The hidden costs of failing to have a continuous programme of
“Learning & Development.”
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In challenging times, one of the first things that organisations cut back on, is in upskilling their most vital of assets…their staff.
This can then lead to many financial problems…only making the situation worse.
Without ongoing learning and development opportunities, employees can become stagnant in their skills and personal development. This can lead to a lack of adaptability and an inability to keep up with industry trends and potentially technological advancements.
Employees who feel like they are not given the opportunity to grow and develop their skills are likely to become more disengaged and demotivated. This can lead to decreased productivity, lower job satisfaction, and higher turnover rates. The last thing that you need in challenging times!
All of this can lead to employees seeking opportunities elsewhere. High turnover rates can be costly in terms of recruitment, training, and lost knowledge…the last thing that you want. As a result of potential disengagement, it is likely that the employees’ ability to think creatively and to be innovative will be hindered, leading to missing out on new ideas and solutions to problems.
In fast-paced industries, staying competitive requires up-to-date skills and knowledge. Without ongoing learning and development, your organization may fall behind competitors who do invest in their staff. A failure to follow industry trends and developments. Productivity is also likely to suffer…inadequately trained employees can be less efficient and may make more mistakes, which can affect the quality of products or services and as a consequence lead to increased costs.
Already, it becomes apparent that failure to invest is a huge hidden cost of its own…then consider…when the good times come back (and they always do), a failure to invest in leadership development can result in a lack of qualified candidates to fill key positions within the organization when senior leaders move on, or new roles are created.
While all of this is happening, investing in employee development can lead to more skilled and motivated teams, enabling the organization to explore new markets, products, or services and achieve sustainable growth…exactly what is needed!
Similarly, organisations that do prioritise learning and development, can benefit from a more skilled and motivated workforce, increased innovation, higher employee retention, and a better overall competitive position.
Now, you still not convinced that now is the time to invest?
Brad Henry