Are you familiar with the Boots theory?
‘A man who can only afford a cheap pair of boots will end up replacing them often, as the soles wear down easily, letting water in. A man who can afford a more expensive pair of shoes will not have to replace his as they will last longer. Thus, the man who spent more will still have boots that keep his feet dry in 10 years, whereas the poor man will have spent more money in the long run on cheaper boots, and will still have wet feet.’
Usually employed to demonstrate socioeconomic unfairness, this analogy also teaches us that an initial investment can reap financial rewards in the long run. Put simply, some things in life are worth the investment.
Staff training, much like a good quality pair of boots, is definitely worth the investment. When the training is relevant, accurate and up to date there is no greater tool in your arsenal aiding the implementation of policies and procedures. For data practitioners and anyone working in this sector, comprehensive staff training can mean the difference between the swift rectification and the gross escalation of a data breach.
Need more convincing?
Here are some more reasons why you should invest in staff training.
Increased productivity
In an ideal world, our workforce would operate like an ant colony; a superorganism made up of individual entities collaborating for collective success. In reality we’re human beings who, when left to intuit the intricacies of our roles, are prone to disorganisation and stagnation. Staff training equips your staff with the tools to complete their job with greater efficiency.
Reduce mistakes
This is a no brainer. Not only will the quality of work generally increase with staff training, a streamlined process greatly minimises the potential for mistakes, waste or customer complaints. In the data protection industry, staff training can mean the difference between an incident and a catastrophe (not to mention a substantial fine from the ICO).
Morale
How many of us have felt the frustration of poor management? If you have, you’ll never take clear guidance for granted again. Staff training has been proven to increase staff motivation and morale generally. It also decreases the chances of absenteeism and reduces staff turnover.
In the age of flexible working, online staff training can also serve an important function for fostering relationships within your team.
Holidays
For those of you in a position of leadership, would you like to take some time off without worrying that the office will spontaneously combust in your absence? The best way to put out this metaphorical fire is to take preventative measures by training your staff to operate regardless of circumstance, so that you can take a well earned break.
New Potential
An organisation which prioritises training for its employees will undoubtedly attract ambitious, competent talent (something to consider next time you’re looking to hire!)
‘At DPAS we heavily invest in staff development and training. Not only is it important for their career development, it protects us from reputational damage and it boosts morale within the business. From ensuring that our Data Protection Advisors have the best Data Protection and Cyber training in the industry, to our management team having dedicated training, every role is important and should be invested in. Our clients that invest in role based staff training in Data Protection and Cyber Security, ensure that they can best protect their business, reducing the risk of something going wrong. We strongly advise our clients to let us help them undertake a training needs analysis and support them with ensuring that their staff know a) how to prevent something going wrong, or b) how to deal with it when it does go wrong.’ – Melanie Garnett, CEO.
Talk to our training specialists today about a training needs analysis for your business, bespoke corporate training programmes or scenario based cyber and data protection workshops. Train and then test your staff now, to protect your business in the future.
Alternatively, view our upcoming training events.
