Recruiting and Training Empowered Teams
Practical Advice From Anna Hastie at the University of York
So, you’re ready to build a new team. Maybe your business is just getting started, or maybe your success has meant you’re able to take on more employees. Either way, you need to make sure they’re engaged and empowered to drive performance.
We’ve been chatting with Anna Hastie (Head of Corporate Training, University of York) to get her expert advice on creating and retaining strong teams.
What is the most common challenge that businesses come to you with?
“One common challenge that businesses often have is when individuals transition into leadership and management roles and don’t have a training plan to facilitate that transition. With the seismic shift in working habits in the 21st century, leaders are instrumental in directing the flow of change within their organisation and need a robust training programme to facilitate this.
CMI research shows that organisations that invest in management and leadership programmes see on average a 23% increase in organisational performance and a 32% increase in people performance. Here at the university, we work with businesses to help develop their leaders and managers through our training programmes which give individuals business skills and confidence to become inspiring and effective leaders.”
What is the best piece of advice you could offer to a business owner recruiting for the first time?
“Recruit based on a person’s alignment to the values of your business primarily, rather than on skills, which can be addressed via training. This is also a great argument towards planning for recruiting internally and having a talent management plan which enables you to invest in your already knowledgeable and committed staff, to progress them through the company to take on more responsibility and more senior roles.
I would also advise that a business considers looking beyond the perceived traditional recruitment pool for their sector, thinking about where to advertise to get exposure to a wider range of individuals, including graduates and apprenticeship schemes. The university has some great resources and support around recruitment, including a guide for small businesses on recruiting graduates.”
Is there a common misconception about employee training that you can bust open?
“The famous Richard Branson quote, ‘Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to’ busts open the myth that training employees will entice them to leave. The opposite is actually true: you should train your staff to retain them. 93% of employees have said that they are more likely to stay with a company if it invests in their careers. Additionally, organisations that demonstrate a strong culture of learning often have higher retention and engagement rates (30-50% higher) than those that don’t.
Despite this evidence, the Employer Skills Survey (ESS) 2019 has shown that employers are not taking this on board. The report shows that two-thirds of establishments provided some sort of training, but for a third of those organisations, between half and all of that training is either induction or health and safety related due to legislation. I would advise offering your staff the right training so that your customers benefit from high-quality service. This is advantageous to your business because it means you will have self-driven employees who are filled with the passion to deliver.”
What first steps should a business take to build a thriving team?
“Allow the team time to get to know each other. Organise sessions where they can understand each other’s working styles and behaviours. If individuals understand the behaviour of their colleagues and what drives them, it makes a huge difference to how the team performs. Be inclusive; everybody is different and understanding and recognising these differences is vital to creating a happy team.
Be clear about the strategy and the values of your organisation and where each member of the team fits and can contribute to success. We deliver some great courses focused on building teams and include diagnostic tools to better understand each other's behaviours and values, which can really help a new team gel and become more effective quicker.
Make it clear to the team that their health and wellbeing are important to you and highlight the support that is on offer. Create an environment where everyone is comfortable and able to express concerns. It's very important to ensure training is in place for individuals and managers to better understand mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, and equip the team with tools and strategies to support each other.”
If you could only recommend one course that every business owner should take, what would it be and why?
“I would definitely recommend our Coaching and Mentoring programme. Coaching empowers employees and enables the business to get the most from them and to work through any issues. Mentoring supports talent management and allows less experienced staff to benefit from the knowledge of more experienced staff.
Creating a culture of coaching and mentoring in an organisation is the most cost-effective way of improving the performance of the organisation overall. Together, coaching and mentoring enable you to draw the best from your people and your teams, maximising their potential and the business’ potential.”
A huge thanks to Anna for sharing her wisdom.
The University of York is taking over Week 4 of York Business Festival from 21st November 2022! Join free events to support with your recruitment, including:
Building a Resilient & Agile Workforce: 23rd November 2022
Support with finding, nurturing and retaining talent.
Inclusive Recruitment Workshop: 24th November 2022
Identifying best practices for stronger recruitment, including developing inclusive adverts and application processes.
Book a free consultation with one of our Business Engagement Advisors to discuss learn how to save 30% on the cost of training and consultancy from the University of York as well as a number of other expert providers.