When companies invest in automation solutions, it is vital to provide employee training from the very beginning. If someone delays getting trained, the likelihood of errors escalates. It is imperative that companies drive more value out of their employees and their investment in solutions.
If construction professionals are only using about 30 percent of their investment, the potential for productivity gain is huge. Think about what would happen if companies only received 30 percent of the value invested in materials or labor; it would be devastating to the bottom line.
Training estimators and project managers help eliminate hidden waste by getting more out of money that is already off the books. If companies want productive employees that are positively impacting profitability, then the key is to leverage an integrated training approach.
Benefits of Training
Simply put, the biggest overall benefit of training is impact to the bottom line. First, from the perspective of the company, training helps drive more value from the investments and assets that already exist. Assets include people, equipment, software and so on. For the employer, training means profitability.
Second, from the perspective of the estimator or project manager, fully trained employees are more successful at their job. They are more likely to be committed to the tasks at hand and the employer who keeps them trained. For the employee, training means productivity.
Third, from the perspective of a technology provider, customers that are fully trained on automation technology are the best partners to have. They are the most successfully deployed customers that are leveraging all aspects of the software.
For technology providers, training means a connected customer base that is pushing solutions to the next level. Company owners and executives need to acknowledge that a great deal has been invested in technology and people, yet there is a missing commitment to driving value out of these investments. Training benefits everyone in the mix, but people have to want to be trained. Most people don’t enjoy taking classes they are not interested in—but there’s always at least one subject that piques their interest.
Matrix Approach
Companies that want productive employees who positively impact profitability leverage an integrated training approach. Such a training model delivers training that covers all learning styles, including live training, recorded training, training at a specified facility or onsite training at the company’s location. With an integrated approach, there is no single point of failure in the learning process.
There are four different elements to an integrated training approach, each of which delivers value to the trainee and the company.
- Visual vs. Audio: Some individuals learn by seeing images, slides and screens. Others learn via lecture or repetitive listening. Absorption of content done via the eyes is a more extroverted learning process. Digestion of content through the ears is more introverted and more personal.
- Lecture vs. Hands-On: Some individuals soak things up by observing others in action and interacting with a mix of opinions and facts. Physically interacting with the item being taught is often necessary to overcome doubt or to reaffirm opinion.
- Remote vs. In-Person: The age of digital training arose when time out of the office became cost prohibitive, not necessarily because it was a desired style of training. While face-to-face interaction with a trainer is becoming a thing of the past, it is still a valued delivery mechanism for those who need a personal encounter.
- Custom vs. Public: Some individuals are uncomfortable exposing their knowledge gaps or subject misgivings and need custom personal training. Others have a strong desire to learn from the experiences of others, as well as share their knowledge.
Best Practice Selections
Which element works best for a company? The answer isn’t any one specific style—it is an integrated training model incorporating multiple styles.
The volume of work that is falling onto the shoulders of a few people at each company is increasing. It’s a struggle to keep dependable employees on staff and remain profitable. If the tools people use to be productive aren’t easy to learn, then their likelihood of being productive is low.
Construction companies are doing more with less and are leveraging technology to get the work done. They are succeeding by collaborating with technology providers that build their business around deployment success and their customers’ profitability.
People want automation to be as comfortable and intuitive as paper and colored pens. No one likes struggling to get the day-to-day tasks completed. By simplifying common tasks, the mound of work becomes doable. It is essential that when customers invest in solutions, they have an immediate way to make each and every employee productive.
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