By Rieva Lesonsky
Many small business owners are reluctant to provide their employees with job training beyond the basics that are needed. Why? Because they’re worried that, after they invest a lot of money in training and educating an employee, that person will use their newfound skills not to benefit the business, but to leave for a higher-paying job the first chance they get.
Various studies have shown this isn’t the case. But one recent study, reported by BNET columnist Mark Henricks, sheds some new light on the best ways to train employees and at the same time, reduce your fear of turnover.
The study, “Antecedents and outcomes of organizational support for development: The critical role of career opportunities” was conducted by researchers at the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois-Chicago, and published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
Based on interviews with employees at Fortune 500 companies, the researchers found that training programs, mentoring opportunities and related advancement tools helped employees feel better about their employer. They found that employees who received training performed better at their jobs. And they also found employees who received training were less likely to leave their employers voluntarily.
However, there’s one crucial “but”: When employees who got training didn’t have the chance to advance at their companies, not only did training actually hurt their performance, but it also made them more likely to leave their jobs for another employer.
Henricks notes that although this study focused on large companies, it might have even more lessons for small business owners since “being smaller and flatter, with fewer levels of hierarchy, they are inherently less likely to be able to offer employees promotions.”
It only makes sense that an employee who’s eager and ready to use the new skills he or she has learned would get frustrated and even resentful if there’s no chance to implement the new knowledge. That inevitably leads to lower performance and even a job hunt.
What’s the takeaway? Don’t stop providing your employees with opportunities to improve and grow. But do make sure, before you provide training, that you have some way for them to actually use what they learn to advance in your business—whether it’s by taking on new responsibilities, earning a new job title or getting a hefty promotion.
Image by Flickr user Dennis Crowley (Creative Commons)
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