Worst-Case Scenarios of Bad Employee Training

Here’s a simple truth: the success of your business depends on how well your employees perform. So, doesn’t it make sense to provide the best training imaginable? If you’re thinking “yes!”, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, even those of us who think the answer is obvious get caught in the trap of providing bad training to our employees. Just know that ineffective training leads to headaches ranging from negative reviews and diminished employee morale to declining profits. If you’re not sold on the value of employee training programs, consider these worst-case scenarios.

Increased Turnover

If you fail to provide your employees with the training they need, you should prepare yourself for a long list of problems. One of those problems will be having to say goodbye to valued employees.

Some employees will grow frustrated that they can’t excel in their jobs. Others will get tired of reprimands for poor performance despite not being given the tools they need to succeed. Still others will be bored doing the same thing over and over with no opportunities for growth. Managers will become frustrated with the overall lack of employee performance. Ultimately, all this angst will cause employees to seek out other opportunities and walk away from your company. Employee turnover can cost you customer satisfaction, employee morale, and your overall bottom line. If you’re not familiar with the high costs associated with turnover, you should at least know that it’s far more expensive to replace employees than it is to keep the employees you already have.

On-the-Job Accidents and Injuries

Most employee training covers at least some level of safety training – the amount of which increases drastically based on industry and job function. It can be argued that safety training is the most important training you’ll provide – without it, your employees, your customers, and your reputation are in grave danger. Even the smallest accident can lead to lawsuits, monetary losses, and the dissolution of your company.

Bad Reputation

A bad reputation is nothing to joke about, whether your employees are disillusioned or the public has a negative view of your company. We all know that a bad public perception can kill business but the same is true when there is internal strife. If your employees are collectively unhappy, if they’ve lost respect for your organizational goals, that will soon become obvious in their interactions with customers. The more your employees dislike or resent your company, the worse their performance will be, at which time your customers will suffer too. To make matters worse, it’s not unheard of for unsatisfied employees to voice their complaints to customers.

Decreased Morale

The quality of your employee training also goes hand in hand with staff morale. Countless studies have shown that low morale can spread through a business like cancer, destroying it from the inside out. Everything from the quality of customer service, to the rate of employee turnover will cause your bottom line to bleed.

Laws are Broken

Most laws are written to protect the well-being of the people as a whole. This is especially true of employee laws. When you fail to properly train your employees, you may actually be setting them up to break the law. As you can imagine, this unintended practice can quickly become toxic and put you in a tough legal position. If your employees don’t know and understand the laws they’re required to obey, there’s no end to the potential dangers that lay in your future.