Upskilling, as defined by the Oxford English dictionary, means to teach an employee additional skills. While we’re all aware of how important basic training is when hiring a new employee, it’s important to remember that as employers we are responsible for helping our current employees continue to grow as well. When our employees grow, our companies grow. When we invest in our employees, we are inherently investing in our businesses, which is why it’s so important to upskill your spa staff. Here, we explore five things that will happen when you upskill your spa staff.
- Productivity is increased: You’ll find that staff properly trained in the most recent, efficient, and innovative techniques are more productive and become extremely valuable to the team – higher quality work is produced more quickly, whilst ensuring resources are not wasted. Upskilling your employees enables them to do more independently and without the need for an extra team member to take on some of their workload. Just as you notice a properly trained team member working efficiently and streamlining their tasks, you’ll notice efficiency on the management side increase too. Well-trained employees will know how to carry out their tasks effectively and without the need to look to management for support. You’ll notice your team member’s confidence grow and flourish.
- Morale is improved: Investing in employees shows your team that you value them and want to help them reach their potential. Empowering them with training allows them to see that you acknowledge their worth, appreciate their challenges in the workplace, and try and provide them with the necessary tools to become better by improving their knowledge and skills. The atmosphere in your business will improve, and morale will be high. Remember that happy employees lead to happy guests.
- Turnover is reduced: A major impact training has is that it motivates your employees to stay with you, inspiring a sense of loyalty in them – and this is really where upskilling can benefit your company. Teaching people new and more advanced skills, which equip them to perform better, take on more responsible tasks, earn more appreciation and potentially a higher position, followed by a higher salary, is one of the biggest incentives to continue working for a particular company. A recent study found that 57 percent of employees would like additional skills training to progress further in their current company. In a culture where job turnover is extremely high, loyalty is worth investing in. You will also be able to promote from within, without having to look outside for new team members as you’ll have higher skilled and specialized employees.
- Customer service improves and guest spending increases: Trained staff will have the knowledge to cope with the range of customers’ needs and complaints in a correct and timely manner. Satisfied employees strive to uphold the principles of your business by satisfying guests. Remember to treat your employees the way you want them to treat your guests.
- Your business will be up to date with trends and technology: Technology is constantly changing and can be costly to adapt, but it provides companies with the opportunity to improve their innovation and productivity. Staff trained in the latest technology, methods, and products will ensure your business is up to speed with the latest trends and is catering to changing demands. By upskilling a certain team member, you can allow them to lead the rest of the team with their knowledge of trends and innovations.
About the Author: Nikos Kouremenos is the education and project manager at Raison d'Etre spa consultancy services. Contact Nikos at [email protected].
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