Get the Most from Your Staff – A Three Step Plan

By Steve Brand, SGSA Ltd.

The overused war cry of “we need everyone to give 110%” is likely to fall on deaf ears when companies are cutting staff, bonuses and even salaries. When morale is low, managers struggle to reach 75% levels of productivity after normal deductions for sickness, vacation and training.

And what about training? Training is an easy expense to cut when times are hard but it’s training that enables skill and skill that enables performance. No training, no performance. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills confirmed that firms that don’t train are 2.5 times more likely to fail than those that do, and that’s when times are good.

The outlook for 2010 is for a slow recovery so we need maximum performance from staff this year. Here is my three-step recommendation to help you get the most from your staff:

1. Revise and review the organisation’s skills matrix, focusing on what people should ‘do’ rather than ‘know’
2. Identify the gaps that have the greatest impact on customer loyalty and productivity
3. Decide on what training will close those gaps

Following this process will guarantee a return on the training investment through increased performance. Technical and other skills that contribute to an engineer’s overall performance should be examined, including customer service, problem solving, process adherence, leadership, time management and business development.