A study on the impact of training on employee performance in a multi-purpose cooperative society in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Training and development of employees is crucial for improving performance and productivity. A trained and developed workforce is increasingly important in today‘s work environment. Training is a crucial method of developing human resources and enhancing knowledge, skills and attitudes in an employee. The problems and challenges the Multi-Purpose Co-operative Societies (MPCSs) in Sri Lanka face today are numerous. The researchers found out that the problems and challenges faced by MPCS include their inability to adapt and make changes to face the challenges posed by the open economy system, under-developed work-force, lack of expertise in the co-operative movement, and not enough emphasis being placed on developing the leaders of tomorrow. To overcome these issues and to face today‘s competitive business environment with confidence, MPCSs should have a well-trained and a highly motivated workforce. To achieve this objective, MPCSs should provide effective training to their employees. Therefore, this research focused on studying the impact of training on employee performance in a MPCS in Sri Lanka. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected via a structured questionnaire, formal interviews, observation and analysis by means of Statistical Package for Social Scientist (SPSS), and content analysis. The study was limited to employees of MPCS. The sample of the study was 50 respondents. The Convenient sampling technique was used to select a sample of 50 employees due to the social distancing policy to overcome the risk of the spread of COVID-19. With the findings analyzed, we were able to arrive at the conclusion that training facilities had a direct positive impact on employee performance of the Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society. We also found that the training policy, training methods and the time spent on training had no impact on employee performance.