Train and Retain: Why Employee Training Matters

by | Sep 26, 2017 | Blog

  • Integrity HR

Have you ever seen a comic illustrating this old joke?

There’s typically a CFO shown worrying about over-investing in their employees, lamenting via speech bubble “what if we train them and they leave?” A wise CEO hovering nearby remarks, “what if we don’t and they stay?”

Cartoons, memes, and motivational posters aside, the jest hints at an important truth: training employees is crucial for a successful business.

Contrary to common fears, training employees doesn’t usher them out the door. Yes, training may prepare employees for employment outside your company, but it also prepares them for a better future working for you.

Ask yourself, what value will be added to my business if my workforce lacks the education and resources to excel in their roles? The answer is probably little to none.

Not only does training help increase the value of the employees you have on your team, it also increases the likelihood that you will retain the team members you’ve invested in.

Maximize Your Training Investment

So, what do you do if you recognize the importance of training your employees, but you fear the loss of time and treasure should they ever leave your business?

You can increase the likelihood that your employees will use the training they receive for your benefit by giving them opportunities to put what they’ve learned to immediate use and rewarding them when the new skills and extra effort pay off.

Prompt application of what they’ve learned will help solidify their knowledge, while the positive reinforcement will encourage continued use of the new skills.

Encourage Growth Through Training

Aside from developing practical skills and knowledge among employees that will contribute to your bottom line, training can be a way of building good professional relationships.

This goes for both team training and individual training. Training shows you trust your employees and that you’re committed to their career growth.

Be up front about this.

Tell them that you hope the training you provide to them gives them more opportunities within your organization, but also more opportunities in their overall career development and growth.

Then, involve your employees as much as possible in the future of your organization.

Your team members will be more likely to stay if they believe they have a place as your company grows, overcomes challenges, and prospers.

Increase Your Training Participation

What if you understand the advantages of training your employees and you’ve invested in an effective training program, but you struggle to get your employees to participate?

Motivate your employees by asking them for input on the type of professional and personal growth they would like to experience through your training program.

Employees will be more receptive to training if they’re involved in deciding where to focus their development.

Ask them what knowledge, skills, and abilities they would like to work on, then incorporate their feedback into your training program.

The training might pertain directly to their jobs or cover matters beyond their day-to-day work. Time management, injury prevention, and customer relations are popular training topics.

Track Your Training Success

Overall, an effective training program results in a better workplace. When your employees expand their knowledge, skills, and abilities, their performance, loyalty, and morale will increase too.

To maximize the ROI on your training program, it’s important to invest in an effective process for creating, monitoring, and tracking your employee training.

The Sapphire Learning Management System (LMS) is an online solution that allows you to easily create and host online training courses as well as live classroom trainings. With over 800 courses in the LMS training library, you won’t be short of options to engage and educate your employees.

Do you need a team of experts to help you with your employee training program? Are you interested in gaining a resource like the LMS for your business?

Give us a call at 877-753-0970 or check out our website to learn more about the Sapphire Learning Management System.

 

Download Our FREE Resources

A list of our useful HR resources