Ask HR: Who is responsible for upsklling members of staff?
We have been forced to self-train, but when mistakes occur, we are treated harshly.
What you need to know:
- One of the key roles of a manager or supervisor is ensuring supervised staff understand what is expected of them, and are well equipped to deliver on agreed tasks.
- That means constant evaluation of skills to identify gaps that may compromise productivity, and provide required training.
- Instead of murmuring and risking your jobs, you need to escalate your challenges higher up and have the matter addressed.
My employer is not very keen on training us. There is zero inhouse training on new systems and processes, but we are expected to be excellent performers. We have been forced to self-train, but when mistakes occur, we are treated harshly. Doesn’t the employer have the responsibility to up skill employees?
The situation you explain can only lead to low productivity. Hiring staff for skills and failing to keep them updated to meet work demands certainly spells doom for the future of that organisation. To expect excellent performance from staff when there is no investment in the right skills and competencies is a wrong approach for any business. When you speak about training, I take it to mean you were hired with the right skills for the job you are doing, but there are internal processes that you need to master for you to perform your work effectively. In most cases, systems training is covered during onboarding, as is any other training about changes in operating procedures thereafter. Then there are general skills aimed at effective collaborations such as customer care, communication, listening and teamwork. These are quite important as well, and fit within inhouse training.
I see three scenarios here. You either have an incompetent manager, or you are being set up to fail, or your company is experiencing financial challenges and the leaders are afraid to admit this. One of the key roles of a manager or supervisor is ensuring supervised staff understand what is expected of them, and are well equipped to deliver on agreed tasks. That means constant evaluation of skills to identify gaps that may compromise productivity, and provide required training. Instead of murmuring and risking your jobs, you need to escalate your challenges higher up and have the matter addressed.
If the management remains indifferent, most likely no one will come to your rescue and you stand the risk of being dismissed for incompetence. This saves the organisation on redundancy cost, and is a bad and hypocritical practice. If at any time you establish this is the case, refresh your CV and search for another job quietly. Such a dismissal is bad for your CV. If by any chance the employer may be experiencing financial challenges and there is a likelihood that some positions maybe declared redundant, do not lose an opportunity to train yourself to stand out when competent staff are sought. Whatever the outcome, you will have gained new skills.
