When it Comes to Establishing Effective Budgets for Training and Development, are HR Directors Merely Guessing?

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) January 27, 2005

Research conducted over the past year indicates that many Human Resource departments may be misspending substantial amounts of management training dollars. Between August 2003 and July 2004, nearly 300 managers were asked to rank eight separate training categories by level of importance. The training survey was conducted by Chicago-based management consulting firm, HR Solutions, Inc.—an international management consulting firm that provides opinion survey instruments, training and development services, management assessments, and results-oriented advisory services.

Managers' Importance Rating of Training Opportunities

Teamwork Effectiveness: 3.94

Communication Training: 3.76

Problem-Solving & Decision Making: 3.55

Coaching & Counseling Employees: 3.37

Basic Supervisory Training:2.98

Administering Organization Policies: 2.77

Conducting Employee Performance Reviews: 2.67

Personal Stress Management: 2.25

Mean Score (1=Least Important and 8=Most Important)

“These numbers indicate that many training budgets could be seriously out of alignment with managers’ preferences for basic training and development,” says Kevin Sheridan, President and CEO of HR Solutions, Inc. “If this is the case, a company should become more formalized about getting feedback from its managers to ensure that training dollars are being spent wisely and effectively.”

Sheridan believes that many companies’ training budgets are based on theory rather than actual need, and that more than ever, managers’ opinions are increasingly vital for fostering positive change. In addition, he agrees that an organization is doing itself a disservice when it fails to utilize this easily tapped information, as it could be wasting training funds.

“Until you ask a manager what his or her preferences are regarding future training, you’ll never know,” says Sheridan. “Most companies are not employing a scientific means of getting these answers. One of the best ways to assess this need is through a management opinion survey. Training assessments are extremely effective in gauging accurate training needs, while an opinion survey is ideal for assessing managers’ training preferences.”

Effective training plays a crucial role in employees’ day-to-day work performance. Yet, Sheridan contends that without proper assessment strategies, it’s difficult to pinpoint how a breakdown in communication training may affect a company. Sheridan, however, points to his most successful clients as they share common attributes.

“Over the years, HR Solutions has conducted proprietary research for our ‘Best-in-Class’ customers, or rather, exceptional companies that we recognize as having the lowest employee turnover and that consistently place in our ‘Top 10 percent’ for overall job satisfaction. Based on this research, we’ve found that companies which maintain a high-performance, high-retention culture also excel in three key survey dimensions: ‘Strategy and Mission,’ ‘Concerns for Customer Service and Quality,’ and of course, ‘Communication.’”

Sheridan urges any human resources professional interested in learning more about management surveys, management consulting, and customer-assessment tools to contact HR Solutions Inc. at www.hrsolutionsinc.com.

HR Solutions, Inc.

25 East Washington Street, Suite 1927

Chicago, IL 60602

Helene Sigrand, (312) 236-7170

helenes@hrsolutionsinc.com

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