According to the latest Gallup poll, only 32.1% of employees are engaged at work. The rest are only partially engaged, or are fully disengaged. What does this mean for you as a business owner, and what can you do to re-engage and retain those employees who are merely “going through the motions”?
As we continue to emerge from the economic downturn, many employees are taking stock of their jobs and their companies and what they want for their professional future. The “be happy you have a job” mantra is waning as more opportunities become available, and many skilled employees are feeling the pull to move elsewhere. It’s time for you, the employer, to put together a strategy to keep your top talent.
One of the key factors that contributes to employee engagement is the opportunity for learning and development. Employees want to improve their skills and knowledge, and need to feel they are making progress on their career path. For smaller companies, especially when times are hard, training opportunities often get moved to the back burner or eliminated altogether. Either there’s no budget, or workers are maxed out and there’s “no time.” In either case, it’s a huge disservice to both employees and the company. Employees become stale, bored and disengaged; companies are not prepared for opportunities that require new skill sets, or turnover that reduces company mindshare.
Let’s look at these reasons (excuses) for not doing training one by one.
Lack of budget. Learning isn’t limited to a paid instructor in a classroom setting. Consider a program where employees cross-train each other. Not only will the “trainee” learn new skills and knowledge, the “trainer” will improve in their job by having to teach it to someone else. And they’ll develop and improve a variety of ancillary skills – leadership, teaching, organization, communication. Something else to consider are the myriad free and low cost online courses available on a variety of topics. Or, identify employees who are particularly skilled in an area and give them the opportunity to share that knowledge. Create a mentoring program or identify individuals who can coach others in areas where they’re struggling or want to develop. Begin, of course, by understanding the skills and competencies necessary to achieve both company goals and individual career goals, and then build your program around that understanding.
Lack of time. Learning is a process, not an event. As companies have evolved into doing more with fewer resources, the time allotted for training activities has shrunk proportionately. In many cases disappeared. It’s time for a paradigm shift. Recognize that the time spent in learning activities – whatever those may be – is an investment in the growth of the company and in the growth and satisfaction (Engagement! Retention!) of employees.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin