So much turnover, How to improve our training process?

[John C. Abnet]

Good day @pammesue;
I hope you've been well.
I will affirm the other comments listed here as well as suggest looking for ways that your organization can be "set apart" from the competing job market in an area of such low unemployment. I have watched the work force change significantly in the course of my career. We must recognize that this change is not bad, it's simply change, and we must change with it. Associates are no longer as willing to be "locked down" in a building to acquire a paycheck. They can get that anywhere, and for $0.25 more, they will.
The current generations value their time, value connections to family and friends, value a way to impact the world around them. Look at what the competing job markets are doing and then do different. ATM in the breakroom? On site or subsidized child care? Four day work week?
If these "drastic" measures aren't supported, then look for ways to give associates a purpose and not just a task. How can they be included in planning sessions? How can they be included in community service projects and outreach?
None of these come without time and expense, but if one quantifies the time and expense of turnover, loss of experienced workforce, etc..., it becomes a return on investment that can be supported.
Be well.

 

[Mike S.]

Yeah, your problem is not training, it is the hiring process.

What the job entails should never come as a surprise to the employee; if it is gonna be hot and physical work they should be hearing, seeing, and feeling that during the interview process.

By all means ask those leaving why they are leaving, even if you gotta induce them (gift card, etc.) to get them to bother, and then do your best to actually address those issues, or else things will not change.

But to some degree you can get people to do hot, physical work. Farmers, steelworkers, landscapers, construction workers, military folks, and others. You gotta find the combination of things needed to make the job appealing enough for people to wanna stay, and only 1 part of that is pay.

 

[JeantheBigone]

I'm probably not too far from you, and while we don't have a huge turnover problem, we have a hard time finding qualified employees. Of course, the concept was to put a manufacturing facility in the middle of nowhere where there is nothing but a captive, uneducated workforce that cares more about huntin' and fishin' than work.

If the problem is the physical conditions, how is training going to help? Is there some other issue? Some have mentioned pay and benefits, but the company I work for provides pay and benefits second to none for 50 miles around and people are still openly discussing leaving in the hallways. The real issue is management and an atmosphere of throwing co-workers under the bus. If people don't feel appreciated and valued, they will leave sooner or later. No amount of training will fix that.

 

[ScottK]

It kind of seems to me that you should do a cost analysis of the turnover - recruiting costs, training costs, production loss, reject rate - and see if that can rationalize the cost of making the work environment more bearable (installing AC or better air flow).

Based on the limited information here I'd sat the training is more needed for management than for the shop floor employees.

Look at Maslow's hierarchy - you need to take care of the physical needs - i.e. environment, pay, safety, comfort, before you take on the psychological needs (training and advancement).

What are your exit interviews telling you... when people stick around long enough to talk?

 

[Marc]

I have added a poll to this discussion because of the varied opinions on causes of employee turnover.

The Original Post asks in what way Training can help reduce employee turnover and it appears few people see any connection. Do you?

 

[hogheavenfarm]

I agree a big cause is company culture. This is something the employee does not really see until they have been there for a time. In my experience, I think something employees are attracted to, is a company that acknowledges they exist and takes the time to thank them for well done jobs. I have seen that one thing prevail over all else, even pay. People need to feel valued. If you feel like a (replaceable) cog in a wheel, you will be.

 

[John C. Abnet]

Thanks for initiating the poll Marc. According to Forbes magazine (and consistent with other polls I have seen over the years)...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobm...r-on-the-job-employee-happiness/#4774ff065afa
Several other studies have also emerged around what employees care about at work but the most recent one from Boston Consulting Group which surveyed over 200,000 people around the world is one of the most comprehensive. Unlike previous studies which may point to flexibility or salary as the top factor for job happiness, BCG found that the #1 factor for employee happiness on the job is get appreciated for their work!

The top 10 factors are:

Appreciation for your work
Good relationships with colleagues
Good work-life balance
Good relationships with superiors
Company's financial stability
Learning and career development
Job security
Attractive fixed salary
Interesting job content
Company values
BCG grouped their 26 factors (in their full report) in several categories and the top ones were "work environment" or "job content and opportunities."

I have BOLDED the ones that my experiences have shown as key.

Be well.

 

[Ninja]

Wow...tempted to choose all of them EXCEPT for training.
...and so many (unavoidably) overlap...
Healthcare Benefit = Wages (in my view)
Advancement = more wages
Location and pay have historically been the largest factors for me...with first shift being a sine qua non.

 

[AndyN]

Isn't "Advancement" more or less the same as "Career Development"?

 

[Marc]

Isn't "Advancement" more or less the same as "Career Development"?

Well, the poll is set so... As I did the poll, I was thinking of people I knew and things I had seen and was thinking of them this way:

Advancement: Ascent in a company in a specific department and/or skill set.

Career Development: Cross training in various different departments, different skill sets and different location(s), when applicable. E.g.: A friend who is retired from P&G was transferred over the years to many different P&G locations around the world and was trained for many different positions. He ended up in top management but I forget what his title was when he retired.

But yes - I'm sure some will see them as the same.