Public or external training courses can be a popular choice for many businesses, particularly those who want their team to experience external perspectives and step out of their everyday routine. However, despite being overlooked by some firms, in-house training can actually have significantly greater benefits and working closely with your training provider can unlock training solution opportunities you may not have otherwise known you had. That is why in our blog this week, we are delving into the key benefits of in-house training and the positive impact it can have on your firm.
Added confidentiality
We appreciate that not all issues should be discussed in an open environment where professionals from competitor firms are in attendance, particularly if you want to stay compliant with GDPR data requirements and maintain your client relationships. By keeping training in-house, all case specific or workplace examples discussed within your session remain confidential within your firm or team but are still able to be utilised as real-life examples for ongoing learning and development. What’s more, such internal forums also have wider reaching HR benefits too such as improved team communications, a lower staff turnover and also reductions in recruitment expenses.
Increased cost effectiveness
Paying for individual members of your team to attend an external course can quickly become expensive and if many require the same training can be unnecessary. Research unfortunately shows that spend on team training has been declining, falling 15-30% in the last decade. Therefore firms will be searching for more cost-effective options whilst looking to ensure that their team are on the forefront of industry developments and training. This is where the in-house option really comes into its own. Cost per delegate for in-house training will typically be less, helping your firm maintain budgets whilst still encouraging that all important team development.
Eradicate additional travel time
External training can often incur additional travel time and for courses further afield, can sometimes mean that accommodation is also required, which does nothing for the previously mentioned budgets. However, with in-house training, there is no need for your team to travel further than their typical daily commute as in-house training can be delivered to your door. This also helps reduce the firm’s carbon footprint by cutting down those emissions from unnecessary travel.
Tailored training for your firm
Statistics show that training hours are decreasing. The years between 1997 and 2017 saw a 65% decline outside of London. This tells us that time spent on training is becoming increasingly calculated and precious and it has to help solve specific pain points in order to be signed off by decision makers. Therefore, one of the major benefits of in-house training is that it can be tailored to meet the direct needs of your firm or particular departments within your organisation. In-house training ensures that all course content is relevant and commercially viable to you, while still engaging with expert trainers in a face-to-face environment. Discussing what you want to achieve, exploring your strengths and weaknesses with your chosen training provider can help create a training plan best suited to the diverse teams you want to help grow.
Introducing fresh ideas
Moving away from the usual routine can help to boost employee productivity and morale within your organisation, even if you remain in the same environment. Life Hacker suggests that by switching your approach to work or changing up your daily routine can help coax your brain into thinking more creatively about your workflow. Introducing an in-house training programme can of course help achieve this. However, additionally, having an external person enter your organisation and highlight your processes can help you and your team to pay more attention to your daily routines and change behaviours to suit best practice.
Boost employee engagement
Research shows that workplaces with engaged employees outperform those without by 202%. Training can significantly impact employee engagement, with 87% of Millennials stating that professional development and career growth is important to them and we expect to see this trend continue as Millennials become more prominent in the workplace. By implementing an in-house training programme, it will ensure that all team members are on the same page, allowing them to feel as though their development remains a priority to your organisation. Plus, engaged employees are notably 21% more productive, so it can help improve profitability with fee-earning activity.
Overall, in-house training is a cost-effective solution that can have an incredibly positive impact on employee development, productivity and morale. But not only can it have benefits for your team, it can also have a positive impact for your firm’s bottom line by helping cut down on travel time and also reducing the amount spend on training per delegate whilst also receiving training tailored to your firm. So, if you’d like to speak to us about your in-house and tailored training requirements or book your training, contact a member of our team today on 02920 451 000 or email us at infoaltior@barbri.com