EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND RETENTION

Retaining walls work well until they don’t. Built for the norm, the exceptional 100- or 500-year rush of water may give a wall enough of a push to cause a breach. Periodically checked and fortified, even the best barriers fail.

Should you make the wall more rigid or relax the force of the wall by adding more drain holes? It’s an interesting structural problem, but not nearly as complicated to solve as employee retention.

In 2024 the prevailing notion that more is better comes directly from the federal government. Advice from entities such as the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA.gov) is to add as many employee incentive programs as possible.

Stock options, flex time, wellness programs, corporate memberships, and company events are among incentives recommended by SBA. Will they help to retain employees?

Or will they diminish the core purpose of the business?

We will get back to the two questions and the huge amount of theory that substitutes for direct answers in the next section. In that section, we also consider how important employee training is to retention.

First, however, we turn to a member of our industry who explains how employee retention can be realized. The achievement begins with “getting team members to buy into the company’s vision,” says Maxwell Baldwin, owner/director of operations at Whisper Wash in St. Petersburg, FL.

“When employees and employers are engaged and there is buy-in on both sides, retention really isn’t as big of an issue,” says Baldwin. That buy-in “boils down to care, commitment, and connection.”

Baldwin emphasizes the reciprocity required in understanding. It’s not easy to sort through everyone’s level of candor and intent, but it’s possible and necessary.

“It is imperative to get to the nuts and bolts of what each person needs,” says Baldwin. “When I think about retention in our team, I ask myself questions like, are there issues within our policy or our environment, is there a lack of connection between leadership and the warehouse, do they have the tools [and] resources they need to be successful, and am I supporting them in the right way? Is my asking these questions the best way to resolve issues?”

Being proactive is the way to bolster retention, says Baldwin. That means being “diligently engaged” and assessing team members individually instead of in a one-size-fits-all approach. An employer must realize the uniqueness of each individual on the team.

Employee training supports retention. And make that thoughtful and well-planned employee training, explains Baldwin.

“It’s easy to throw a video or manual at a new team member, but in my

FROM PROFIT-SHARING TO SOCIAL GATHERINGS,

THE LAY OF THE LAND IN 2024 IS THIS: EMPLOYERS USE EVERY IMAGINABLE WAY TO RETAIN EMPLOYEES. AMONG THE APPROACHES ARE EXTENDED OPTIONS TO WORK FROM HOME, IN-HOUSE CHILDCARE, AND LIBERAL LEAVE POLICIES. AN EMPLOYER WITH ENOUGH PROFIT TO SUPPORT EVER-MORE BENEFITS AND INCENTIVES MAY SEE MERIT IN FLEXIBILITY.

experience, training like that yields poor results,” says Baldwin. “It definitely generates more turnover.”

By putting effort into training, employers demonstrate their level of commitment to the business and the team. “Staying engaged and shoulderto-shoulder training are key elements to getting people to care and show them that you care,” explains Baldwin. “This leads to better commitment to the cause and retention.”

There’s a reason we describe the employees and employer in each workplace as a team—many people with different functions but all working toward the same goal. That’s definitely a team.

No baseball coach would add a new team member and send the person on the field without training. A player must know how he fits in. So must an employee.

“The due diligence aspect of hiring and retention is keeping engaged with them from day one,” says Baldwin. “Make sure you as leadership are doing what you can to keep them safe, happy, and paid.”

The process is active and ongoing, says Baldwin. It includes meaningful training that has clear expectations.

Baldwin’s company uses many different tools for training. And his leadership team seeks out the best in leadership techniques. He and the president of the company have taken Disney training courses focused on creating a team environment.

At weekly leadership meetings, Baldwin reviews books on techniques and information relevant to building a strong team. “I am currently working with our team through Jocko Willink’s Leadership Strategy and Tactics book,” he explains.

It only begins with tapping into the expertise of others. Baldwin’s company also constructs its own leadership training based on the continuous learning leadership undertakes.

Skilled Builders

Employers who successfully retain workers are skilled builders. They don’t skip over getting the foundation down correctly.

Mandatory training made so by federal, state, or local regulators is foundational to employment-specific training. (It’s the carefully carved out soil and leveled sand on which a retaining wall will be built.)

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA.gov) requires that employees who may encounter any hazards on the job receive training. At minimum, most new hires in our industry (even administrative staff) should take the 10-hour training program that enables employees to recognize, avoid, control, and prevent hazardous situations on the job.

Neither the 10-hour OSHA program nor the more extensive 30-hour program deals with specific OSHA standards (e.g., ladders, lifts). Both courses are available online.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also recommends that new hires be given employee training that will equip them to respond to an emergency. (See Ready.gov.)

Although local regulators prescribe training for evacuation and fire, federal training modules remind companies that employees ought to have training in activities such as how to communicate in a crisis. Suppose there were not a way to text or call to relay vital information. Then what?

DHS recommends team leaders have additional training in first aid and incident response, for example. For companies required to meet specific OSHA standards, additional training (e.g., responding to hazardous spills) will be specified.

Providing OSHA and basic training in emergencies to new hires may seem unnecessary when a hire has deep roots in the workforce, but the training serves two purposes. One, it demonstrates the thoroughness of the business owner. Two, it keeps everyone alert; and the training, especially for emergencies, may serve the employee (and community) outside the business setting. With the foundation set, training in job responsibilities follows. Don’t neglect a general orientation.

It takes time to introduce a new hire to other team members, especially those working in different areas. But it’s the sort of immersion that provides context to the new hire (“so this is how it all fits together”) and signals a sincere “welcome to the team.” It’s a big booster of retention.

Job-specific training should be done by someone who has done or is doing the same job. And regardless of how well a trainer/mentor knows the job, there should be a detailed or structured list of topics to cover.

Businesses can make their own selfcheck lists for new hires and other trainees, but be certain the verification is done.

New hires with deep industry experience may grumble about repeating/ reviewing things they know. But the commitment the employer demonstrates to training parallels the commitment the employer has to employees, and the new hires do realize that. Hence, retention benefits. (The same applies to ongoing employee training, which is also a must.)

Just as too much training and review can supplant the purpose of a business, so might too much focus on incentives obscure the benefits employees already receive. Balance must be maintained. Clarity makes it possible.

The first employee benefit is a paycheck. That seems obvious, but with discussions about work-life balance so prevalent, life activities outside of work sometimes seem to take precedence over work.

All employees should be reminded, especially when hired, about the benefits they receive as part of the team. The reminder is more powerful if put in writing as a list.

The share of Social Security taxes paid by the employer and the workers’ compensation premiums paid by the employer are benefits to the employee.

In California, Hawaii, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico, employers also pay premiums for disability insurance. The federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) applies to all employers of a certain size.

Which benefits or incentives should an employer offer beyond those that are mandated? Only the employer can decide. Some employees would prefer more dollars in their pay. Others might want a group health plan or a retirement plan.

An employer has to balance the cost of incentives with the ability to provide raises. It’s entirely possible that a decision in favor of one subgroup of employees (e.g., paid maternity leave) will disgruntle another subgroup of employees (e.g., those who must pick up extra work during maternity leaves). Some employers finesse this by offering paid medical leave (for births or other reasons). It can become expensive.

From profit-sharing to social gatherings, the lay of the land in 2024 is this: Employers use every imaginable way to retain employees. Among the approaches are extended options to work from home, in-house childcare, and liberal leave policies.

An employer with enough profit to support ever-more benefits and incentives may see merit in flexibility. Still, new hires attracted by extensive ancillaries instead of their interest in the work may create so many drain holes the retaining wall is useless. CT