In our blog, ROI of employee training and development, we explored the return on investment of employee training and outlined the financial benefit of training your staff. It was clear from the research that software training drove increased productivity, work quality and communication. When ranked by training expenditure per employee, companies in the top quarter were on average 24% more profitable, with Motorola having a 30:1 return on investment over three years (Merrill Lynch, 1999).

Return on investment is important, but are there additional benefits to employee training that also contribute to a more productive and healthier working environment?

A happy worker is a productive worker 

According to a study conducted by the University of Warwick of over 700 participants, happy staff are 12% more productive than their unhappy counterparts. A similar study found that happy employees have 65% more energy than unhappy employees. There are many ways an organization can improve their staffs’ happiness, with professional training being one of the most effective.

But how does becoming more efficient at a Microsoft application add to an employees satisfaction?

Employer-based development opportunities such as software training have a direct effect on staff happiness. It empowers them and encourages growth in the organisation. It creates confidence in their role, improves self-esteem and shows their organisation cares about them by investing in their development.

How does happiness improve productivity?

It’s important to outline first than unhappy staff lead to an unstable and inefficient workplace. Making your staff comfortable and happy in their positions is vital to creating a strong and healthy work environment. Some of the ways in which happy staff create a more productive workplace are listed below.

• Happy staff care more
• They are more engaged
• They pay more attention and are more alert
• Happy staff are more loyal to the company
• They feel appreciated
• They are more punctual
• They go above and beyond
• Happiness is contagious

Conclusion

It’s easy for us to want to see exactly what the dollar value return will be on our employee training investments, whether that comes in the form of higher output or increased efficiency or simply more revenue. But it’s important to know there are many other benefits that your staff gain. Investing in your staff makes them not only more productive, but it makes them happier and more satisfied in their role. After all - a happy worker is a productive worker.

Check out some of our new courses such as Excel Expert and SharePoint Beginner to see how they can help to improve your business. To read more training and development statistics, read our blog ROI of employee training and development.