Member Article

Tea breaks or training?

Over a million UK employees spend more time with a cuppa than on work-based learning

Despite a productivity crisis in the UK*, over a million (1,064,598) of the UK’s employees are spending more time on tea breaks than on any form of work-based training, new research from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) has found.

The study found almost a third (30%) of staff (912,513) have never had any form of work-related finance training. Given this situation, nearly four in ten (38%) employees admit they search online to find out how to do their jobs better, in their own time.

The survey of 2,000 workers, half who are employees and half of whom are managers working in finance/accountancy-related roles, also found discrepancies between their attitudes towards training at work. A fifth of managers admit they think training their staff will only help them develop their own careers, not benefit their current role. Moreover, a quarter (27 per cent) believe training is good in principle, but disruptive in practice.

Yet, just one in 10 employees report they seek training to help them move jobs. The reality is almost three-quarters (72%) want to learn more at work to help them do their existing jobs better. Indeed, 46% of workers agreed training would make them more productive.

Whilst managers may be concerned that if they train staff they will leave, the data shows that not providing any training is a bigger risk to staff turnover: 66% of workers would move, or have already considered moving, to another job solely because it offered a better training programme. 50% employees would ask about training at their next job interview.

The AAT data also identifies a stigma around learning in some workplaces, with a third (33%) of employees believing that managers should make clear that training is not just for underperforming staff. This comes as one in six bosses admit they turn to training only for staff who are struggling to perform as required. Coupled with the other findings of the research this means 86% of employees would approach training differently to their current line manager.

Commenting on the findings Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of the Association of Accounting Technicians, said: “The majority of UK employees are spending a tiny percentage of their hours in work improving their skills and abilities through any form of formal training or accredited learning. With UK labour productivity falling at the fastest pace since 2008* there has never been a more important time to focus on helping our workers up-skill. Yet, there are fundamental differences in how employees and managers approach workplace learning, meaning workers are currently spending more time on tea breaks than training.

“At AAT we want to help employers and their staff to talk to each other about this issue, which is why we have created an online tool to help managers and their teams talk training in their tea break. After all, 71% of employees told us they’d like to talk to their manager more about their training needs. Found at http://youra.at/teabreaktest, this tool helps both bosses and their staff to navigate this issue, and all in the time it takes to make a cuppa.”

Despite the differences revealed in the data, one area that employees and their managers agree on is barriers to training: 92% agree that there are factors preventing more learning taking place in their companies. For both employers and employees time is the biggest barrier, followed by funding, finding the right training and then convincing employers it’s good for business. However, 75% of employees and even more employers - (80%) - concur that their company could afford to invest more in training needs.

The benefits of external training are also clear to bosses and staff: 70% of those polled agreed that it brings in new ideas to a team and business, whilst 46% think it is better planned and better delivered than any internal training.

Research carried out by Censuswide in April 2016 with 2,003 UK staff; 500 employees working in finance/ accounting jobs and 503 middle managers with responsibility for financial matters, from a range of company sizes.

-A representative UK survey of 2,000 people shows 5.8% of people currently work in finance / accountancy

-Based on the ONS figures for 16+ people across the UK, 52,443,290, 3,041,710 people currently working in finance

* Source: ONS, April 2016

About AAT

AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) is the UK’s leading qualification and professional body for vocational accountants, with over 130,000 members around the world. We offer a range of qualifications that are open to all regardless of previous qualifications or age, such as the AAT Accounting qualification which provides a non-degree route into chartered accountancy. Students encompass a wide range from school and college leavers undertaking apprenticeships, to older people hoping to change their career or learn the skills to run their own business.

An AAT Accountant is a qualified accounting professional with the practical and technical skills needed to support businesses with their accounting activities. Typical job roles of an AAT Accountant include: Financial Accountant, Commercial Analyst, Senior Finance Officer, Payroll Manager, VAT Accountant and Tax Supervisor. An AAT Accountant can sign off the accounts for companies up to the audit threshold, where a company does not have a turnover more than £6.5 million and its balance sheet total is not more than £3.26 million. The majority of businesses within the UK do not meet this threshold so currently over half a million businesses trust AAT Accountants to service their accounting requirements.

AAT awards around 90% of all vocational qualifications in accounting in the UK, and is sponsored by the professional accounting bodies CIPFA, ICAEW, CIMA, and ICAS.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Farrar, Chief Executive of the Association of Accounting Technicians .