Retaining employees is often much more than offering salaries and benefits. Human Resource management has to build strategies to ensure that employees stay loyal and maintain growth in their performance. Team-building exercises, positive onboarding, employee recognition, and creating a sound work culture are crucial steps of employee retention.
There is another tool that has proved to be the most effective way to retain employees. Efficient training programs can ensure that talented employees do not leave the enterprise.
There can be several factors that can lead to high attrition rates in a company. Poor training is one of the foremost reasons why employees leave their jobs soon after recruitment. It is especially applicable for Millennials and Generation Z members, who wish to learn the skills and knowledge required to survive in this technology-driven world.
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Some of the other factors that lead to higher attrition rates are:
- Lack of growth opportunities
- The unpleasant work culture at the enterprise
- Toxic supervision and management
- Excessive work pressure and stress
A survey conducted by Udemy in 2018 revealed that almost 42% of Millennials consider training and development crucial benefits while searching for a new job. The only priority that surpasses employment training is health insurance when it comes to employment preferences.
So how can the HR management use employee training to retain employees?
Positive Onboarding Process
Most HR managers have noticed that employees wish to receive relevant training related to their job role from the first day. The enterprises that provide positive training during the onboarding process noticed that the employees are more eager to start working.
Most new employees wish to review the company policies and receive on-the-job training during the onboarding process. In comparison, fewer employees want to participate in a company tour or work with a mentor/buddy.
Therefore, enterprises aiming for better employee retention should have a formal onboarding procedure, including training that instills a strong learning culture. That way, the employees will recognize the company as one that supports learning and development from the beginning and prefer to stay with the company longer.
Training for Growth Opportunities
Enterprise leaderships need to have effective succession planning for their employees. Yet, most companies in the US do not make such plans for their workforce.
Succession planning is crucial for the development of high potential employees. Therefore, enterprises should have the right training programs in place for team members who show the willingness to work hard, take responsibilities, and gain expertise. It is especially applicable to prepare non-management employees for management positions, as it requires unique skill sets.
Efficient employee retention management at enterprises should create learning tracks for the workforce members who show the right signs of growth. It is true that not every employee is cut out for management positions. But if an enterprise announces these opportunities for everyone, it can work as an incentive for team members to progress better.
Some of the most effective training programs that improve employee retention at enterprises are:
- Offer training opportunities to high potential employees
- Encourage employees to engage in cross-departmental skill development
- Make adjustments for different learning styles
- Ensure equal availability of training content
Training for Positive Work Culture
Every enterprise should have a healthy culture of communication and sincerity at the workplace. Most HR managers do not realize that employees often need to be trained in these aspects. In fact, they should also include respectful communication and ways to achieve a good work-life balance in the training programs.
It may be surprising for many, but ethical behavior at the workplace is also a result of training. Most of these training methods are not role-specific, but they are crucial for a company’s employment and culture. An employee will notice that the enterprise and its management take these topics seriously. Therefore they will make efforts to embody these values and practices in the workplace culture.
Training the Trainers
Not every manager or supervisor is born with leadership qualities. That is why some companies have managers who act like dictators and often ignore the opinions of their subordinates. Other places may have managers who create situations of emergencies all the time, which can run the teams into the ground.
It is also noted that managers often pass their traits to their subordinates. So ideally, enterprises would want their managers to pass on confidence, efficiency, and organizational skills to the team members. That is why it is necessary to train the managers and trainers.
Managers/trainers should be trained on employee communication, motivation, and methods to reduce stress. They can also be trained to delegate work successfully and empower deserving team members who make a difference. These training sessions will increase retention for managers as well as their subordinates.
Employee training offers several benefits for better workforce retention. It sends a message to the employees that the enterprise management cares about their well-being. Training sessions also reduce the stress and make the workforce willing to work harder. Therefore, these crucial aspects that link employee training and retention should be the focus of every enterprise and its HR management.
