The value of employee training & how it can be an effective retention strategy
The most successful companies are those that have employees that are highly skilled and have high job satisfaction. These two aspects of a great workforce go hand in hand and job satisfaction comes as a result of a few steps that mostly comes down to skilling and empowering your employees. It makes sense that the longer a certain employee has been with your company, the better and more productive they will be. So, your job as the boss is in part to make the long-serving employee as happy and satisfied as you can so that they want to stay employed in your business. The other option is that said employee will eventually start looking for the so-called greener pastures. Leaving you with the project of acquiring new talent at great expense.
The opportunity to develop in your career is an important aspect for any new job seeker. Creating the opportunity to upskill and grow is an attractive incentive to entice new employees of the right calibre. The more skills in your basket the more equipped your workforce and individual employees are to take on and conquer new challenges. If you get this development strategy right, you will likely increase the odds of your employees staying happily employed with your company.
You could utilise one of many online learning platforms to achieve this goal. Two great options are the Upskillist B2B platform which provides over one hundred courses taught by subject matter experts and ranging from hobbies like cooking and baking, finance, and investing to tech and coding. The other option is Upskillist, a relatively new player in the market but they also offer over one hundred different courses that are high quality and full of the good stuff to soak into your brain. There is likely at least one course that every employee in your business would love to take. Have a look at both of these options unless you absolutely hate having satisfied and skilled employees. I am kidding, there are other options available but the two mentioned should get you going quickly enough.
So, let us have a look at how an effective training and development strategy is a fantastic way to retain those top-quality staff, as well as get those not-so-hot employees climbing the skills ladder too. You need to keep in mind that no one knows everything, and everyone has to start somewhere. Do not expect all your employees to be on the same level skill-wise. The whole purpose is to get everyone climbing the skills ladder together. You might be surprised by the change in the attitude of even the most otherwise of your employees when you show them you are interested in them and want them to be better.
Engagement.
Opportunities to learn new skills will empower your employees. Empowered employees are up to date with new subjects and methods in their fields. They have confidence because they have the skills. Empowered staff are engaged and want your business to do better and be the best. Empowerment gives a sense of pride and loyalty to their employer. It follows that empowered and engaged employees are much more likely to stay with your company for the long haul. Neat hey?
Streamlines the onboarding process.
Here is something you can put in place from the first day your new employee begins working for you. Onboarding comes at a cost, and this can be frustrating, and the costs compounded when your new employee leaves the job after months of you investing in onboarding them. Getting a development program merged into the onboarding program is one step you can put into practice immediately. When your new employee is aware of the opportunity to develop, the chances are you will get their buy-in from day one and as a result, said employee is likely to stick around for a long time. You should see the benefits of having skilled and engaged new employees in your company quite quickly. Remember engaged and empowered employees are more likely to help or get involved in solving new challenges with their unique quiver of skills.
Exposes your highest potential employees.
Let’s be real here for a minute. Not all your employees will be on the same level skill-wise. What these training programs will begin to show you, is which of your team is more likely to grow and become high-performing individuals. It is a wonderful position to be in to have a pool of top-performing employees to choose from when looking to fill positions where the said employee will receive a promotion. Offering incentives for cross-training or even just top-performing employees boosts morale and keeps the satisfaction flowing.
Job satisfaction.
Challenges that offer an opportunity to develop and grow are attractive to great employees. Not all your employees are going to want to better themselves but then you know who they are and can better use your training program to develop those that want to grow. Those that grow and tackle new skills are the employees that have the greatest job satisfaction. Contributing to the progress and success of the company provides the employee with a sense of pride and worth. Employees who feel this way are more motivated to contribute more and add more to push the success of your business. I mean, that in itself, is a win for any company. When your employees know you are investing in them, they are going to invest in your business. Precisely what we were going for, yeah?
Every company has a challenge with staff retention. Put in the time and investment to develop, empower and motivate your team, and the positive results will be seen in almost all aspects of your business from productivity to quality. Best of all you will have a team that is happy to be at work and offer their new skills when needed!
The truth is the grass is greener where you water it.