A 2014 report carried out by Oxford Economics and featured in HR Review revealed that the cost of replacing a member of staff averaged more than £30,000.

This cost comes from a number of factors, which include logistical costs (such as temporary workers, recruitment fees, advertising, as well as time spent interviewing and shortlisting), but predominantly in lost output as the new staff member comes up to scratch with the role. This was found to take an average of 28 weeks, varying by sector, and even longer if the new recruit is coming from unemployment or a different sector altogether.

Why then, with the cost of replacing staff so high, should employers not be willing – even eager – to invest in their teams, make them feel valued, and ensure they remain within the organisation?

This is precisely the approach that DJ Alexander have shown their staff this year, by inviting them to take on a range of bespoke training courses with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.

DJ Alexander have invested in a number of courses over the past few months, with their staff attending workshops uniquely designed and delivered to meet their specific needs. Rob Trotter, Associate Director at DJ Alexander says “what we needed was to come up with a unique set of training courses to develop our staff in the areas most relevant and important to them and their roles.

“We approached the Chamber, who we know have access to all types of trainers, we briefed them on what our requirements were and what content we were after, and they came back with the right trainers to deliver that content.”

The Chamber’s bespoke training courses are entirely crafted to the needs of the individual organisation. We invite those interested to meet with a member of our team, where we discuss options around numbers, needs, dates and location. Taking all of this in to account, we then hand-select the trainer we feel will best suit the requirements, and facilitate a meeting between the trainer and the organisation. In 2016, we ran over a hundred courses on a range of topics, delivered by thirty individual trainers, each an expert in their field. Our trainers are constantly refining their content to ensure it remains up to date, engaging, and informative – and for our bespoke offerings, relevant and relatable for the team they’re delivering to.

”What has impressed us most has been the trainers that the Chamber chose to suit our needs” says Rob. “They have each been spot on. The trainers immediately got a grasp of what we were after and came back with unique course content which was highly relevant and entirely appropriate for our staff.”

These sentiments are echoed by the attendees. At the close of each training session, we allow delegates to give their feedback so that we can continue to improve our product offering. Following the courses crafted for DJ Alexander, recurring themes in the feedback forms include ‘insightful’, ‘informative’, ‘practical’, and ‘relevant’, with one writing that the course content “allowed me to think about everyday scenarios in a completely new light”.

DJ Alexander are seeing other benefits outside of simply up-skilling their staff, too.

Rob Trotter says “our staff feel very enthusiastic about the investment by DJ Alexander to develop them personally and professionally. I have seen that these trainings have boosted their confidence and their loyalty to the firm. Investing in their training and development has showed them that we respect and value them – and they really appreciate that.”

Looking to up-skill your staff? Contact us to discuss your needs, and hear how a bespoke training course could benefit your organisation: 0131 221 2999 / training@edinburghchamber.co.uk