It can be argued that refresher training is just as important as initial training.

We’re all human, after all; it’s near impossible to retain every piece of information we’re exposed to during a training session. This is particularly the case in industries that require complex training to be undertaken for employees to comply with the latest rules and regulations.

But how do you know if your employees need refresher training?

Here are five common signs that you’ll need to dip into the training budget again.

1. More accidents (or near-misses) are occurring

A big element of train the trainer sessions relates to safety precautions. So important is this type of training, in fact, that any gaps in knowledge can result in accidents taking place.

If you start to notice more accidents or near-misses within the workplace, your staff probably need some refresher training. And there really is no better way to invest in their safety!

2. You can’t keep pace with new policies

If you work in an industry that has to abide by multiple policies, training is a great way to ensure every member of the team is aware of what they have to do to help the business comply.

Refresher training is generally required when businesses begin to fall behind with new policies. Fines might result, along with the inability to keep pace with the competition.

Rules, regulations and red tape might be a bit dull, but regular training will ensure they don’t cause significant problems for your firm.

3. Staff turnover is increasing

Are you losing staff at a rate of knots? A lack of investment in training might be to blame.

If your employees aren’t sure how to undertake a certain task or feel like they’re not valued enough to receive training, they might make for the exit.

Alternatively, they might stay, but the gaps within their knowledge will likely result in lower productivity levels and poor output. Is it their fault? Not really, and you can bring them back to their best with refresher training, so it’s certainly worth the investment.

4. Your customers are less satisfied

If your customer feedback and reviews have dipped in quality recently, it’s important to review your staff’s training requirements.

Team members who aren’t fully up-to-speed with the skills and techniques required to do their jobs may inadvertently produce poor products for the business, and the knock-on effect of that doesn’t really bear thinking about.

Customers can become unhappy for a variety of reasons, but if you’ve never considered training as a potential contributing factor, you might be surprised by the impact it can have on customer satisfaction levels.

5. You can’t keep pace with technology

Some training sessions will put you in front of the latest technology within your field, and if that technology happens to evolve fast in your sector, you need to keep pace.

The inability to keep up-to-speed with such advancements will put you at a competitive disadvantage, therefore if the competition appears to be sailing far ahead and you simply can’t match their pace, the likelihood is they’re spending more on refresher training than you.

Wrapping up

Have we convinced you that refresher training is worthwhile? We hope so - it’s one of the most important, sensible investments you can make in business, no matter the size of your company or the industry within which it operates.