On-the-job training — we’ve all experienced it and have the horror stories to prove it, particularly those of us who’ve worked in small businesses. Small businesses are notorious for believing they provide training, but we know differently. The in-depth, educational program most provide is somewhere along the lines of “go over there and watch what Steve is doing”.
In the past companies had the luxury of time — employees, competitors, processes, customers and especially technology moved slower. People had time on the job to increase their skill level by learning from Steve and others like him. But, more is expected out of systems, businesses and people now.
Employees and managers are required to know more, do better and keep up at a faster rate. They have skills and knowledge that’s likely to become outdated in years rather than decades. Small businesses are struggling to keep up — let alone stay competitive — and many are falling dangerously behind.
This is partly because of outdated or non-existent training programs. The old way of doing, or not even doing, on-the-job training doesn’t work anymore. The needed skills and knowledge increasingly has to come from outside the company. The “old-timers” need to be “schooled” by new hires or consultants, who have the expertise no-one in the company has.
There’s a shortage of skilled workers in many industries and it’s not going to get better any time soon. One of the ways a small business owner can combat this scarcity is to take control of the problem by developing, and following through with, a compressive training program. A program focused on building an up-to-date, efficient workforce.
Ideas like selling globally, social media marketing, lean manufacturing and supply change management, create opportunities to increase market share and profit. However, with these opportunities come challenges. The small business owner who’s willing to take responsibility and create the employees he needs will meet these challenges and grow.
