The Philippine retail industry is growing, and fast. Can your employees keep up? Retail experts are difficult to find. You might be able to hire skilled employees, even with minimum experience, but will they be loyal? The borrowing of talents is a short-term solution.
Instead, consider training your employees. Look into providing them managerial and technical tools. Support the individual development of your employees. If training is a key component of the company strategy, you will be better equipped to keep up with the changing industry.
The first step is to identify the type of training your team needs. What is required by your company strategy? What vertical and horizontal trainings are necessary? The goal of this process is to align the needs of individual employees with the company’s priorities. Find common themes and specific modules needed to improve your company’s technical or managerial capabilities.
The next step is scheduling. Allocating time for training means taking employees away from their daily tasks. In the retail industry, this can be a challenge. You should find a schedule that is optimal for the employees involved, to make sure that everyone benefits from the training session.
The third consideration is the expense. When you prepare your budget for the next year, you should include yearly training and its associated costs.
As with many other aspects of business, the ambition and support of the management is key. Set training goals for each year. Monitor and evaluate closely, to make sure the employees reap the full benefits of the training. See what you can improve. Few retail companies are consistent in their training plans.
In many companies, training is assigned to the human resources department, or to a manager with many other responsibilities. In such cases, the training might be poorly handled, and it simply becomes a waste of time and effort. Instead, appoint a training and development manager.
During my experience with Carrefour in Saudi Arabia, we invested in a training and development manager, and it was a true success. We were able to plan training sessions and organize the logistics for each year, with minimal issues. We managed the entire process, from the training plan, the organization of the training and related activities, to the monitoring of the progress. In a country with limited exposure to retail best practices, it helped the company to set standards early.
It always helps to plan ahead. When you prepare your yearly schedule, you can select and prioritize programs, allocate appropriate time, and adjust the budget. Such planning and foresight also shows the entire organization the value of the training. In addition, your managers can anticipate the impact on operations, when they or their staff are called away for training.
Company priorities will help you narrow down the specific technical trainings that individual employees need. Horizontal trainings often help augment individual performance, especially for positions supervisory and higher.
Some companies also conduct trainings on specific topics, not necessarily those directly connected to the company’s work. These trainings are among the benefits provided by the company.
Training is a special skill. Technical expertise is an advantage if you can deliver the key messages. Communication skills are essential, as well as the capacity to manage people of different group sizes.
With qualified trainers, you are assured that your employees will benefit from the training. Your team will pay better attention, be more interested, and show more respect if the trainer is clearly a professional. A professional trainer will be able to provide you with a structured program, and documentation that you can keep as a reference.
You will also have access to the trainer’s wealth of experience, which will be shared with your team. A qualified and experienced trainer can provide a benchmark on the best practices. This will help you and your team to assess the company’s current practices, and measure gaps and opportunities. The trainer’s skills and knowledge will result in immediate learning for your team.
I recently met with a client for business reviews. The client chose to meet with vendors in a nice, well-equipped venue, away from their head office. The vendors were impressed with the place. The buying team was able to focus on their presentation and on discussions with vendors. All presentations took place in a pleasant environment. The hotel provided ample service, from snacks and coffee to technical assistance. All these conveniences made our stay comfortable and helped us focus on our work.
If you can, hold your training out of the office. Bring your team to an environment where they can forget their everyday concerns. The conditions should allow them to focus their full attention on the program. Taking the training out of the office reduces the possibility of distractions like phone calls, faulty equipment, or noise. Make meal times pleasant, with healthy food.
Provide your team with an experience they will remember and talk about in the office for weeks! If they are comfortable and relaxed, they will get the full benefit of the training, and that will be time and money well-spent.