Accompanying some of these new developments are new regulations like personal data protection and personal privacy. Companies need to be ready for all these changes.

Training can help organisations to be ready. Through training, employees can quickly fill knowledge gaps and be effective contributors to your organisation. An organisation that doesn’t invest in training will not be ready to face the challenges in the market. They might even find themselves going the way of the dinosaurs eventually.

Still not convinced about the benefits of training? Do read below to understand the key benefits.

#1 Develop Awareness

One of the primary and key benefits of training is awareness.

Training can bring about awareness in many ways. For example, training can help employees learn new skills and knowledge that can help them better understand their work and the world around them.

Training can also help employees develop a new level of self-awareness of things to do and things to avoid doing.

Finally, training helps employees develop organizational awareness by understanding the goals of their organization. This can lead to increased collaboration and communication between employees, as well as improved performance and efficiency in the workplace.

Thus, awareness is the first and most important thing training brings to the table. From there, all improvement begins.

#2 Increase effectiveness

Things are evolving rapidly – customers are getting sophisticated and competitors are getting more innovative and aggressive. To be able to compete in the market, being effective executors is essential.

For example, in business-to-business sales, being able to present well can get you to the next meeting with someone higher within the organisation. At the customer service end of things, a negative customer can be converted into an advocate.

The above are just two examples of how things can improve or even turn in your favor with employee training.

#3 Prevent things from breaking down

Things break down when people are ill-equipped to deal with situations. In every break down, there will be consequences and repercussions. There could be repercussions in customer or management dissatisfaction, reduce productivity or even unwanted media exposure.

Little incidents can quickly escalate if not properly handled. Customer dissatisfaction can quickly find its way to social media. Hence, training is essential to prevent things from breaking down. Training can also prevent mistakes from ever happening again.

#4 Raise standards

Training sets a company apart from being mediocre.

Deliberate, and constant training can radically improve employees’ understanding of company objectives and help to raise and set standards of performance. If an organisation do not invest in training their employees, they can’t expect their people to get to the next level. That’s why some companies stay small or have to continually waste time addressing the same issues and problems over and over again.

#5 Improve customer experience

When clients experience consistent top-notch service, they will keep coming back.

Top-notch service can be achieved through training, and deploying sound procedures. Without proactively addressing issues through training, you’ll lose clients that might otherwise be saved. With training, standardized client interaction and sound follow-up procedures, you are constantly building better client relationships that will lead to repeat business and referrals.

#6 Be a competitive advantage

Training can be a competitive advantage.

With improved standards brought about by training, customers can expect better service over a competitor who does not invest in training.

With staff having attended training, they can make a difference and are in a better place to put a smile on a customer’s face. Customers are more likely to come back to you over a business that does not know how to take care of them.

#7 Increase revenue

Quality training is guaranteed to make you money.

For example, training your frontline team (i.e. sales, customer support) can help them handle any situation that may occur in a client engagement. Arm them with the necessary mindset to deal with customers’ complaints and objections effectively. They can turn a bad situation into a good one. This could result in more sales and referrals.

#8 Save expenses

Training can also help you save money.

Educating employees on certain must-dos can avert downtime, mishaps, avoid penalties and fines etc.. Training can get employees to toe the line and be compliant and more self-aware.

In today’s privacy-conscious world, do not skip any training in compliance because failing to comply with privacy regulations like PDPA can result in severe penalties.

#9 Retain talent

Training also saves you money through reduced employee turnover. The cost of hiring and training a new employee is high. Also, there is the uncertainty of whether the person can quickly learn the ropes and fit into your company’s culture.

So employee retention is a key consideration in maintaining continuous performance and growth for an organisation. When employees know exactly what to do and are empowered to do so, they feel more confident in executing their tasks to meet performance standards. Employees also feel less stress for now they are equipped with better knowledge of what to do, instead of figuring things out themselves.

With organized and regular training programs, employees will feel your company is willing to invest in them to help them grow. Most people would appreciate a progressive company, rather than one who is not.

Conclusion

Training needs to be part of a company’s culture. It should be looked upon as an investment rather than a cost. Trying to save money on training will cost you more in the future through reduced productivity, loss of customers, penalties from regulators etc.

The quicker an employee is trained, the quicker you will reap the dividends (i.e. increased performance, protection against regulators and cyberattacks, etc.) of your investment.

If you need any training in the areas of sales, cybercriminals and personal data protection, do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Here are some reasons why deploying a data protection policy is in an organisation’s best interest :

1.Meet regulatory requirements

Having a data protection policy and management program is mandatory to meet regulatory expectations.

Failure to comply could have serious consequences as hefty penalties are at stake, potentially impacting revenue figures. Besides financial penalties, there might be other costs including non-financial impacts like reputational damages and loss of brand confidence.

2.Increase consumer trust and credibility

Knowing that a company is compliant with data protection regulations, consumers will have more faith that their personal data are being well-protected. Your brand will be perceived to be more trusted, and they are more likely to do business with your brand.

3.Limit liabilities

Any breach and publishing of personal data could lead to untold, unexpected consequences leading to possible regulatory and civil suits.

By implementing a policy and program for managing personal data, companies can fulfill their obligations and reduce their legal risks.

4.Improve brand equity

A brand that puts consumers’ interests first will be perceived as a company that cares for its consumers. Consumers are more likely to gravitate towards and buy from such a brand. This in turn will greatly improve the brand’s equity, goodwill and bottom line.

5.Reduce investor’s risk

Investors are always on the prowl for good companies to invest their money in. The last thing they would want to do is to invest in a company with a bad reputation. Also if the company has not been caught out by regulators, they would prefer to buy a company that has in place policies, process, and controls compliant with local laws.

6.Improve personal data management

With a personal data policy and management program in place, company leaders would have a better understanding of the personal data under their care. Company directors would be ready to provide answers, concerning personal data they manage, to regulators, shareholders, potential investors, and customers.

7.Competitive advantage

Having a personal data policy and management program in place can be a competitive advantage over another company in consideration. Increasingly many companies expect their vendors to be compliant with personal data regulations. They do not wish to be dragged into any legal non-compliance and have their brand in the limelight for the wrong reasons.

As public awareness of personal data rights increases, the expectations for vendors to be compliant with personal data regulations will increase.

8. Peace of mind

With a personal data protection policy and program in place, you can sleep more soundly at night.

Knowing that you have your back covered, you are ready for any unexpected challenges that may arise from a user compliant to a data breach.

If you need help in your personal data protection journey for your organisation, do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Companies that handle personal data from Singapore are responsible for lawful processing under Singaporean law. The transfer of personal data outside of Singapore is regulated, and the PDPC is the main enforcing authority.

As more and more companies adopt policies to be compliant and competitive, it is only a matter of time before companies of all shapes and sizes adopt data protection policies and work toward compliance. 

To be compliant with the law, there are several steps to take. 

Step 1 – Appoint a Data Protection Officer

Foremost, in accordance with section 11 of the PDPA, companies need to appoint a Data Protection Officer. The data protection representative will help management develop policies, programs, and training for employees to comply with the PDPA. The DPO will also keep the management informed of changes to the regulations and issues on the ground. 

Step 2 – Understands the PDPA Obligations

Secondly, company founders and directors need to understand their obligations under the PDPA. Currently, there are 10 obligations with the latest one added on the 1^st Oct 2022. With an understanding of the obligations, management can then have a better appreciation of the PDPA and the necessary actions to take. 

Step 3 – Develop a Data Protection Policy

Thirdly, section 12 of the PDPA requires companies to develop policies and processes to meet the obligations under the PDPA. These policies and procedures will form the baseline of personal data practices within the company. They would then need to be communicated to all staff to ensure compliance. 

Step 4 – Develop a Information Security Policy

We are now living in the information age.

Companies today are increasingly adopting technology to go digital and establish an online presence. While the adoption of technology makes things more efficient and convenient. It also exposes us to cybercriminals who want something from us.  

To remain safe and compliant, technology is employed to help fulfill certain obligations of the PDPA. They serve as controls to provide protection, alert, and audit trails for documentation purposes. Hence, an information security policy is necessary to augment personal data protection practices within the organisation. 

Step 5 – Develop a Data Protection Program

Without a program to back them up, policies are just text on paper.

A personal data protection program should detail tasks to be done to ensure compliance. Creating a data inventory, understanding data flow, and identifying owners are the baseline of any data protection program. Specific areas such as consent, notification, personal data request, handling of personal data, complaints, and data breaches need to be covered in the program.  Regular testing and rehearsals should be conducted whenever possible.  

Step 6 – Employee Awareness Training

To empower employees from becoming victims to defenders of the organisation, it is crucial for them to familiarize themselves with company policies and best practices. Hence, regular training and assessment need to be done to keep every employee on their toes. 

Step 7 – Regular Audit and Update

Finally, as new threats and new ways of working emerge, there will be changes in the way we do things. Hence, regular audits are necessary to fine-tune any process. New discoveries need to be updated in the respective policies to keep them current and relevant. Personal data regulations are not about to go away any time soon. In fact, its adoption by companies will increase. As companies become more aware of their obligations, they may require their business partners to implement PDPA-compliant policies and processes. Any failure to adopt such practices could result in a personal data breach on their end. The fallout may affect the companies that are the data controllers. This could lead to bad press, loss of revenue, and for some even their jobs. 

If you need help in any way on your data protection journey, do drop us a note.