5 Ways to Save Money On Employee Training

In a slow economy, it's often the training budget that gets slashed before anything else. For some reason, we often think that training is optional, especially for employees who are doing an adequate job. But employees still need to learn new skills and increase their proficiency in their jobs. Here are five ways you can reduce the amount scr888 of money spent on employee training without eliminating the process altogether.


1. Develop tip sheets, pamphlets and other handouts rather than expensive, trainer-led seminars and classes. You can include helpful checklists to ensure a process is complete, shortcuts and software cheat sheets, tips to help speed up a process and more. There are many ways to offer the information an employee needs without having her attend a full training session.

2. Allow employees to train each other. This is especially effective when with new hires, but also works when a new software program is implemented or a new procedure is introduced. Use the employee who has the most experience or the best grasp of the task to teach others what to do.

3. Use out-of-the-box eCourses instead of custom courses when possible. If you need to train your employees to operate your proprietary software package, of course, you'll need customized training. But if you simply want them to know how to answer the phone properly, or deal with difficult customers, a standard training course will probably serve the purpose just as well.

4. Eliminate unnecessary training. Often businesses get into the mindset of mandatory training for specific job functions, but those training courses may not be needed. If you hire an experienced sales rep, for instance, does he really need to take a course on sales training skills? In addition, classes on assertiveness training or time management skills may be helpful for some, but they're often redundant for employees who've been in the workforce for many years. Reducing or eliminating training that isn't needed can save your company a considerable of money every year.

5. Utilize online training options instead of expensive off-site ones. Since the majority of your employees probably have Internet access, allowing them to take online training courses instead of sending them to an off-site convention center that can cost a small fortune is a good plan, especially for your business finances. While eLearning offers other benefits as well, the cost savings alone can make it worth your time to find online courses that will meet your business's training needs.