We’re in the midst of a unique employee marketplace right now. Skilled and talented employees are hard to come by, and when employers do discover a great employee there’s a constant worry they’ll lose them to a better opportunity.
While Baby Boomer-era employees were more likely to stay with one company for decades during the course of their career, this isn’t the case with Millennials. Millennials are more likely always to be on the lookout for new opportunities, unafraid of change and willing to make the jump if a better opportunity comes along.
That’s why retention has become such a big focus for employers.
One of the best ways to retain employees is to train them. With the growth of learning management systems (LMS), employers have exciting and engaging tools at their disposal to continually train and develop their best and brightest. This leads to a reduction in their turnover and an increase in the likelihood they’ll be able to hold on to their top talent.
When you’re working on a plan to train and retain employees, consider the following:
Create a Culture of Learning
If you want to keep your employees focused on development and build their loyalty to your organization it has to start from the moment they enter your business. Cultivate a culture that focuses and thrives on employee learning and development to show great employees that you’re dedicated to helping them grow within your organization.
A culture of learning begins at the top with C-suite executives. Get everyone on board by showing them the monetary value of not only training and developing employees, but also retaining top talent.
Focus on Holistic Training
You’ll be better able to build employee loyalty if you train them not only on specific skills and competencies but also more overarching concepts as well, such as company values and mission.
Training in areas like the ones listed above is going to help employees feel more connected, part of something larger and more likely to stick around as a result.
Learn About Your Employees
It’s important to not only think about your organizations’ needs when you are training for retaining.
You need to put your superstar employees in the spotlight. Learn their interests, where they’d like to go with their careers and what’s motivating to them. Incorporate these personalized and individualized aspects into their online training.
Build a Connection Between Strategic Goals
Be completely clear to your employees as to why you’re training them in certain areas. Demonstrate how this connects to your larger company goals.
This will not only make training resonate with them more effectively, but it will also show them that you see them as part of your business over the long-term.
Incorporate Recognition Into Training
Employees want to be recognized for their efforts, and this certainly holds true for training as well.
Throughout the training and development process recognize your high-performing employees and create standards for rewarding them.
Using a learning management system simplifies this process because you’re able to automatically track progress and receive reports regarding employee training.
Position Training As a Reward
One final tip for training to retain is to create the idea that training and development are a reward for employees who have shown promise and strong performance.
Show employees that they’ve been selected for certain training programs for past performance, and that they’re also positioning themselves for career growth by undertaking new training opportunities.
How do you focus your training on retaining?