The Powerful Relationship of Employee Development and Employee Retention
Employee Development Increases Employee Retention
We see it in the news every day. Businesses everywhere are having difficulty finding and retaining employees. It seems like employees are not willing to commit to any one business these days. What you may not realize is that employee development training programs are a great asset towards increasing employee retention.
Research shows that employee commitment to a company involves their investment, obligation, social identity in the company, and lack of alternatives. What does this have to do with training? Each of these commitment areas start with how much you’re willing to invest in your employees.
Employee Investment in the Company
The more an employee has invested towards a future pay off within a company, the more willing they are to stay with that employer. Training leads employees to feel more invested in the company, especially when employers pay for the training. These employees will have more performance awards and better attendance.
This process begins with pre-employment. If you prepare a potential employee for what to expect, they will be better prepared for their responsibilities, and you will have a better idea of their abilities. You can set up a pre-orientation program online to find those people who are most serious about working for your company.
Employee training as part of the orientation process helps them feel more secure in their new role. You want to make roles and duties clear, so they know what to expect and feel more comfortable. An employee who is unclear about their job is more likely to leave within the first 90 days.
Employees who start out prepared will feel like they have already invested and therefore feel more obligated to your company.
Employee Obligation to the Company
When employees feel like they owe something to their employer, they have stronger ties to that company. Continued skills training will make an employee feel like they owe you their time to payback for the knowledge they receive.
Employee development doesn’t stop at initial training. Continue to train them in ongoing job-related duties, and cross-train them in related roles. Help them build their skills so they can grow with your company.
If an employee feels you have invested in their growth, they will be more invested in your company. General training gives employees more a feeling of obligation than company-specific training, but either will help them feel like they have room to move forward with their career in your company.
Employee Social Identity in the Company
The more an employee becomes socially involved and accepted within a company, the longer they are likely to stay. Training should help employees identify with the company so they can feel included. Your employee development program needs to have support from management and coworkers to have the best effect.
Yes, employee development training makes them employable in other companies, but it also makes them better employees for you. Plus, it is an incentive to keep them with you. You will give them a clear vision of how they will continue to fit in and connect with the company.
Make sure leadership is aware of their role in employee retention. Help managers be better leaders. Train them in tips to help reduce employee turnover so they can be part of the business and career development process.
Employee Commitment to the Company
When an employee feels they have few alternatives, they have a stronger commitment to your company. This is where company-specific training is helpful. The more skills they acquire that relate to a specific company, the more they will attach themselves to that company.
This training also helps employees adapt quickly to any changes that occur. Employees are better able to handle these changes when they have been consistently trained in the needs of the company.
The training you provide for employees should also be job-specific, so they develop a commitment to their role within the company. This doesn’t mean leaving no room for growth. It means preparing employees for the long-haul with your company.
General vs Specific Training
Many employers want to focus on company-specific training as they believe this reduces the chance of employee turnover. These employers feel that the more specific the training, the less transferable those skills are.
Employees prefer general training that is easily transferable in an industry. This general training gives them more a feeling of development and growth. You can’t really separate general and specific training though.
Even with company-specific training, employees will learn general skills that can serve them anywhere they go. The best results for employee development training comes from a balance of general and specific. You need to understand this balance though, and help employees understand the balance.
This balance will help employees see that you place value in them. General career development shows them you want them to grow, and company-specific training shows they are an integral part of the team.
Implementing an Employee Development Program
Before you get started with a training plan, you need to determine what the company wants to achieve with the training program. Take time to measure what areas you need to focus on for the company, departments, and employees so you provide valuable resources. Make sure training is relevant to the needs of both the company and the employees.
To get the most out of any employee development program, you need to make sure the employees are involved. They need to put in the effort to reap any benefits for them or your company. You need to have support to implement an effective training program. Communication about the relevancy and benefit of employee development training is essential.
Make Training Easy for Everyone
To develop the best training program for your company, you need to combine the four key areas of employee retention into the entire process. You also want to make training easy for everyone to participate. This requires having the right training tools in place.
A good place to start is an online learning platform, like Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, that allows you to set up employee development training that’s simple to access and simple to use. Our platform has no learning curve, so it is easier to get everyone on board. Request a demo to see how you can increase employee performance without disrupting workflows.
