Introduction
Present companies are facing many challenges due to extensive competition, advance in technology, and changes in the business environment. As a result of constant pressure in the market place, companies have to upgrade their skills as well as the knowledge of their employees to be competitive in the market place. Thus, companies have to train and develop their employees to meet the challenges they are facing. Through training and development, employees are equipped with right sought of information, aptitudes, and capabilities to perform effectively on their job.
Training involves the acquisition of knowledge and skills, through formal and informal processes, to make employees perform efficiently in their jobs. On the other hand, development involves preparing for changes in the dynamic market. By training and developing their employees, firms can improve not only the performance of the employees but also that of the organization. This is because the companies will be able to meet the global and social changes in the market place. In any workplace environment, the chief role of human resource management is to impart training and development to its employees.
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Therefore, the organization ought to incorporate training and development in the workplace environment. This is because it provides an opportunity for growth and also contributes to the goal of the organization. Training and development also make organization improve their profitability. It also helps employees enhance their skills as well as acquire more knowledge to align themselves with the goals of the organization.
Research Problem
The private communication firms referred to in this research paper are committed to becoming more competitive in the market and achieve their goals. These companies employ many people, and most of them underperform and are non-productive. This may affect the overall performance of the firms and also make the firm fail to meet their goals. For a firm to achieve its goals and objectives, it has to train and develop its employees. By optimizing the contributions of the employees to the objectives or aims, the firm can sustain effective and economic performance. Thus, human resource managers have to train and develop their employees with the aim of motivating as well as improving their performance and productivity. Through employee training and development, the potential of the workers is realized, and their success towards the success of the business is secured. Thus, it very important to investigate the relationship between training and development, and employee performance and productivity for these private companies.
Purpose of Study
The main purpose of the study is to determine the impact of training and development on the performance and productivity of employees in some selected private communication companies.
Research Objectives
The objective of the research was to determine;
The impact training has on the performance and productivity of employees.
The impact development has on the performance and productivity of employees.
The overall impact of training and development on the performance and productivity of employees.
Research Questions of the Study
The research questions of the study are;
What is the impact of employee training in the performance and productivity of the employees?
What is the impact of employee development in the performance and productivity of the employees?
What is the overall impact of training and development on the performance and productivity of employees?
Significance of Study
The study is very significant as it will be of use to the human resource management to inspire them to incorporate training and development to help their organization become competitive in the market. Numerous organizations are striving to become competitive in this contemporary world, and they can only achieve this by ensuring that their employees are competent, knowledgeable, skilled, and capable of handling tasks and responsibilities. The organization can make this possible through training and developing their employees. This study will help human resource professionals plan for the development and implementation of training and development needs that will impact the performance and productivity of employees positively. Hopefully, the results or findings of the research will be of benefit to scholars, researchers, or another individual interested in this topic.
The scope of the Study
The study examined employees from private communication companies. The study examined the impact of training and development on employee performance and development. The research data was collected from a total 0f 346 employees by using structured questionnaires and scheduled interview.
Literature Review
Training refers to the process of imparting knowledge and skills to individuals to help the individuals of the company to acquire and apply the knowledge and skills as required by the firm (Monappa & Mirza, 1996). Training and development entail learning and achieving business goals and objectives. This process is on-going at the workplace and employees ought to be trained every day. Through training and development, the employee feels confident as well as motivated making them perform tasks or responsibilities assigned effectively even without supervision. Thus, employee training and development ought not to be taken for granted.
Numerous theories have been proposed which prove that employee training and development has a positive impact on employee performance and productivity which in turn impact revenue or profit (Boadu, Dwomo, Boakye, & Kwaning, 2014). Employees use the skills and knowledge acquired from job-related training and development to improve their performance at their work. In turn, it improves the performance and productivity of the organization.
Organization train and develop their employees to integrate and consolidate management as well as maintain the vitality of the firm and morale of its employees (Anwar, 2017). It also increases job performance, productivity, and ensures adoption to change. According to Anwar (2017), one of the objectives of training and developing employees is to fulfill the human desire as well as the need to develop.
Employee training and development begins with analyzing the needs of both the employee and the organization (Mathis & Jackson, 2008). The organization assesses what needs to be developed in the employees through performance appraisals, psychological testing, and assessment centers (Mathis & Jackson, 2008). There are many techniques used to develop employees at work. These techniques include coaching, committee assignments, job rotation, classroom courses and seminars, and outdoor development experiences.
Research Methodology
Research Design
The study will be conducted in the form of a descriptive survey. This methodology is ideal especially when collecting data on people’s attitudes, opinions, and any variety of social and education issues. The survey involves collecting data through interviews or the use of questionnaires.
Population
The study will focus on employees from seven selected communication companies. The seven companies are composed of a total of 3,500 employees in their various departments. However, the structured questionnaires will be sent to 350 employees only.
Sample Design
A listing of the various position, from senior grades to the least, was obtained from the administration office. Stratified proportionate sampling technique was used. To determine the number of response, the NEA Research bulletin was used (see table 1 below). The formula used to determine the sample size is;
| Grade Ranking | Population | Sample Size |
| Managers (Grade 5) |
40 |
4 |
| Quality Assessors (Grade 6) |
100 |
10 |
| Team Leaders (grade 7) |
80 |
8 |
| Support Analysts (Grade 7) |
90 |
9 |
| Agents (Grade 8) |
3190 |
315 |
| Totals |
3500 |
346 |
Table 1: Sample Size
Data Collection
The study will rely on first-hand data and would be obtained through the use of questionnaires and schedules interviews. The questionnaires will consist of open-ended questions and will be administered by drop and pick.
Data Analysis
Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze data or responses obtained from the respondents. The data collected will be studied and edited to make them relevant to the research objectives and questions. Tables and charts will be used to present the results.
Data Analysis, Results, and Discussion
Response Rate
The collection of data for this study was done on 29 th Jan 2019. The methods used for the collection include questionnaires and schedules interviews to the 350 respondents selected from the private communication companies. 340 questionnaires were successfully filled and returned. The response rate is 97%. Since a response rate of over 50% is recommended, the data obtained can be used for analysis.
Respondent’s Demographic Characteristics
The demographics characteristics covered in the study include job position, gender, level of education, and years of service.
Job Position
In the questionnaire, the respondents were asked to indicate their job position within the private communication companies. By identifying the job positions of the different employees, the training and development needs for the different levels can be identified. The study was limited to the position of Management, analysts, and Customer Experience Executives (CEE).
| Job Position | Frequency | Percentage |
| Managers |
24 |
7% |
| Analysts |
55 |
16% |
| CEE |
261 |
77% |
| Total |
340 |
100% |
Table 2: Job Positions
From table 2, we can conclude that CEE is the majority with 77% followed by analysts with 16% and then managers with 7%. Since private companies are composed of different job positions, different levels of training will be required.
Gender of Respondent
As shown in Fig. 1, female responded were the majority. The ratio of female to male is 56:44. This means that private communication companies take gender balance into account.
| Gender | Population | Percent |
| Male |
150 |
44% |
| Female |
190 |
56% |
| Total |
340 |
100% |
Table 3: Gender of Respondents
Fig 1: Gender of Respondents
Education Background
In order to determine the training appropriate for the various respondents, it was necessary to determine the respondent’s education level in the study. Fig. 2 shown below shows the range of educational qualification the respondents selected for this study hold. As seen in the figure, the majority of the respondents are diploma holders (42%), followed by degree (37%), certificate (12%), and then postgraduate (6%). Other qualifications include workshops, seminars, e-learning which accounted for 2%.
| Level of Education | Population | Percentage |
| Post Graduate |
22 |
6% |
| Degree |
125 |
37% |
| Diploma |
143 |
42% |
| Certificate |
42 |
12% |
| Others |
8 |
2% |
| Total |
340 |
100% |
Table 4: Level of Education
Fig. 2: Level of Education
Years of Service in the Private Communication Company
In order to put the responses of the respondents in the proper perspective, the study determined the years the respondents served at the private company. Year of service of respondents in the selected private companies is shown graphically in Fig. 3. From Fig. 3, it is apparent that 82% of the respondents worked in the selected private communication companies for 1 to 10 years. 4% of the respondents worked for less than one year, 22% for 2 years, 31% for 5 years, 30% for 10 years, and 14% for more than 10 years. This means the private companies have a blend of experience. Majority of the respondents are young and require training and development to equip them with knowledge and skills to perform better and be productive. The outcome also shows that the firms have good employee retention systems. Since the companies have new entrants, they require programs to train and develop them continually.
| Years Served (Approx.) | Population | Percentage |
| Less than 1 |
12 |
4% |
| 2 Years |
74 |
22% |
| 5 Years |
107 |
31% |
| 10 Years |
101 |
30% |
| More than 10 Years |
46 |
14% |
| Total |
340 |
100% |
Table 5: Years of Service
Fig 3: Year of Service of Respondents
Types of Training
The study also delved at finding the types of training that take place at private companies. From the scheduled interview with the Training and Talent Development Manager, it was evident that employees were engaged in numerous training programs. This includes job training, group training, development training, and refresher training. However, the study narrowed down to job and development training. Some of the training the employees received include training involving Communication Skills, Relationship Management, CEE, Systems, and Products and Services. Respondents were asked the various types of training they received, and the results are as displayed in Fig. 4 below.
| Type of Training | Trained | Not Trained |
| Communication Skills |
87% |
13% |
| Relationship Management |
69% |
31% |
| CEE |
78% |
22% |
| Systems |
81% |
19% |
| Products and Services |
90% |
10% |
Table 6: Types of Training
Fig. 4: Types of Training
As seen in Fig. 4, 87% of the respondents have been trained in communication skills, 69% on relationship management, 79% of customer experience, 81% on systems, and 90% on products and services. The variations in training are as a result of different policies and objectives of the companies. The results obtained are graphically presented as shown in Fig. 4. This shows that these selected private companies are more customer focused and equip their employees with skills and knowledge through training.
The effectiveness of Training and Development
Quality of Training
The study delved at asking the responded to the quality of the training offered by the private companies. The respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of the training and development offered as excellent, very good, good, average, or poor. The results obtained are displayed in table 7.
| Response | Frequency | Percent |
| Excellent |
56 |
16% |
| Very Good |
143 |
41% |
| Good |
111 |
32% |
| Average |
36 |
10% |
| Poor |
0 |
0% |
| Total |
346 |
100% |
Table 7: Response to the Quality of Training
From the result, the majority of the respondents (41%) indicated that they were content with the quality of training offered by the company. These results are graphically presented as shown in Fig 5.
Fig. 5: Quality of Training
The results show that 89% (excellent 16%, very good 41%, and good 32%) of respondents, are content with the quality of training offered by the companies. The results indicate that training programs are delivered clearly. Only 10% of the respondents’ state that the quality of training offered is poor.
Relevance of Training
The study also delved at asking whether the training offered was relevant to their work in the company. The responses are graphically presented as shown in Fig. 6.
| Was the training relevant? | No. of Respondents | Percent |
| Yes |
254 |
73% |
| No |
73 |
21% |
| Not Sure |
19 |
5% |
| Total |
346 |
100% |
Table 8: Relevance of Training
Fig. 6: Relevance of Training to Current Job.
From the results obtained, we can conclude that the majority (73%) indicated that the training given at the company is relevant to their current job. 21% of the respondents indicated that the training received was not relevant whereas 5% were not sure. From the scheduled interview with the Talent Development Manager, he stated that the line manager, as well as the trainees, reviewed the training program during and after its completion. The manager also stated that training is planned to take into account all issues.
Training and Employee Performance
In order to determine the impact of training and development on the performance as well as the productivity of the workers, the respondents we asked to indicate if the training and development programs have helped them enhance their performance and productivity since joining the private companies. The responses obtained from the respondents are graphically presented in Fig. 7.
| Did the training have Impact? | No. of Respondents | Percent | Is there a need for further training? | Percent |
| Yes |
200 |
58% |
Yes |
84% |
| No |
122 |
35% |
No |
16%% |
| Not Sure |
24 |
7% |
Not Sure |
- |
| Total |
346 |
100% |
Table 9: Impact of Training and Need for Further Training
Fig. 7: Impact of Training
The data obtained shows that 200 respondents (58%) believe that training and development have enhanced their performance. This implies that through training the private companies can meet their goals. The results also agree with a prior literature review which shows training has a significant impact on employee performance as it improves the skills and the performance of the employee (Boadu, Dwomo, Boakye, & Kwaning, 2014). Most of the respondents (84%) also indicate that there is a need for further training.
Motivation and Training
Training and development are administered in such as a way to alter the behavior as well as motivate employees to meet the goals of the business. Once trained, employees become highly motivated and encouraged. Through training, the employees’ availability and quality are improved. Through the use of a questionnaire, the respondents were asked to give their opinions on whether they felt motivated and encouraged with the training they receive from the private companies. Fig. 8 illustrates the results obtained from the respondents.
| Do you feel motivated and satisfied with the training? | Percent | |
| Yes |
268 |
77% |
| No |
78 |
23% |
| Total |
346 |
100% |
Table 10: Impact of Training on Employee Motivation
Fig. 8: Impact of Training on Employee Motivation
The result shows that majority of the respondents (77%) feel motivated by the training programs at the private companies. The percentage of respondents who feet otherwise is 23%. The results are significant since the morale as well as the productivity of employees is increased by motivating them.
Impact of Training and Development of Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
The study also delved at determining the impact of training and development on KPIs within the private companies. The study only targeted the CEE respondents and targeted 294 respondents which represent 85% of the sample size. The study looked at three KPIs which are Adherence, Service Request Quality (SRQ), and Call Quality (CQ) and the changes for the last 11 months was looked at. The average score is graphically presented as shown in Fig. 9.
| Impact of Training on KPIs | Before | After |
| Adherence |
82% |
97% |
| Service Request Rate |
95% |
99% |
| Call Quality |
94% |
97% |
Table 11: Impact of Training on KPIs
Fig. 9: Impact of Training on KIPs
From the results obtained, adherence, service request rate, and call quality improved from 82%-97%, 95%-99%, and 94%-97% respectively.
Discussion
The communication companies have been involved in training and development for the past years. Data indicated in the questionnaires and also collected from the interviews show that employee training and development is a continuous process and employees have to be trained from the day the business is established. The responses show that training and development have significantly improved the skills, knowledge, and time management of the employees. In the recent past, the communication companies have made training and development programs as a human resource management tool.
The result obtained from the study agree with the literature on training and development. From the study, a relationship exists between training and development and employee performance and productivity. The study indicates that employees felt encouraged and motivated through training and development programs within the communication company. Majority of the respondents also indicated that training and development has a positive impact on performance and productivity. Additionally, the study shows that training and development received by the employees were of good quality as well as relevant to align the employees with company objectives.
Conclusion
The aim of the study was achieved. The study aimed at determining the impact of employee training and development to the performance and productivity of the employees using communication companies as the case study. The communication company ought to take action to ensure that the training and development received by its employees are dully followed. As a result of market and customer dynamics, varied products and services, and evolving technology, communication companies ought to make employee training and development crucial and vital. From the study, we can conclude that training and development positively impact the performance and productivity of employees.
Recommendation
It is recommended that employees should be provided with effective training programs and carefully set development plans to improve their skills and knowledge. Lastly, foreseeable future research can be conducted to cover other variables which affect performance and productivity.
References
Anwar, S. (2017). Human Resource Management Practices in the Cooperative Sector. Near Andrews Ganj: New Delhi. Idea Publishing.
Boadu, F., Dwomo-Fokuo, E., Boakye, J., & Kwanning, C. (2014). Training and Development: A Tool for Employee Performance in the District Assemblies in Ghana. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ijern.com/journal/May-2014/42.pdf . Accessed 4 th Feb 2019.
Mathis, R., & Jackson, J. (2008). Human Resource Management . 12 th Edition. [Online]. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/33797590.pdf . Accessed 3 rd Feb 2019.
Monnappa, A., & Mirza, S. (1996). Personnel Management. New Delhi: India. Mc Graw Hill.
