Training is vital for the success of any organisation and type of training will vary as per the organisation and the industry it is in. Employee training has numerous advantages for both the organisation and the employee (Opatha, 2012). According to Mcclelland (2002, 7), employee development and training is a critical component of human resource management and it raises employee motivation and productivity. Hence, lack of training could lead to many negative impacts such as unsafe work environments, unhappy employees, reduction in productivity, increased staff turnover etc (Gendron, 2022).
Unsatisfied
Employees
Employees
with inadequate training are likely to perform poorly on the job and lack job satisfaction
at work. Employees are more likely to look elsewhere for employment prospects,
if they feel neglected and are unsatisfied with their jobs.
Prioritizing employee growth is essential if an organization
intends to keep employees long term (Mampuru et al, 2024).
Reduction
in Productivity
Training
is a means of increasing staff commitment and realizing employee potential (Lowry
et al, 2002, 53-69). Development programs are quite worth investing, as the
majority of profitable companies place a high value on employee growth and
training. As a result, there is an improvement in skill and competency, which
boosts morale and production (Hamid, 2011). Rohan and Madhumita (2012) claim
that, investing in employee training in decision making, teamwork, problem solving
and interpersonal interactions positively affect employees' performance as well
as the growth of the organisation.
Moreover,
De Silva (2020) argues that training and development have become an important factor
to increase the productivity in the tea industry.
Unsafe
Work Environment
ILO (2024) points out that in comparison to workers in other industries, tea plantation workers are more likely to sustain occupational injuries. The most common threats come from exposure to pesticides, fertilisers and other agrochemicals, as well as from unsafe factory machinery. Additionally, working in challenging weather conditions on uneven terrain also result in accidents. Injuries sustained by workers on the job include bites from leeches, wasp attacks and cuts from tools. Because of the abandoning of tea estates and the intrusion into their natural habitat, leopards have become a serious threat to the safety of plantation workers.
Providing
employees with training on safe working procedures, an organisation can
drastically lower the likelihood of accidents. It is the duty of an
organisation to take all reasonable measures to ensure the health and safety of
its employees. A crucial preventive action that can be adopted is training. On
the other hand, having a bad reputation as an unsafe employer will weaken
employee retention rates while they will be liable for legal scrutiny by the
government institutions (Gendron, 2022).
The
Government of Japan funds the ILO's training programs, which aim to improve
occupational safety and health (OSH) for all plantation workers by creating and
disseminating knowledge about opportunities for improved OSH, enhancing the
capacity of national institutions and plantation communities to promote OSH,
developing industry level practices and enhancing representation of
workers (ILO, 2023). Moreover, Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP) has partnered with
Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT) to provide trainings on agrochemicals
across tea 30 estates (ETP, 2012, 25).
Increased Employee Turnover
Significant
training opportunities should result in lower turnover rates for organisations
(Ramllal, 2004). According to Hutchings et al (2009, 279-296), the best approach
for an organisation to retain and motivate its highly qualified human resources
is by offering them training. It is imperative to note, a study conducted by
Abesiri and Jayasekara (2016) reveal that training as a key aspect that will
influence the retention of factory officers in the tea plantation industry.
However, Wickremasinghe (2008) claims that relatively few studies have been
conducted to probe the effect of HRM practices on employee retention in Sri
Lanka’s tea plantation sector.
References
Abesiri, H.G.T.Y. and
Jayasekara, P. (2016) The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices on
Retention of Factory Officers: A Study on Tea Plantation Sector in Kegalle
District in Sri Lanka. Human Resource Management Journal.
De Silva, W. (2020) Training
& Development: A Review of its Outcome to Productivity in the Tea Industry
in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Science and Research.
ETP, (2012) Promoting
safe use of agrochemicals on tea estates, Sri Lanka. [Online] Ethical Tea
Partnership. Available from: https://www.ethicalteapartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/Delivering-Change.pdf
[Accessed: 5 April 2024].
Gendron, B. (2022) How
the Lack of Training Affects Your Organization. [Online]
The Training Associates Corporation. Available from: https://thetrainingassociates.com/lack-training-affects-organization/ [Accessed: 5 April 2024].
Hamid, S. (2011) A
Study of Effectiveness of Training and Development Programs of UPSTDC, India –
An analysis. South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage.
Hutchings, K., Zhu, C.J.,
Cooper, B.K., Zhang, Y. and Shao, S. (2009) Perceptions of the effectiveness
of training and development of grey-collar workers in the People’s Republic of
China. Human Resource Development International.
ILO, (2023) Brewing
change - promoting safe work in Sri Lanka's tea plantations. [Online]
International Labour Organization. Available from: https://www.ilo.org/colombo/info/pub/vid/WCMS_899144/lang--en/index.htm
[Accessed: 5 April 2024].
ILO, (2024) Safety +
Health for All Plantation Workers in South Asia: Sri Lanka Component.
[Online] International Labour Organization. Available from: https://www.ilo.org/colombo/whatwedo/projects/WCMS_789932/lang--en/index.htm
[Accessed: 5 April 2024].
Lowry, D.S., Simon, A.
and Kimberley, N. (2002) Toward improved employment relations practices of
casual employees in the New South Wales registered clubs industry. Human
Resource Development Quarterly.
Mampuru, M.P., Mokoena, B.A.
and Isabirye, A.K. (2024) Training and development impact on job
satisfaction, loyalty and retention among academics. SA Journal of Human
Resource Management.
Mcclelland, S.D. (2002) A
Training needs Assessment for the United Way of Dunn Cunty Wisconsin. University
of Wisconsin Stout.
Opatha, H.H.D.N.P. (2012)
Human Resource Management. 3rd edition. Sri Lanka.
Ramlall, S. (2004) A
review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee
retention within organizations. Journal of American Academy of Business.
Rohan, S. and Madhumita,
M. (2012) Impact of Training Practices on Employee Productivity: A
Comparative Study. Interscience Management Review (IMR).
Wickremasinghe, N.C. (2008) A study of tea plantation operational aspects in relation to operational workforce. Sikkim Manipal University.
Agreed The World Bank Malaysia hub's research and policy briefs document makes the case that although unskilled immigrant workers have low formal human capital, they are nevertheless productive because they boost the productivity of work completed with the influx of new workers (Devadas, 2017).
ReplyDeleteAccording to Perera (2017), having highly educated workforce is essential for gaining a competitive advantage in the tea industry since it's one of the factors necessary for creating value-added tea that generates more money.
DeleteLack of training will hamper this for plantation companies as employees are not competent and not updated of latest developments in the tea industry.
Agreed, a research by Smith et al. (2018) highlights how comprehensive training programs in industries like construction have led to significant reductions in workplace accidents. Similarly, in the healthcare sector, studies by Jones and Johnson (2019) emphasize how ongoing training on infection control protocols has contributed to safer patient care environments.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned lack of training could pose safety threats to employees as they operate machinery on a daily basis in the tea industry. Therefore, ILO (2018) has conducted a series of training workshops in cooperation with National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of Sri Lanka, focusing on improving safety, health and productivity of the tea plantations.
DeleteAgreed. Furthermore stated by Yogaratnam (2015) in an article mentioned that some of the most significant issues facing the plantation industry are youth unemployment and a lack of available human resources. Younger workers dislike their occupations due to physical strain and strict supervision, while debt and alcohol increase inefficiency. Moreover, even those with formal education tend to be anxious about their reputation and employment status.
ReplyDeleteYes Thanushi. Additionally, Chandrabose (2015) also emphasizes that due to the lack of respect for plantation workers, youth in the plantations are reluctant to find employment in the plantations and migrate to cities in search of employment.
Delete