Back to School
What’s the game plan when doling out raises
isn’t in the budget or even an optimal way to
keep employees engaged? One way to give
back to critical workers is to invest in training
—a move that improves their skill sets and
rewards their hard work, while at the same
time, providing a boost to the business.
Creating a culture where training is
viewed as a privilege earned—not as an
annoying requirement—is one way to build
a retention strategy to motivate key employees. “Once people get
to a certain point and have a certain tenure in an organization,
the value of compensation conceptually decreases,” explains
Bob Hoffman, president of ORBOB Consulting Inc., an organization
effectiveness and learning consultant in Las Vegas. “Companies
need to find other ways of retention, and helping people learn new
skills can be one of those.”
Mandating training of employees—whether it’s on new computer
skills or new ways of customer service—is a bad idea, according to
Hoffman. If people inherently have no interest in the topic or are at
all resistant to what’s at play, they are likely to not come away with
any real results.
To get the most value out of training investments,
Hoffman and other training experts recommend
small-business owners consider the following:
- Open-door policy. In many small companies,
who gets to go to what training is more
related to who’s closest to the person commanding
the purse strings rather than what
makes the most sense to the business. By
communicating why someone is getting specific
kinds of training, small-business owners
can create an environment whereby all
employees are encouraged to make the case
for the training they desire in a way that best benefits the business.
- Get creative with resources. Training employees doesn’t have to
mean forking over hundreds, even thousands of dollars, for them to
attend seminars or workshops. Courseware constitutes only about
20% of what can be described as employee development, Hoffman
says. He advises small-business owners to consider other avenues
for enhancing employees’ skills, such as job swapping, outside
volunteer work, or special projects.
- Surf the Web. There are hundreds of training resources on the
Web that can be leveraged for little to no cost. The trick is to be
discriminating and find options that fit your business strategies
and tactics.
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