| As organizations reassess their staffing levels, many | | | | Considerations and Caveats |
| employees are being asked to do more with less. | | | | Training for training's sake is fruitless. Learning a robust |
| Aside from reducing headcount, many organizations | | | | new technology over the course of a three day class |
| are cutting back on employee-related expenses, even | | | | does not equate to mastering it or deploying it in the |
| if they can provide long-term benefits. Examples | | | | organization, even for highly motivated and skilled |
| include application training and travel to user groups in | | | | attendees. |
| which employees can network and exchange best | | | | Consider two examples. Boris attends a class on |
| practices. This article discusses the increased | | | | Cognos PowerPlay, a robust business intelligence (BI) |
| importance, benefits, and risks related to employee | | | | tool. Patty attends a class on Crystal, a powerful |
| training in a recession with respect to enterprise | | | | reporting application. Boris and Patty are both highly |
| systems. | | | | skilled end-users who have long expressed to their |
| Growing Organization Risks | | | | managers a desire to learn more about each |
| While understandable and often imperative for the | | | | application. During and after their classes, they are |
| continued survival of an organization, the | | | | excited about the new features and possibilities now |
| aforementioned cutbacks promote a vicious cycle of | | | | available to them. Both are excited to begin using their |
| increased organizational risk: | | | | new toys in their jobs. |
| - Organizations reduce or eliminate formal training and | | | | This is where the similarities end. Boris simply has no |
| informal opportunities for end-users to learn how to | | | | time to use PowerPlay. Building cubes of data takes |
| better utilize enterprise systems. | | | | time and he is simply swamped with his daily |
| - This solidifies many end-users' bad habits and | | | | responsibilities. While he finds half hour increments |
| suboptimal processing methods. | | | | every two weeks or so to play around, the phone |
| - At the same time, organizations trim staff, resulting in | | | | invariably rings and he forgets much of what he has |
| more work among fewer employees. This means | | | | learned. His excitement for-and knowledge of-the |
| even less time for cross-pollination. | | | | product wanes and PowerPlay never gains traction in |
| Organizational risk is compounded if key employees | | | | the organization. |
| exit and, as is often the case, end-user documentation | | | | On the other hand, Patty immediately begins writing |
| is lacking. Incumbents may scramble to figure out how | | | | Crystal Reports and distributing them to others |
| Alex ran regular interfaces, Neil matched invoices, | | | | throughout the organization. She builds on the |
| Julian filed tax reports with the government, and Nancy | | | | knowledge and excitement from class and joins online |
| created database backups. If Alex, Neil, Julian, and | | | | discussion groups promoting best practices. She is able |
| Nancy are no longer with their organizations, then they | | | | to "kick the tires" on new reports and experiment with |
| are in all likelihood unable and unwilling to assist their | | | | different ways of extracting, manipulating, and |
| former employers in the event that their help is | | | | presenting her organization's data to her internal clients. |
| needed. | | | | As a result of her efforts, many end-users now save |
| Often, the best case scenario is that jobs performed | | | | hours every week; they no longer have to manually |
| by ex-employees are partially understood by their | | | | compile reports from disparate sources of information. |
| replacements. This may very well result in increased | | | | Now, reports arrive via email as attachments with no |
| risk of error, financial irregularities, expensive | | | | further manipulation of the data required. Patty's |
| engagements with external consultants, or some other | | | | employer saves thousands of dollars in overtime and |
| highly undesirable outcome. In the extreme, a single | | | | now has access to accurate and actionable business |
| employee's departure may result in a missed payroll, | | | | information. |
| an eventual government audit, or security breaches. | | | | Conclusion |
| Opportunities and Benefits | | | | The benefits of employee training cannot be viewed in |
| Organizations with tight budgets may not need to | | | | isolation or in a vacuum; they must be considered |
| reduce headcount at present. There is a fundamental | | | | within the context of the real world. The organization |
| tension between lean staffing levels and organizational | | | | that sends an overworked, overwhelmed end-user to |
| bench strength. Lack of widespread end-user | | | | class is wasting its money. Forget the fact that the |
| application and technical knowledge is dangerous in the | | | | attendee's mind may be back at work throughout the |
| event that a key employee decides to walk. Yes, | | | | class. Knowing what an application can do-but |
| even in these economic times some employees | | | | ultimately not having the time to play around with it at |
| voluntarily leave their jobs for whatever reason. | | | | work-will result in attendees not utilizing their newly |
| To this end, organizations should consider expanding | | | | acquired skills and knowledge. Ultimately, neither the |
| employee training, not cutting back. Whether | | | | end-user nor the organization will reap the benefits |
| employees are being cross-trained in different | | | | from the class. Even if the end-user returns to the |
| functions or learning new technologies altogether, the | | | | application six months or a year later, it is highly unlikely |
| benefits of training can more than offset their costs. | | | | that s/he will remember |
| First and foremost, training mitigates the risk of key | | | | While there are no guarantees that an employee will |
| employee turnover. Second, the mid- or long-term | | | | use a new technology in his or her job after class |
| savings of training may more than pay for itself. Two | | | | (much less effectively), organizations can take steps to |
| super users with substantial skills and a global | | | | maximize the chances of this happening. Ensuring that |
| perspective may be able to do the work of three or | | | | employees have the time to utilize new technologies is |
| four limited end-users, especially if they are skilled in | | | | essential. Holding those employees accountable to |
| different automation methods. Finally, while hardly | | | | deploying them via annual objectives and performance |
| tantamount to reassuring nervous employees about | | | | reviews can also ensure that employers actually |
| their employment futures, training can send a strong | | | | benefit from their training investment. Along with |
| message to attendees: the organization wants you to | | | | potentially reduced risk from key employee turnover |
| develop your skills. Despite current economic | | | | and greater internal system knowledge, application |
| challenges, we are committed to growing our | | | | training can be a wise investment for an organization |
| employees' skills and abilities. This may reduce the | | | | even in a tough economic environment. |
| likelihood of voluntary employee attrition. | | | | |