Getting ROI from a limited training budget
There’s no denying the costs of being an employer are now higher than ever before. With rising Employer’s National Insurance, the national living wage increase, skills shortages and the ongoing challenge of recruitment, organisations are looking for genuine return on investment from growing their team. Yet, to deliver these kinds of returns businesses need their people to be focused, healthy and productive. Finding the right balance between meeting employer expectations and maintaining a motivated, capable and engaged team is the key.
In this blog, we discuss the link between training and development and workplace engagement, and introduce you to a way to get the most out of a limited training budget.
Employee engagement is lowest in Europe
This year’s Gallup State of the Global Workplace report found that Europe has the lowest percentage of engaged employees (13%) in the world. This is one of many shocking figures in the report amongst some equally encouraging findings.
Interestingly, the report makes three clear recommendations to leaders across the world. These are:
Ensure all managers receive training
Teach managers effective coaching techniques
Increase manager wellbeing through ongoing development.
All three recommendations relate to training and development (all of which Zest for Life can support with!). So the burning question is, when times are tough and engagement is low, why is training, learning and development always one of the first areas to be hit by budget cuts?
There is so much evidence that investing in people development delivers strong return on investment. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report 2025 found that 49% of executives are concerned that employees do not have the right skills to execute business strategy. It also found clear evidence that organisations which prioritise career development are more profitable, more able to attract and retain talent, and have higher rates of internal promotion.
This proves that in a time of skills crisis it makes no sense at all to reduce or stop spending on training, upskilling and reskilling.
“I’ve told them so many times, and they still don’t get it right”
I have genuinely lost count of how many leaders have said this to me. It always leads me to question, whose fault is this - yours or the team member? If leaders want to build confidence their team - both yours and theirs - investing in growth and development is a great way to go about it.
When an employee is new to role or the organisation, they are often shown how to carry out elements of their role. They watch and learn. Or do they?
Quite often, new team members are too shy or embarrassed to say they don’t get it, so they nod and walk away from the conversation with no clue how to repeat what they’ve seen. When team members don’t understand what is required of them, this is when things start to go wrong. If an important job is not done in the way it should be, this creates frustration for both employee and leader.
Sometimes a hands-on approach is more effective. Rather than showing and telling, let the employee practise for themselves. Don’t be afraid to make getting it wrong, the right thing to do. Create a culture where trying and failing in a safe space, e.g. learning when it is not critical to perform, becomes a path to learning and growth. Believe me, it is by far the best way to learn, build confidence, and set your team up for success.
Practical training doesn’t have to mean big budgets and external trainers. You can equip current team members to do this job for you. Over time, you will witness the genuine return on investment of improved team performance, including:
Higher productivity
Increasing engagement
Strong employee retention
More employees developing leadership skills.
This last one is perhaps most important in that it takes the load off leaders, so you don’t need to worry about team members “not getting it right” in the future.
Zest for Life’s Train the Trainer programme delivers results
Our Train the Trainer development programme is designed to do exactly this. Choose the critical tasks that need to be trained in your organisation and we’ll equip your people with the skills, knowledge, confidence and understanding of how to train others to carry out those tasks effectively.
The Train the Trainer programme is cost effective and delivers positive results - every time. But let’s be realistic, results don’t happen overnight. The programme takes three days for a start, no more, no less. After that, it takes time to embed those new skills, share them with others, and deliver quality results.
Leaders often fall into the trap of expecting instant results. Allowing your team time and space to understand a new way of thinking, to practise and grow confident in their newfound skills, learn from feedback, and celebrate their own achievements, is a better approach.
When leaders put pressure on their team to deliver instant results, it forces them into saying they understand when they really haven’t a clue! To truly enable your team you have to accept that people learn and develop on their own terms and timescales. Put your trust and confidence in your team and they will pay it back in dividends.
Ask us about people development
You can’t shortcut development, but you can be clever in your approach. If your training budget has taken a hit and you need to be savvy and targeted in allocating spend, Train the Trainer could be the development you are looking for. Book a chat with Sally to discuss what’s involved and how it could benefit your team.