When it comes to getting hold of your employees, bringing them up to speed and keeping them from jumping ship, they sometimes feel like completely separate concepts.
And, while that is the case, there is an underlying connection between the three. If employees are not properly equipped to do their job, they’re going to have difficulty engaging with it. And, if they get disengaged, they may feel they should be looking for opportunities elsewhere.
Lack of training essentially starts the chain reaction that ultimately leads to disengagement. A recent report from the CIPD revealed that only 18% of employers invest in some form of training. This needs to change. Employees don’t always come into the workplace up skilled and gift wrapped. Training may be considered an expense, but the use of training may dictate how well your employees cope with their job.
"Motivate them, train them, care about them and make winners out of them. We know if we treat our employees right, they'll treat our customers right. And if our customers are treated right, they'll come back." J.W Marriott
Now, obviously an employee is going to be focused on making sure they follow the job spec. But sometimes, that isn’t enough for employees. Sometimes, they want to go the extra mile. They may have skills untested in their line of work that they don’t feel they have the opportunity to try out.
A 2013 survey commissioned by the University of Kent revealed that 60% of employees are bored with their jobs because they aren’t given the chance to use their skill sets. By investing in opportunities for training and development, you’re not only giving them a wider palette to draw from, you’re giving them good reason to stay with your company.
And it’s not just your employees that will benefit from this investment, but your company. Research carried out by ORC International in 2016 revealed that 80% of engaged UK employees worked for high-performing organizations compared to 20% of employees working for low-performing companies.
Training, engaging and retaining employees may be a collective balancing act, but each one compliments the other in some way. And if you can get one right, the other factors will inevitably benefit. Done effectively, training will engage employees like never before. An employee who is encouraged to be the best they can be will feel valued for their contribution. A recent report "Emerging Workforce Study" found companies that don't train their staff are more than three times likely to loose them. With the war for talent at its peak, employee retention has fast become the major focus for employers.
There's no questioning that investing in training is key to enriching a company and ultimately improving employee engagement and retention. Of course, employers have a number of boxes to tick to ensure their employee experience is a great one. (Don't get us started). In fact, employee engagement has a number of rules. Download your free guide here.
The employee app allows businesses to share vital training content company wide. Better still, this information can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Whether it be a short 'how to' guide or a staff training video. The employee app is great way give all your employees access to 'training on the go.'
