Time is a precious commodity in business. The common complaint with most small businesses owners is finding the time to properly train employees. But training isn't just for the employees, but also for the owner and key management staff during the shift from employee to management roles and from small business toward a larger more corporate structure. The adage that it's better to teach a man to fish holds true for employer/employee relations as well. Taking the time to properly train employees on business practices and procedures ensures that they will be able to hold their own and do more than just tread water when the time for independent thinking arises.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the average number of formal training activities per employee was 2.1 in 2004. Job skills training accounted for 67% of the total training hours and 48% of total training participants. The largest share of training hours were devoted to computer training (either PC based software or retail computer systems). Employers also reported that nearly 40% had some type of mentoring program and that 91% of the training was provided by in-house employees.

'Once the small business has shifted from a one or two-man operation to a staff of 10 or more, it becomes necessary to implement some basic training programs to ensure that all staff are following the same procedures, ' says Bryant Garcia , manager of human resources and corporate training for Fiducial. 'This is often a precarious time for the owner because up to this point, he has single-handedly been juggling all the tasks. That's where proper training becomes so essential.'

Here are a few suggestions on ways to implement training programs that can save a company thousands in lost revenue and free up some much-needed strategy and planning time for the business owner:

Take the time to write down the key tasks for each position in the company. For a small business, this may seem like overkill, but as the business grows, these job descriptions will become invaluable. A time saving technique is to search basic job descriptions online and modify them to fit the business's specific needs.

Interview properly and do not hire the first warm body that responds to the ad. Again, the time spent on the front end hiring the right person can save a business thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on the back end when the wrong hire wreaks havoc on the business and its customers.

Have an experienced employee mentor new employees. There are numerous benefits to this concept. The simple act of asking an employee to train someone tells them that their judgment and skills are trusted enough to train someone else resulting in a wonderful morale boost. Secondly, the experienced employee already knows the proper procedures and saves the owner the time it would take to supervise the new hire himself. A win-win.

When in doubt, bring in a consultant to help create a training program. The time spent on a well-qualified corporate trainer will pay off exponentially with happier, better trained employees that will become a solid team within the organization. There are several national organizations leading the charge in corporate trainer certification (www.coachinc.com and www.coachfederation.org ) be sure to use a reputable trainer and again, check their references.

Don't fix the employee's mistakes, but rather have their mentor go back over the situation and show them the proper way to perform the task. These steps will help to re info rce the right process as well as keep the owner out of the training loop whenever possible.

Build a culture of openness, creativity and cross-training. When employees share how they do their jobs in a creative and free-thinking environment better processes come to light.

Encourage new ideas with praise, rewards and encouragement. The best ideas for training often come from those doing the tasks every day. By rewarding new ideas, the result will be better employee morale, more willingness to communicate and an improved attitude toward the public.

So don't abandon ship. Teaching employees to swim in corporate waters will not only save their lives in a pinch, but also keep the business owner from repeatedly diving in with a life vest. For more info rmation, talk with your Fiducial representative or visit the web site at www.fiducial.com.