Training…… such a simple thing, right?

Why does training seem like a necessary but often overlooked element for growing your business and maintaining good and engaged employees? Benjamin Franklin once said, “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest”. Training shouldn’t be thought of as something that's nice to have for your company, but it should be looked at as a very vital part of a company's long-term investment and growth strategy. 

Seems like a simple point, and something that I believe most companies will agree with however it seems like a difficult task to pull off. So, have you invested in your training program?  

I found a couple of interesting facts about training that just may inspire you to rethink how you are training your employees.

Invest More in Training.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor found that companies with fewer than 100 employees gave only 12 minutes of manager training every six months. Organizations with 100 – 500 employees provided just 6 minutes. Source: HR Professionals Magazine

Wow really! That is just crazy. I am sure there are a lot of small to medium size pest control companies that may not even provide this much training. However, it is even more vital that these companies provide regular ongoing training because of the very success of these companies depends on great customer service and the knowledge of their service technicians.

Retaining Your Employees Should be a Priority.

In a 2015 survey, seven out of ten respondents said that job-related training and development opportunities directly influence their decision to stay with a company. 

You need to invest in retaining your present employees. Retaining your present employees cost much less than the cost of replacing them. Help employees expand their knowledge, offer more training options, help pay for university courses, etc.

Workplace Training Needs to be More Fun.

I am sure we have all seen those boring pest control training videos that seem like they will never end. I found a statistic that stated one out of every three employees say that uninspiring content is a barrier to their learning. This means a training program needs to be developed that is entertaining and informative. Not only is fun training more enjoyable; it’s more effective, translating into less money spent on retraining.

Well, this is really no surprise. This is the core idea behind the online training that The Pest Posse is providing. We know it is a new concept for many people however these days people seem to have a shorter attention span and want learning that is short, fun and entertaining.

What training are you providing for your employees? Is it the same training that has been available to the pest control industry for the past few years or is it something more updated? You need to evaluate your current training program to see what it is doing for the growth of your employees and company. If it is not producing results than maybe it is time to look at changing your program.