Reducing Turnover Through Employee Training

Businesses frequently have to battle turnover, adopting initiatives and changing processes to ensure employees are less likely to leave the company for another. Fortune 500 corporations and small businesses alike have to face this common foe, and several have spent significant time and money to lower turnover rates in the company.

Although there are many different ways to reduce turnover in a business, many executives have turned to increased training efforts, as they have been linked to stronger employee commitment and decreased instances of workers leaving. Companies looking for ways to boost the effectiveness of the programs currently in place – such as through the use of online training software – should consider the following ways these initiatives can affect employee satisfaction in the workplace.

Investing in workers’ futures
Adopting training programs, outside of those commonly used for teaching policies and processes to new hires, is one of the best ways to not only ensure professional development among staff members, but also tangibly show workers that you care about their futures. The Harvard Business Review reported that training programs that focus on further building upon employees’ job skills are most likely to inspire workers to stay with the company. The source noted that initiatives that develop people’s interests and professional desires can also improve productivity and work ethic among workers.

Employees who receive this type of training feel as though their companies have placed value in them, leading to a further investment in their futures, the Houston Chronicle reported. When workers are shown that their executive leaders have taken a specific interest in developing their skills and professional acumen through online training development software, they are more likely to feel a personal connection to the business.

Creating more learning opportunities
In addition to the skills training that may help employees’ performance in one specific profession, executives have started looking to additional programs, using learning management systems, to further build knowledge in a vast array of topics. Massive open online courses, for example, have risen in popularity among businesses, as workers have a chance to learn more about their favorite subjects and test their academic skills. Creating opportunities solely meant to educate employees is equally as effective at reducing turnover, according to a case study compiled by the University of Rhode Island.

The case compared results from a number of academic studies, discovering the undeniable impact of educational training in the workplace. One piece, conducted by the Employer Opportunity Pilot Project and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, discovered that agencies that delivered training programs that encompassed a variety of learning opportunities were more likely to produce employees who felt as though they gained from the initiative. The study went on to explain that these workers were not only more likely to benefit from these programs, but also report a greater commitment to their companies.

Ensure your company isn’t just blowing smoke
Implementing e-learning can lead to reduced turnover, but it must be done correctly to see positive results, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Businesses must choose programs that will benefit their workers, as these initiatives are linked to lower rates of turnover in the office. Researchers from the University of Iowa, Arizona State University and University of Illinois-Chicago surveyed hundreds of employees and executives, asking about training programs currently in place. Workers who described initiatives that were geared toward developing skills – either professional or academic – were more committed to the company than those whose training programs offered little tangible rewards to employees.