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Negative Effects of not Training in the Workplace

Negative Effects of not Training in the Workplace

Official training programs are an important part of hiring new employees and integrating them into the company. Lack of adequate training can cause ineffective management, low production, unhappy employees and high turnover, increased expenses and loss of customers.

Your employees can contribute to the success of your company when they are trained to perform their jobs according to industry standards. Training, which is essential for management as well as staff, typically consists of several classes onsite or at a different location during orientation. Some companies consider in-depth training an unnecessary expense and expect new employees to learn on the job from supervisors and older employees. However, this type of training is often inadequate and creates problems for the business.

Unhappy Employees
Employees are interested in performing their jobs well to advance the company, feel a sense of pride for a job well done and advance to higher positions. When there is no training, employees do not understand how to do their jobs and none of these goals are possible. This leads to low morale among workers, which results in employee turnover. A company with a reputation for high employee turnover is also unattractive to potential job candidates.

Low Production
The rate of production is low when employees don’t know enough to perform their jobs confidently. To save time, employers often delegate the task of training to employees who have been on the job longer. But many times, these employees aren’t given extra time to do so; they still need to complete their own work. So they rush through the training, or leave it up to the new employee to ask questions.

Unskilled employees could spend considerable time seeking help to perform their jobs or they could perform tasks to their understanding, to the detriment of the work process. This could lead to errors and work needing to be repeated or corrected. When more experienced employees spend time monitoring unskilled workers, it detracts from their work and affects their production as well.

Unsafe Work Environment
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration states that untrained workers are more susceptible to injuries. This happens when workers lack the knowledge and skills required to use equipment and supplies safely. The problem could be fatal in work environments that contain heavy-duty machinery and hazardous materials.

It isn’t enough to have established procedures and protocols for activities that involve potential safety risks. Employees must receive training on the appropriate procedures and how and when to use them. Supervisors need to ensure that all employees understand the protocols and demonstrate that they can follow them routinely.

Ineffective Management
When managers aren’t adequately trained, it affects the entire company. A manager who is new to his role needs training in how to manage people, delegating work, resolving conflicts between employees, motivating his staff, and adapting to changes within the company. Employees look to management to solve these issues and become disillusioned when it is lacking. Their morale dips and they don’t care as much about their work or productivity. Very often, the employees leave the company, while the ineffective manager stays on, but still doesn’t receive the training that could help him evolve into an excellent supervisor.

Increased Expenses
A company that does not train its staff can expect an increase in a wide range of expenses, such as:

  • The cost of medical attention for staff because of injuries sustained from unskilled use of equipment and supplies;
  • Compensation to customers for defective products;
  • The cost of defending the company against lawsuits from employees who feel their injury was the result of inadequate training, from outsiders injured while visiting the company, or from consumers who purchased faulty products.

Loss of Customers
Untrained employees cannot produce high-quality products. If they also lack adequate knowledge and skills to provide satisfactory customer service, this combination results in dissatisfied customers. The company will experience declining sales if dissatisfied customers choose competitors who can provide quality products and appropriate service.

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