Top 4 HR Trainings to Transform Your Small Business from Liability to Asset
You know the importance of well-trained employees and managers as a small business owner. In fact, 94% of employees stay longer in companies that invest in their professional development. It can be challenging to provide HR training with limited resources. The truth is that investing in basic HR training is essential for compliance, building a healthy culture, and avoiding costly issues down the line. In this blog post, we cover the lack of training risks and the top four trainings we recommend you prioritize in your small business.
Lack of Training Risks
Neglecting compliance training can have devastating consequences for your small business. Here's what's at stake:
Legal Vulnerabilities: Without proper training, your team may unknowingly engage in behaviors that violate federal, state, or local regulations, exposing your business to significant legal risks. For instance, if an inadequately trained employee causes injury to a coworker, your company could face a costly lawsuit.
Reputational Damage: Even if you dodge legal bullets, non-compliance can severely tarnish your company's reputation. In today's interconnected world, news of compliance failures spreads quickly, potentially causing customers and clients to lose trust and possibly turn to your competitors.
Financial Penalties: Certain industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and construction, face heightened regulatory scrutiny. Failure to comply with industry-specific or other regulations can result in hefty fines, business suspension, license revocation, or government sanctions. These penalties can be particularly crippling for small businesses with limited financial reserves.
Workplace Safety Risks: Compliance training is crucial for maintaining a safe work environment. Without it, employees may be unaware of proper safety protocols, leading to increased accident rates. Alarmingly, a worker died every 96 minutes from a work-related injury in 2022. Many of these tragedies could be prevented through comprehensive workplace safety training.
Here's a look at the top four essential HR trainings for small businesses.
1. Workplace Harassment Prevention
Why it’s important:
Harassment prevention training is vital for creating a safe and respectful workplace and can protect your business from potential lawsuits. Seventy-five percent of employees have witnessed workplace bullying behavior and 44% of employees continue to experience harassment at work. Harassment prevention training helps ensure that all employees and managers understand what constitutes inappropriate behavior and how to address it.
Seventy-five percent of employees have witnessed workplace bullying behavior and 44% of employees continue to experience harassment at work.
Harassment prevention training is not just important—it's often legally required. As of the time of this writing, seven states and the District of Columbia mandate sexual harassment trainings for some or all private sector employers and its employees: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New York, and Washington. Four states strongly encourage but do not mandate it: Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The remaining 39 states mention that it is a best practice.
The harassment training mandates range in requirements for businesses. Mandates may require training for:
Employers with a minimum number of employees.
Certain types of employees such as seasonal, temporary, and tipped employees.
Employees with supervisory responsibility.
The length of the training such as at least 2 hours.
Certain industries such as hospitality and retail.
A required timeframe after an employee’s hire date.
At a specific frequency while employed.
Usage of a specific sexual harassment training by a specific vendor.
Inclusion of specific elements in the training such as your company’s complaint process, examples of sexual harassment, or harassment prevention resources.
Recommended Key Focus Areas:
Share your reporting process for employees who experience harassment
How to identify and report harassment
Bystander intervention techniques to for those who witness workplace harassment
Legal compliance with state or municipal regulations
2. Workplace Safety Training
Why it’s important:
There is no required federal safety training regulation for all employers. There are training requirements for employees in the following industries: construction, healthcare, social services, and retail. Workplace safety training is still essential even if your small business isn’t in a high-risk industry.
The good news is that there has been a 60% decline in workplace injuries and deaths since the Occupational Safety Health Act (OSHA) became a law in 1970. The bad news is that seven million people in the U.S. still suffer workplace injuries each year. Ensuring that all employees understand basic safety protocols, emergency procedures, and injury prevention can save you from costly accidents and productivity loss.
Recommended Key Focus Areas:
General workplace safety rules and regulations
Ergonomics and injury prevention in the workplace (even for remote workers)
Emergency preparedness (e.g., fire, medical, natural disasters)
Compliance with OSHA standards
Suggested reading
3. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Training
Why it’s important:
Fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace leads to increased innovation, better decision-making, and improved employee satisfaction. Eighty-eight percent of small businesses consider DEI extremely or moderately important and 46% have taken proactive steps to implement employee diversity training. DEI training teaches employees and managers how to embrace and promote diversity in the workplace due to the growing diversity in workplaces today. By fostering inclusion, businesses can attract top talent, avoid bias-related issues, and increase employee morale.
Key Focus Areas:
Recognizing and addressing unconscious bias
Understanding and celebrating diverse perspectives
Encouraging inclusive leadership and communication
Creating an equitable work environment where everyone feels valued
4. Conflict Resolution Training
Why it’s important:
Workplace conflicts can lead to reduced productivity, low morale, and high employee turnover. Thirty-three percent of conflict is caused by heavy workloads which can be common in small businesses. Conflict resolution training teaches both managers and employees how to navigate disagreements constructively and minimize disruption in the workplace. It’s especially important in small businesses where employees work closely together. Seventy-six percent of employees with conflict resolution training report that it helped them find positive conflict resolutions.
Key Focus Areas:
Recognizing the root causes of workplace conflict
Effective communication techniques to defuse tension
Mediation and negotiation strategies for problem-solving
Building a collaborative team culture
Conclusion
Investing in these key areas of HR training can lead to a more productive, engaged, and legally compliant workplace. The long-term benefits of employee training far outweigh the initial costs. You can ensure your team is well-equipped to handle challenges while creating a positive and compliant workplace cultureBy implementing the training mentioned above.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information.
