Team training, where an entire team is trained at once, can be effective for employees at all skill levels and stages of a career. It’s an efficient learning format that allows for the rapid upskilling of staff to meet business needs and is most commonly employed when, for instance, new technologies come onto the market that can be incorporated into the operations of a given organisation. Training can be carried out internally or outsourced to various educational providers where necessary or more appropriate.
The primary reason that team training is worthwhile is that upskilling your employees makes them significantly more productive. It allows them to acquire new skills so they can carry out their tasks to a higher standard than they may have been able to do previously.
Research by Gallup has demonstrated that staff training contributes to higher levels of engagement overall; this engagement confers several positive changes, including 23% higher profits, 10% higher loyalty, and 81% less absenteeism compared to the lack of engagement seen at most workplaces.
Team training and development, however, extends far beyond the classroom. In fact, according to a study by the American Society for Training and Development entitled "Tapping the Potential of Informal Learning. An ASTD Research Study”, 75% of learning within organisations can be considered informal learning.
Leverage these to complement any training your business carries out to get the most out of it:
Team building
Team building exercises and events are crucial to see real cohesion among your staff. They’re an excellent way to foster greater levels of respect and understanding between your employees, as well as helping them feel a greater sense of belonging where they work.
Social gatherings
Crucial to developing any robust and collaborative team is having healthy, stable interpersonal bonds between the individuals that make it up. Organising social gatherings and events for your staff is a fantastic way to get to know one another in a relaxed, low-pressure environment; this can do wonders for their workplace performance, including their general mental health and well-being.
Group projects
If you want to foster a collaborative spirit between your staff, then group projects can be a fantastic way to address team dynamics. Not only does it allow your employees to get their ideas across and build on their communication skills, but they’ll also have an opportunity to get to know their colleagues in a different light.
Attending conferences
Conferences can be a compelling way to encourage your team to develop professionally and expand their network. Not only do conferences offer access to cutting-edge knowledge and insights from a given field, but they also typically facilitate social events, making it much easier to meet and get to know the leading minds in your sector, whom your staff may not have crossed paths with otherwise.
