During a conference presentation, I asked the audience members what they did to help their employees grow within the organization. One woman raised her hand and shared that her company gave each worker $1,500 per year to invest in whatever personal or professional development they wanted.
You could hear the collective gasp, as one woman uttered out loud what everyone else was thinking, “We have 500 employees. We don’t have that kind of money laying around.” I asked the first woman, “How many of your staff take advantage of this offer?” She said, “About 3-5% of them.”
It reminds me of the old HR cartoon when the CFO and the HR manager are talking. The CFO says, “Well, what if we invest all this money in training our employees and they leave?” To which the HR manager replies, “Yes, but what if we don’t train them – and they stay?”
Who do you want to stay with your company?
Action Ideas:
- Survey your employees to see what topics are of most the interest to them.
- Make sure you present training opportunities as an investment in the employee, and not a punishment.
- Offer lunch and learning sessions, so everyone is in on the discussion.
To get this and 97 other ideas on Manufacturing Engagement, please check out Lisa Ryan’s book, “Manufacturing Engagement: 98 Proven Strategies to Attract and Retain Your Industry’s Top Talent“
