Why You Should be Retraining Your Employees

24 Aug Why You Should be Retraining Your Employees

When faced with an employee who is under-performing on some tasks while shining in others, managers have a tough decision to make. Is it time to let that person go? 

There’s another choice: Consider offering new training.

An employee might have skills that could be great use and value to the company but are going unused or underutilized in their current position. Or they might have an interest in an area of the company other than where they’re working. 

Before letting a person go and having to fill a void while dealing with a hit to your retention numbers, it’s worth at least thinking about retraining the person instead. 

Here are some benefits to consider: 

1. Employees have more respect and work harder for employers who show they’re valued.

A recent study found that 73% of employees believe their company should invest in their training and skills, in no small part because those educational opportunities help the company in the long run. That same study found that nearly half of employees asked had no training opportunities provided by their company. An employee is less likely to leave and put their team at a disadvantage at a crucial time if they have opportunities they don’t have to leave to obtain. 

2. Build from within.

You may have an employee struggling with accounting but who is a social media wiz. Instead of firing the person for being incompatible with their position, shift things around. Move that person to your marketing team, have them take over your social media accounts, including LinkedIn and other professional pages, and tell your company’s story. Now the employee is more invested in the work they’re doing, your professional and social media pages will benefit, and it didn’t take a long hiring process to make the change. 

3. Create opportunities, not vacancies.

As mentioned above, the hiring process is long, complicated, and costly. First, there’s the loss of momentum and intelligence on a team, then there are the added work and cost efficiencies, and then there’s the need to train a new employee when the search is completed. If a current employee just needs a little extra guidance in his or her position and shows an interest and willingness to be retrained on the basics, you’re giving them the chance to recommit to the company. In contrast, the company recommits to its established team. It also sends a message to other employees that this is a compassionate place to work. 

There’s never a guarantee that a person who looks great on paper will be a perfect fit in reality. But if faced with a tough decision, especially with an employee who has no disciplinary issues, it might be better to take a moment to consider your options. Skills can be taught and refined; losing an employee and developing a reputation as a place where workers are burned out and replaced and not supported is a lot harder to fix. 

Reach out to LeadingEdge Personnel

If you find yourself in a tight spot and you’re not sure what to do, contact LeadingEdge. We’re ready to help sort through your personnel issues or, if the time comes, help you find great new employees that will make things right. Contact LeadingEdge today, and let’s get to work.