HRs Role In Training And Development: It's More Than You Think

When you think of the responsibilities of the human resources department, you probably think of managing the payroll, employee records, and company policies. However, one important aspect of HR that is often overlooked is the department’s role in the training and development of employees.

Training and development are an integral part of any organization. It can improve the performance of your employees, which in turn will improve the performance of your organization as a whole. It can also help your employees feel more valued and appreciated and will help with employee retention levels.

In this article, we will look at what HR’s role in training and development is.

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What is HR’s Role in Training and Development

In most organizations, it is HR that develops the training and development strategies of the company. There are several different steps that need to be taken in order for HR to be able to develop the right strategies and implement them correctly.

Let’s look at these steps in turn.

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Analyze the Training Gaps

The first step that needs to be taken before developing a training and development strategy is to identify the current skill level of the employees. HR needs to take each department and role in turn and identify what key skills are needed to perform the role correctly and at a high level. HR needs to also think about what the key performance indicators (KPI) of the organization are and how each role factors into it.

Once these key skills have been identified, the employees need to be assessed against these skills to see what areas need to be improved. 

 

Design the Strategy

After the assessments have been completed, you should have a better understanding of what training is required for each employee and each position. 

You should then turn these results into more defined objectives that can be measured and put into place. In many cases, this is easy to do by identifying qualifications that need to be obtained but in others, it may be more difficult. Try to be as specific as you can be, however.

Consider the difference between “admin staff should type faster and with fewer mistakes” and “admin should be able to type at 70 wpm with a 99 percent accuracy by July next year.”

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Define Training Methods

Training can be delivered through several different methods. It can be delivered in a classroom by a tutor, via online courses, or through on-the-job training, for example. The best option for your organization and employees will depend on the training needs and the circumstances of your organization.

Some of this training may need to be outsourced to other companies that are more experienced in training. If this is the best option for your organization, you will need to research the options to see which company is the best fit for you.

Other training can be handled internally. This can be a large undertaking, however, as the materials will need to be designed and the delivery methods decided. Think about the research that needs to be done to create these materials and the best methods.

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Deliver the Training

Whether you decide to opt for external or internal training, it will need to be delivered to the relevant employees. The training sessions will need to be scheduled so that trainers, employees, and leaders are all aware and prepared for the sessions. 

This may mean coordinating training sessions so that there are always enough employees not in training to cover the work of those that are training. You will need to ensure that there is enough room for the training and that all resources are made available.

 

Review the Training

The role of HR doesn’t finish just because the training has been delivered. It’s important to assess and review the training once it has finished to ensure that it has been successful.

You will need to assess the employees once more to check that the training has successfully delivered the skills it needed to and that the training KPIs have been achieved. There should be an improvement in performance following the training.

The results of this second assessment can then influence your future training. If the same training needs to be delivered to other employees, it can be tweaked to be more successful. You can also use the results to improve future training as well.

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Different Methods of Training

HR is responsible for more training and development than just the training of already established employees.

Let’s take a look at the different types of training that HR needs to be concerned with.

 

Onboarding

This term refers to the initial training that new employees receive when they first join the company. It doesn’t just aim to teach them how to perform their new role, but also about the organization itself so that they can feel more comfortable and part of the team.

 

Coaching

Both new and current employees should receive one-to-one coaching from a manager or a more experienced team member to help them develop their skills. For more experienced employees this only needs to be infrequent but new employees should be closely coached during their first few weeks.

 

Hands-on-Training

This form of training allows employees to learn as they work. It should be done in a structured environment so that any mistakes can be quickly identified and corrected. Many employees find learning by doing to be more effective than lecture-style training.

 

Role-Play

By role-playing, you can help your employees learn and practice their new skills in a completely safe environment. They can act out different work scenarios together and under the guidance of a trainer or manager without the fear of making mistakes.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we took a closer look at the role of HR in training and development. We considered the different stages that HR will need to implement in order to train employees.

We also looked at the different methods of training that HR needs to be involved in.
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