Ever have an employee you were so eager to have on your team only to have them leave months later for a better opportunity to further their career? To fill their gaping hole in the team, you’ll need to go through several more rounds of interviews to once again find that right person for their right role.

One thing every employer, every supervisor or every “boss” worries about, but does not necessarily know exactly what to do about is employee retention.

In other words, when our company is blessed with a great employee, how does the company keep that employee?

A previous blog article noted how career development is a critical piece to employee retention. People want to be heard and appreciated in their roles. They want opportunities to grow in their career. Organizations that care often see better results. In fact,

For decades, organizations that have invested in developing their people also experienced higher market shares and lower turnover than competitors. Despite the positive data to support career development, many organizations continue to fall short.

The good news is that with a little more focus on helping people develop their careers, organizations can reduce turnover. Fears that investing in an employee and then having them leave the organization is one of the most common excuses for not offering training or other development opportunities.

The truth is that people will leave anyway, to find an organization that offers them opportunity. Having a well-trained and engaged workforce does not happen without an emphasis on career development.

To keep good employees, you must invest in them.

But effective employee training and retention starts even before an employee gets their name badge or cubicle.

THE HIRING PROCESS

Establishing a process for employee training and retention that benefits both the company and the employee really begins with the hiring process.

In addition to reviewing their resume, accomplishments and work experiences, there are other important questions to consider. These additional questions focus around three keys that give a glimpse of what you can expect from this potential employee. These keys include knowledge, skills and ethics:

  • Knowledge: Does the potential employee have the requisite knowledge required for the job or career?
  • Skills: Do his or her skills match what our company needs in this position
  • Ethics: Does she or he exemplify the Christian virtues and ethics that are fundamental to our company’s purpose and mission?

These three keys of having the required intellectual abilities, being equipped with the right skills for the position and maintaining ethical standards contribute to the potential of encouraging the employee to grow professionally and successfully.

The hiring process gives you a first taste of what to expect if you were to hire a potential candidate.

IN EMPLOYEE TRAINING

You’ve made it through the hiring process and focused screenings—and both you and the employee breath a sigh of relief.

The next step is to continue that “screening” process through ongoing employee engagement.

Employee engagement can look different based on the type of your organization, but generally, these programs focus on empowering your employees to succeed and be the best they can be.

This includes pertinent training programs—required annually—as well as face-to-face interactions with employees. In these interactions, you continually are looking for the qualities of knowledge, skills and ethics as each relates to the employee’s success at his or her career.

A vital part of this ongoing “assessment” is to make certain the employee’s personal and professional dreams and goals are being addressed. Noticing what drives and inspires employees is highly beneficial to the company. Employees want to be heard and appreciated. Company leaders should be asking questions such as:

  • Is our company paying attention to what drives this employee?
  • What keeps him/her focused and satisfied at his/her job?
  • What can our company do differently to help realize this employee’s dreams and goals?

Retaining employees takes effort in training and engagement programs. Yet in the end, you not only grow in cost-effectiveness but will create a better work environment for you and your treasured employees.