Employee Training As a Reward
As a training professional, I’ve always thought of training as a requirement. Companies need to provide training to employees in order for them to be successful.
But I’ve seen a couple of articles lately that have me wondering.
The first was a post over at Workplace Learning Today titled Young Workers Want Learning and Development Over Cash Bonuses, Company Cars. The piece talked about people looking for ways to constantly improve versus instant gratification incentives (read: perks).
The other was a post by Ann Bares at Compensation Force blog. Her post explores the idea of including training and development under the umbrella of total rewards.
I really enjoyed both of the posts because they reference something I’m starting to see more of…turning professional development events (whether it’s in-house or external) into a way to reward and recognize employees.
Instead of companies saying “we have to conduct training”; they’re saying “we want to conduct training.”
Organizations are using training and development as a means to demonstrate how much they care about their employees. It’s a benefit to both the company and 
On the flip side, employees are telling employers, training is valuable to me now and in the future. If you want me to stay, train me. Sandra Porter, human resources director for Starbucks, talks about training and employee retention in this interview with The Telegraph.
I know it might sound like I’ve taken this conversation full circle. But I’m not sure I have. I always thought training was an obligation. Oh sure, there’s “required by law” training but that’s not what we’re talking about here.
Maybe in today’s knowledge economy, training should be reserved as something special. For people who do a fabulous job. Individuals who will take the information and better themselves and the company along with it.
What do you think? Should training be a reward or a requirement?
Image courtesy of Marion Doss
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