STAFFING RESOURCE CENTER

Much has been written about "the Great Resignation," a pandemic side-effect that saw many workers quitting jobs, seeking new opportunities, and shifting their priorities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 33 million Americans have voluntarily left their jobs since the spring of 2021.

The unprecedented communal circumstance of spending more time at home during Covid-19 shutdowns -- perhaps alongside other family members, while working remotely for the first time or on unexpected furlough -- provided an unusual opportunity for many people to think deeply about what they want from their work life.

The factors involved in this trend are many and extend beyond the most obvious, such as wage rates. One valuable point for business executives to note, now more than ever, is that people will leave companies that don't provide growth and development. Workplace training is an employer benefit that current staff values highly and candidates look for when job hunting. In a June 2021 survey, Gallup found not only that 57% of U.S. workers want to update their skills -- 48% of them would consider switching jobs in order to do so.

Too many great people leaving your company? Opti Staffing Group has solutions to help you minimize turnover -- keeping your best and brightest working for you.

How to Beat Turnover With Training

Companies that establish skills training programs improve worker satisfaction. Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon that provides cloud computing platforms, found that 84% of employers improved employee retention by investing in skill-building systems, which led to more competent employees and a more engaged and fulfilled staff. Upskilling your employees is an investment that will improve both retention and recruitment.

"For employers looking for an edge in 2022, investing in training and development could make the difference in competing in the war for talent," said Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive officer at the American Staffing Association. "Employees are looking to employers to provide the job training they need to elevate their careers . . . If an employer is not willing to train and upskill its workforce, those employees may begin to look for an employer that will."

In addition to better training workers to help them manage the changing needs of their current jobs, some companies offer professional development that's even broader in scope.

The Dollywood theme park received substantial media coverage in early 2022 for its decision to fully pay for the tuition, fees, and books of employees who choose to "continue to grow" by pursuing a college degree. Notably, they extended this program not only to their full-time staff but also part-time and seasonal employees. Dollywood is making this generous investment in their workforce despite potentially training some to move their career in an external direction.

A 2021 Amazon television commercial featured a warehouse associate, Ernesto, explaining that after helping two gravely ill family members, he felt called to work in healthcare. With this ad, Amazon chose to promote how they helped this staff member with tuition and training not to become a more accomplished Amazon employee, but to prepare to become a medical assistant and, eventually, a registered nurse. It was an unusual but timely recruitment tactic: come work for us because our company will actively develop your career, even if that leads you to work somewhere else.

These companies are demonstrating that they will help their workers build a gratifying career.

While it may seem contradictory to position upskilling beyond the job as a workplace benefit, people want to work for organizations that provide such training and development. An employer that actively provides occasion for growth will sustain a more satisfied staff, whether workers eventually follow their career path elsewhere or when they choose to grow within the company that nurtured them.

Amazon Web Services takes this approach. Through their Skill Builder program, they are giving twenty-nine million people across the globe free education to train in cloud computing and other tech-related skills.

Scott Barneson, director of learning products at AWS, explains why: "Employees want employers to support them as ongoing learners. When employees feel like the company is investing in their future success, they're more likely to stay. When they feel more capable of performing the job that is expected of them, it builds loyalty and confidence."

A Covid-inspired realization for many people was the need to improve their digital competence. As some employees transitioned to work-from-home part or all of the time, they may have been expected to quickly learn new mechanisms such as virtual meetings, digital file sharing and storing, teleconferencing, and cloud-based tools. They may have had to navigate such computing methods while also managing issues with cameras, printers, VPNs, and microphones.

The AWS study also showed that 85% of workers said they now need more digital skills to cope with changes in their jobs. But, two in three workers do not feel confident that they are gaining these skills quickly enough. Even more concerning, they may feel unsupported in the learning process. While 80% of employed U.S. adults identify an employer's professional development and training offerings as an important consideration when accepting a new job, only 39% say their current employer is helping them improve their existing skills or gain new skills to do their job better, according to the latest American Staffing Association Workforce Monitor® online survey conducted by The Harris Poll.

Train Your Team to Boost Retention

The disconnect between employees' desired development and employers' actual training is a retention red flag. If you're tired of turnover and ready to build a higher performance organization, the call to action is clear: educate, train, support and develop your employees. The result will be a skilled staff that wants to stay and work for you and a company that attracts enthusiastic candidates.

Struggling to recruit or keep great people? Offer greater work flex with solutions from Opti Staffing Group.