The study showed that companies with trained staffs had a decrease in unscheduled server downtime, and an increase in the efficiency and productivity of IS functions. Training lets employees increase their skills and gives employers a more skilled workforce. It s true that well-trained employees will be more appealing targets for recruiters, but most managers and employees say the increase in job satisfaction and productivity is worth the risk. The danger is that, as you train them, people will get that much better at what they do and then go elsewhere. But for the extra value these employees bring to their jobs even if they do move on most employers would take that bet any day.
Many companies consider ongoing training programs to be an important employee retention tool.
A September 1999 poll conducted by The Gallup Organization in Princeton, N.J., shows that the turnover rate at companies offering fewer than five days of training per person is more than twice that of companies that offer more extensive programs. With all the talk about salaries, bonuses and raises, it s easy to forget that money is rarely the primary reason people take or leave a job. The poll revealed that employees between the ages of 16 and 32 were more likely to stay with companies that invested in employee training. The numbers actually show that employee training helps increase employee retention. Ninety-two percent of the 316 respondents in a recent survey listed training as a top retention incentive.