By Brenda LaMarche / Guest Column
Employee retention is always at top of mind for any employer. It is important to think about what employees want and need in order to stay and grow with your company. If you don’t already have a well-developed training program, you can boost retention and productivity by developing one for your team.
The “Workforce of the Future” study by PwC showed that employees find “opportunities for career progression” and “excellent training/development programs” to be among the top three factors that make a company attractive. Training makes employees feel valued, as well as more competent and confident. Untrained employees can flounder until they lose interest and move on. For long-term employees, training keeps them up to date on trends and skills, which facilitates innovation and employee engagement.
What happens when you don’t train employees? Most employees like to have a sense of pride and confidence in their work. They want to get ahead in their careers, but they cannot succeed if they don’t have proper training. A lack of training often produces low morale and can result in higher turnover.
Another effect of not training is low productivity. When workers lack confidence, they may spend too much time figuring out solutions. It is not enough to rely on employees to ask questions about what they don’t know.
Performance and skills gaps can lead to unsafe working environments and product quality issues. According to OSHA, untrained workers are more susceptible to on-the-job injuries, which end up costing companies billions of dollars annually. With poorly trained employees, poor-quality products and services often result in an unrecoverable loss of customers.
Hiring managers and human resources professionals know that training and retaining existing employees costs less than hiring new employees. Hiring a new worker can cost up to 30 percent of the job’s salary, and we all know how frustrating and time consuming it can be to find qualified candidates.
Today’s training programs can be more tailored to employee and business needs than the week-long conferences or eight-hour lectures of the past. Longer formats may still be required in some instances, but shorter, online courses may be available. They are often just as effective and less demanding of employees’ time.
Managers should also be well-trained, as employees sense ineffective leadership and lose respect. Under poorly trained managers, motivated employees will move on to another company to find the opportunities and leadership they seek.
It’s clear that employers are better off developing a strong, ongoing training program. Putting some effort into creating a culture of learning will help make training second nature. Many companies lack continuity in their training programs, which stop after a few months. Longer-term investments in training help encourage employees to stay with your company for the long haul. Remember, it makes them feel important, confident and part of the team.
Consider encouraging employees to get involved in training by allowing them to choose topics. You can also help them nurture relationships through mentorship programs. Mentoring can keep employees at multiple levels engaged over time. You can also learn quite a bit from mentors about the younger generation of workers.
When you’re ready to begin or enhance a training program, consider outsourcing the training – and always check legal requirements. An experienced training firm can save you money and will know the state laws that will keep your company in compliance. Many training vendors provide video-based courses that easily fit into employees’ schedules.
To ensure long-term employees remain current with changing processes and procedures, take the time to assess your training programs and their effectiveness in developing productive, happy employees.
Brenda LaMarche is the president and founder of BRL HR Consulting, based in Coralville.
