The importance of having a staff training policy

23 September 2022

Updated June 2025

When you’re running a small business, a formal training policy can seem a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. But when it comes to managing risk, boosting team performance and staying compliant with UK regulations, having a well-defined staff training policy isn’t just important – it’s essential.

Whether you’re a startup with just a few employees or a growing SME with multiple departments, a clear staff training policy is your blueprint for consistent, cost-effective employee development. This means you’ll know all your staff have completed their mandatory training, you’ll have a clear process for onboarding and upskilling, and you’ll be able to track and prove training completion too.

What is a staff training policy?

A staff training policy is a formal document that outlines your business’s approach to employee learning and development. It defines what training is required, who’s responsible, how it’ll be delivered, and how progress will be measured.

In short, it’s your go-to guide for building the skills your business needs – while making sure you stay compliant with UK regulations around GDPR, health and safety, and anti-discrimination.

The business case for implementing an SME training policy

When done right, a training policy can deliver multiple benefits:

1. Keep you compliant without the chaos

UK legislation puts the onus on employers to provide training in areas like health and safety, data protection (GDPR), and equality and diversity.

A staff training policy ensures you’re ticking all the right boxes for:

• GDPR training for employees and workplace GDPR compliance
• Mandatory health and safety training
• Equality and diversity awareness training
• Global anti-bribery and corruption training

It’s about being confident that every staff member – from new hires to line managers – has the knowledge they need.

Recommended read: Staff training legal requirements

2. Standardise onboarding and reduce knowledge gaps

New starters shouldn’t have to rely on guesswork or goodwill. A training policy helps you build a repeatable process for onboarding that covers both job-specific skills and essential workplace training. Courses you might want to consider include manual handling certifications and mandatory fire safety training for small businesses.

Consistency ensures no one slips through the net – and every team gets the same quality of training, regardless of who’s managing it.

3. Support employee growth and retention

Did you know, access to training and development is one of the top reasons staff choose to stay with a business? Having a clear policy shows your team that you’re investing in their future, which can improve engagement, morale and performance.

It’s also your chance to future-proof your workforce – by offering courses such as leadership training for first-time managers, or coaching skills training for people managers. Giving your team the opportunity to upskill like this can positively impact not just the individual but the wider business too.

The compliance angle: avoiding costly mistakes

One of the most common compliance training mistakes SMEs make is assuming verbal instructions or on-the-job shadowing count as formal training. They don’t – especially when it comes to areas such as COSHH awareness (choose a certified COSHH course for employees, as you know it’s been approved by an organisation such as CPD) and knowing how to use fire extinguishers in the workplace.

Without documented training evidence, you can’t prove compliance. And if you don’t have a training policy in place, you’re far less likely to have that audit trail.

This is where an LMS platform with ready-made compliance content can help. It provides the structure, content and reporting you need to deliver, track and document compliance training – without the administrative overload.

What should a staff training policy include?

There’s no one-size-fits-all template, but at a minimum, your training policy should cover:

1. Objectives and requirements

What’s the purpose of the training policy? Who does it apply to? Which types of training are mandatory?

Be sure to reference any compliance training requirements for people managers and role-specific training, as well as more universal requirements such as display screen equipment and sexual harassment awareness training.

2. Roles and responsibilities

Who’s responsible for identifying your training needs? Who’s going to deliver the training? Who tracks your teams’ progress? For many SMEs, the responsibility sits with HR or a senior manager – but clearly defining this prevents confusion and delays.

3. Delivery methods

Will training be in-house, outsourced, online or blended? Some companies prefer to deliver some courses as instructor-led, face-to-face training – with other courses being delivered using an online platform.

4. Frequency and timelines

How often is training reviewed, updated or repeated? For example, GDPR and health and safety training should be refreshed annually.

This helps with planning and budget forecasting – especially relevant if you’re trying to stay compliant with limited L&D resources in a small UK business.

5. Monitoring and evaluation

How will you assess whether training is working? Think completion rates, feedback surveys, or pre- and post-training assessments.

It’s also worth aligning L&D with business goals – something we cover in our blog: Seven L&D trends SMEs need to know about – and how to implement them

Recommended read: Internal upskilling: is it worth the effort? (Yes).

Practical tips for SMEs

You don’t need a huge HR department or a massive budget to create a great training policy. Just keep it simple, specific, and aligned to your business goals.

• Start with compliance: what compliance training is required for UK-based SMEs? Focus on legal requirements first: things like fire safety, GDPR and anti-discrimination.
• Use digital tools: cost-effective compliance certifications – delivered on an online platform – can streamline everything from course delivery to the tracking of completion rates.
• Review your policy regularly: choose an LMS that offers granular reporting as standard, so you can track your people’s progress. Review and update your policy regularly to keep it relevant, as your team and business grow.
• Make it accessible: don’t bury your training policy in a shared folder – make it visible, easy to read and part of the onboarding process.

SMEs can’t afford to treat training as an afterthought. A clear staff training policy helps you meet legal obligations, support employee development and drive long-term business success.

If you’re looking for an affordable, easy-to-use compliance training platform for your small business, we can help you simplify the process and stay one step ahead.

At Staff Skills academy+, we help businesses upskill and retain staff with our award-winning e-learning, in-house and blended training solutions. Our range of 700+ CPD and RoSPA-certified courses cover everything from mandatory compliance training to industry-specific knowledge and soft skills courses. And during onboarding, we’ll also turn your paper, PPT or PDF content into digital courses – saving you time and effort. 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