Staff training and development benefits
23 July 2019
Updated June 2025
If you’re finding it difficult to make time for staff training and development, you’re not alone. From tight budgets to stretched teams, there’s always something more pressing that needs to be dealt with first.
However, investing in your workforce is a strategic necessity. From ticking regulatory boxes by implementing mandatory compliance training to nurturing first-time managers with leadership skills, workplace training directly impacts performance, morale and retention. And for growing UK businesses, it’s one of the most cost-effective tools available.
Here are six key reasons why staff training and development matter for UK SMEs – and how to make it work for your team.
1. Compliance: protect your people and your business
Whether it’s GDPR, fire safety or manual handling, mandatory compliance training is non-negotiable. It’s also one of the biggest pain points for HR teams, especially in SMEs without a dedicated L&D function.
Delivering this type of training ensures your staff understands the rules and expectations around compliance – and helps you avoid costly mistakes. A good compliance-focused LMS for UK SMEs will offer these courses ready-made, saving time and making it easy to stay on top of staff certifications.
Popular compliance courses for SMEs include:
An affordable compliance-focused LMS, like Staff Skills academy+ offers, makes delivering these essentials a breeze – with built-in certificates and progress tracking as standard.
Recommended read: Internal upskilling: is it worth the effort? (Yes)
2. Watch employees grow in confidence
One of the most obvious benefits of staff training is it helps your team members learn and develop. When employees are given the opportunity to learn new things and progress in their careers, they’re likely to feel happier and more engaged at work. This can have a big impact on morale, particularly in small teams where every person plays a key role.
When someone joins or changes roles, you can help them settle into a new job with a structured induction plan (at Staff Skills academy+, we’ll even digitise your PDF, PPT or paper-based training during onboarding, making this process even simpler for you). Many businesses also use training to address specific areas like wellbeing, resilience or communication. With the right L&D platform for small UK businesses, training can be easily tailored to each individual by setting learning pathways, so everyone’s getting the support they need, when they need it.
And this doesn’t mean sending staff off-site or taking them away from their work for hours at a time. With an easy-to-use learning platform, employees can complete online training at their own pace, fitting their learning around the day job.
Short, engaging courses – like online sexual harassment awareness training or GDPR awareness – can make a big difference in just an hour or two.
And it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right learning and development platform for UK SMEs, you can roll out impactful content in bite-sized, self-paced modules your team can actually use.
3. Shape the leaders of the future
Staff development also gives your people the tools to move into a management role. Training up-and-coming leaders – especially first-time managers – is one of the smartest investments an SME can make. For example, leadership training for first-time managers in the UK can help team leads communicate more effectively, handle challenges and even learn to coach others.
And it’s not just about individual development. Confidence at work benefits the business too – staff who feel confident tend to be more productive, proactive and better at problem solving.
Recommended read: Six steps SMEs should take to give first-time managers a fighting chance
4. Support business growth and plan for the future
Training isn’t just about what your team needs now – it’s also a way to prepare for what’s next. As your business grows, you’ll need people with the right skills to take on new responsibilities. Developing your team in-house helps you build the future workforce you need.
Done right, it’s a growth strategy. Whether you’re onboarding new hires, expanding into new markets or adapting to legislation, your training should be aligned with business goals. This is where creating an L&D plan or template can be a game-changer.
An L&D template might include:
- Identifying the specific training needs of the organisation.
- Regular reviews of compliance training requirements for people managers in the UK.
- Personalised learning pathways for different roles.
- A mix of virtual compliance training for remote SME teams UK and in-person refreshers.
- Regular reviews to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme and updating as necessary.
An effective LMS will allow you to deliver all this at scale, even without a dedicated HR team. And when everything’s tracked automatically, you can see who’s completed what at a glance – making it easy to report on compliance or identify gaps.
Recommended read: Seven L&D trends SMEs need to know about – and how to implement them.
5. Build a stronger, safer workplace culture
Training plays a key role in creating a positive and respectful workplace culture. It’s a way to set clear expectations, promote shared values and reduce the risk of misconduct.
For example, racism awareness training and anti-discrimination courses help foster inclusion and respect, while health and safety training for SME teams creates awareness around risks and responsibilities.
Training can also benefit mental wellbeing. Courses covering stress management, resilience and emotional intelligence can help staff feel more supported, and better equipped to manage pressures at work.
Importantly, this isn’t just about compliance. It’s about showing your team you care and giving them the tools to thrive. That’s something your people will remember – and that can strengthen your brand in market too.
Start small; think big
Staff training and development can sometimes feel like another job on an already long to-do list. But the benefits it brings – from increased confidence and motivation to improved compliance and reduced risk – means it’s one of the most worthwhile investments you can make.
With so many affordable online compliance courses and LMS solutions for small businesses in the UK, there’s never been a better time to prioritise learning.
Whether you’re looking to meet legal requirements, grow your team’s skills, or just boost morale, at Staff Skills academy+ we’re here to help. Our platform makes it simple to assign training, track progress and upskill your workforce. Our range of 700+ CPD and RoSPA-certified courses covers everything from mandatory compliance training to industry-specific knowledge, health and wellbeing, and soft skills courses. Could we be the right fit for your business? Have a look and see what we do, or book a call with one of our team today.
