In today’s modern business culture, training is seen as something that happens outside the workplace. Entry-level jobs now typically require training — either in vocational or collegiate education — prior to hiring, and little training is given afterward. While there are many positive reasons for this, there are several drawbacks that companies fail to address when skipping out on employee training.
Today, the greatest obstacle for small business success isn’t customer acquisition or competitive merit, but team building and employee competence. The issues stem from a reactive mindset, where problems are addressed only when they become problems. A proactive mindset, which accrues more upfront cost but saves significant expense long-term, is often forgone in favor of short-term cost savings. However, this causes two detrimental, empirically testified results:
- Studies have proven that nearly 70% of equipment failures are caused by improper use
- In-house maintenance operations typically run between 10-40% efficiency
These issues manifest themselves in several ways. Competitors may manage to beat out the enterprises where maintenance and training procedures are not included in strategic planning. Or, companies may go under from the public relations backlash after an equipment failure leads to a product defect. These worst-case scenarios only seem to be in the distant future — in reality, they are lurking around the corner for any business that doesn’t invest in proper maintenance and training for employees.
Training facility managers and employees reduces maintenance costs due to improper use or ignorance of equipment performance. When the onsite staff and maintenance team work in tandem to improve facility efficiency, fantastic results can be achieved. However, an investment in training after hiring is required to bring your employees to the next level of success. You must invest in their success as much as they’ve invested in getting to the position upfront.
If you do not have the budget to train your maintenance staff, you have the option to outsource. Outsourcing maintenance services has many benefits, not limited to lower operating costs. Maintenance contractors are typically less expensive than keeping a maintenance team on the staff. They also have specialized training in their field and will be able to perform superior services in some aspects. The choice is up to you as to whether you want a specialized technician on call, or a generalized maintenance team onsite for day-to-day operations.
MaintenX offers one of the country’s largest contractor networks, comprised of trained roofing, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC technicians. We pride ourselves on thorough training and hiring practices to ensure that when your MaintenX team arrives, you are taken care of. To learn more about our services, contact MaintenX today!
