The Gallup Organization has studied thousands of companies and surveyed millions of employees. Their research has shown that very few employees are engaged and that a relatively small increase in amount of engaged workers can reap great benefits for a company.

At lowest level, engaged employees help a company stay in business and at a higher level employees start thinking about how they can improve themselves. They can take some ownership over their job; and also over their own development. It starts people thinking in new and different ways about things they do.

Every job, no matter what it is, is done better and faster when those responsible for doing it are properly trained. In theory this sounds good. But in reality, small growing companies rarely have money in their operating budgets to cover training costs.

Job-related training whether for yourself or for your employees is expensive in short run. But in long run, not offering training often costs more. The good news is that job-related training no longer means traveling to expensive seminars and courses. A variety of affordable training tools is available today. Much of this training is available without leaving your desk.

Whether it’s learning to use software tools you purchased to run your business, or to stay abreast of ever-changing laws covering everything from sexual harassment to homeland security, you’ll find cost-effective training material suitable for your situation.

E-learning tools, computer based training, software tutorials, CD-ROMS, audio and video tapes, books and instructor-led training courses are some common training tools.

E-learning involves any type of training material that is delivered electronically. Whether delivered in a format readable by a computer or delivered via Internet, or via satellite, or via interactive television, e-learning is a cost-effective way to train.

Company Intranets are being used for employee training, complete with testing and progress tracking. This method gives small business owners complete control over content being taught. The training materials do need to be developed and maintained, but this initial investment of time is worth effort.