UK’s productivity crisis is not helped by lack of work-based training ⁰

Despite the well-publicised productivity crisis in the UK, over a million of the country’s employees are spending more time on tea breaks than on any form of work-based training. Research from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has found almost a third (30 percent) of staff have never had any form of work-related finance training. Given this situation, nearly four in ten (38 percent) employees admit they search online to find out how to do their jobs better, in their own time. The survey of 2,000 workers, half who are employees and half of whom are managers working in finance/accountancy-related roles, also found discrepancies between attitudes towards training at work. A fifth of managers admit they think training their staff will only help them develop their own careers, not benefit their current role and a quarter (27 percent) believe training is good in principle, but disruptive in practice.

Yet, just one in 10 employees report they seek training to help them move jobs. The reality is almost three-quarters (72 percent) want to learn more at work to help them do their existing jobs better. Indeed, 46 percent of workers agreed training would make them more productive.

Although managers are concerned that if they train staff they will leave, the data shows that not providing any training is a bigger risk to staff turnover: 66 percent of workers would move, or have already considered moving, to another job solely because it offered a better training programme. 50 percent employees would ask about training at their next job interview.

The AAT data also identifies a stigma around learning in some workplaces, with a third (33 percent) of employees believing that managers should make clear that training is not just for underperforming staff. This comes as one in six bosses admit they turn to training only for staff who are struggling to perform as required. Coupled with the other findings of the research this means 86 percent of employees would approach training differently to their current line manager.

Commenting on the findings Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of the Association of Accounting Technicians, said: “The majority of UK employees are spending a tiny percentage of their hours in work improving their skills and abilities through any form of formal training or accredited learning.

With UK labour productivity falling at the fastest pace since 2008 there has never been a more important time to focus on helping our workers up-skill. Yet, there are fundamental differences in how employees and managers approach workplace learning, meaning workers are currently spending more time on tea breaks than training.”

One area that employees and their managers agree on is barriers to training: 92 percent agree that there are factors preventing more learning taking place in their companies. For both employers and employees time is the biggest barrier, followed by funding, finding the right training and then convincing employers it’s good for business. However, 75 percent of employees and even more employers – (80 percent) – concur that their company could afford to invest more in training needs.

Click on the infographic below with details of AAT’s quiz on training requirements.