04/ 02/ 2008
by Karen J. Bannan
Experts reveal that education is the key to employee retention
An employee may come to work for you because of the salary or the possibilities associated with working at a smaller firm--the sense of ownership it offers, for example. But they stay put only if they feel like they are being professionally nurtured.
"Generally, career advancement is one of the top two or three things employees say when they are asked why they stay with a company," explains Adam Sorensen, global practice leader with WorldatWork, a nonprofit human resources association. "They'll ask, ‘Am I getting the training and employee development that helps me move up in my position?' They stay when the answer is yes."
Matt Plaskoff sees this playing out every day at his company, One Week Bath Inc., a Gardena, Calif.-based contracting and construction firm. Plaskoff, the company's founder and chief executive officer, says educating his employees is one of the most important things he does--and one of the reasons he has very low employee turnover.
Plaskoff's company, which designs and installs new bathrooms in a week or less, has 30 people on staff--a combination of sales and production people. All of them receive extensive training. To land a production job at One Week Bath, applicants go through a three-week training process that starts with a hands-on workshop to teach them the mechanics of installing plumbing and other materials. They ride along with a crew during their second week. The third week they build a bathroom from scratch in the company's warehouse. About 15 people enroll in each class; Plaskoff holds classes when he needs to add another crew. Only about four graduate, he says. And training doesn't end once they are full-time employees.
"Suppliers come in and give us early-morning breakfast training about new products," he says. "Some of the suppliers offer online education. Adults, I think, learn by doing. Talking at people just isn't right. They need to role-play and get hands-on, whether it's learning about time management or learning about a new bath product."
Edith Onderick-Harvey, president of Andover, Mass.-based Change Dynamics Consulting, agrees. "Some of the best ways to train your team are outside the classroom," she says. "Retention of classroom training is only about 10 percent after six months; action learning that occurs on the job reaps far greater benefits--not to mention at far less of an expense."
Onderick-Harvey suggests peer training, much like the kind that goes on at One Week Bath, where seasoned employees train fellow staff members. Mentoring is another smart tool, she says. And you're not out of luck if you don't have the resources or the time to run your own training programs. Courses at local colleges, professional societies and trade associations can be beneficial, too, she says.
"With the current economic uncertainty, the need to develop skills and keep your team sharp is greater than ever."
