Training Them to Stay

No, GovEvents has not swerved into the land of dog training, instead, we're talking today about employee training. Everyone knows it is costly to recruit new talent. Keeping the talent you have not only saves money in terms of recruiting costs, but also keeps valuable knowledge within the company creating a consistency for customers and fellow employees that is priceless.

Providing great benefits and pay is an obvious retention strategy, but often it's not enough. The employees you want to keep - those that are motivated, engaged, and eager also share a key need - wanting to learn and be challenged. This is where a focus on training comes in.

As this article points out, bright employees want to know they can be successful. In addition to regular onboarding processes and presentations, think about including third party training in the first couple of weeks on the job. From webinars to off-site sessions, there are plenty of ways to use that ramp-up period to get new employees up to speed on industry best practices and/or the trends in your market.

Be sure the focus on keys-to-success goes beyond onboarding.  Work it into company meetings and even company social events. Have employees share their best practices and success stories after a big project is completed. Include these employees in customer-facing events as appropriate. This is a great way to recognize star performers and can also serve to motivate others looking to gain individual visibility.

Once team members feel they can succeed, they'll want to grow.  This is where professional development comes in. Whether it is designing training programs in your organization or making outside trainings (like those found on GovEvents.com) accessible to employees, it is critical to provide this opportunity for growth and learning.

A study reported in CIO Insight found that only half of employees who say they are "extremely likely to leave" a company felt their employer had invested in them. There is a feeling of obligation when employees can put a dollar amount or level of effort on the training provided by an employer. Subsidizing training is a key benefit for the "always looking to learn" employees we all want on our teams.

Many third-party trainings are offered free for government employees so even though there may not be an investment of dollars, there is still the investment of time and the feeling that employers took the time to find the right training for employees to succeed. Click to view the free events currently posted on GovEvents.

The same study referenced above found that organizations that commit to employee development experience higher engagement levels (67%), greater efficiencies (61%), and 30% lower turnover than those that do not have a formalized training and development program.

How about you? What training programs and practices have been critical in keeping talent in the organization?