dignity at Work

1Every employer must have a Dignity at Work policy in line with the 2021 Code of Practice. If you have not updated yours in the last two years, it is critical that you do this as a priority. This policy sets out the contact people, procedures and standards for colleagues on issues like Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment.

It’s clear however, that it is not su cient for an employer to simply have a policy on how they react to bullying, harassment or sexual harassment. An employer must show they have actively educated all employees on what behaviours are unacceptable, why this is and what will happen if they behave in certain ways. This is both correct morally but also legally as it may signi cantly reduce exposure during any legal case, if unfortunately one should arise.

Till matters

Employers should be very clear on the standards and practices they expect from their team when managing stock and money. This is critical in terms of interactions at the point of sale. Clear direction for employees should include regular and repeated brie ngs on:

• Use of discount codes

• Management of any customer loyalty scheme

• Serving of family friends

• Serving of oneself

• Managing refunds

• Using void or no sale buttons

• Counting oats

• Cashing up

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Safety

Alcohol/drugs

The use of illegal drugs in the workplace has increased exponentially in recent years. It’s critical that any employer policy on the use of, or being under the in uence of, alcohol and drugs at work is customised to the employer and the roles within the business based on a proper risk assessment. Be very clear on how any random or ‘for cause’ testing is carried out. Again, don’t just leave this policy hidden in a handbook and then feel you can take action once in a blue moon if an issue arises. Pro-active education and a zero-tolerance culture regarding drink and drugs at work reduces the likelihood of an issue, but also supports HR if/when an issue does arise.

In a similar manner to HR, Health & Safety policies and procedures should be contained in your safety statement and risk assessment for each location. Again, there is no point having this document and keeping it led away in pristine condition in a drawer. It should be visible and accessible and the contents should be part of every single workday. Ensure that short but relevant reminders are prepared and given on work tasks such as e.g. cleaning, avoiding slips/trips/falls, use of ladders as well as properly organised and formal training (such as food safety and manual handling).

With regard to training across your business, this is an area which can sit easily under your control and from which you will reap the bene ts. Ensure you do yourself justice, no matter how informal it may be there is no doubt that instruction, information and training is given to all team members on a wide variety of work tasks and functions on a day-to-day basis. Take ownership of this and collate the information into notes, slides and tangible training content and materials. Doing this will allow you to seamlessly roll out consistent training and information regarding your policies, and to carry out refreshers as needed to ensure that good practices are maintained. By having records of these interactions, should you have issues where team members underperform this will provide a clear picture of the information and training provided to them and will help you move forward with any next steps needed.