Training programs are a good way to recruit and retain employees, according to the results of a recent survey of US human resource managers and employees.
Specifically, 83% of HR managers surveyed said they believe that training is beneficial to attract talent. Perhaps more importantly, a smaller but still sizable percentage, 48%, of surveyed workers said that training opportunities were a factor in their choosing their current employer.
“And while some leaders were hesitant to invest in talent during the ‘Great Resignation,’ our research showed that 86% of HR managers believe that training is actually beneficial in retaining talent,” says Jim Link, SHRM-SCP, chief human resources officer for the Society for Human Resource Management.
Earlier this year, the SHRM Research Institute and learning management system firm TalentLMS surveyed 356 HR managers involved in training initiatives at their organizations as well as 1,001 workers who had undergone training in the past year. Findings were published in a new report, “2022 Workplace Learning & Development Trends.”
Results also suggest ways that employers can maximize the positive effects of training:
- 55% of employees said they need more training to perform their jobs more effectively, and 38% desire training that is more relevant to their current roles.
- 31% of workers want more control over the training programs, including being able to choose methods that match their learning style and development opportunities for their career progression.
- Instruction using simulations was the most popular choice (64%) among nine different methods survey-takers were asked about. Others included coaching/mentoring (51%), videos (50%), webinars/lectures (38%), textbooks and other print materials (34%), microlearning (32%), audio/podcasts (25%), role-playing (19%), and blogs and other internet sources (17%).
- Regarding training on “soft skills,” discrepancies exist between what employees want and what employers provide. For example, among the survey respondents, 61% of employers provide time-management training, but only 42% of respondents said that time management was an area in which they want training. Employers and employees are more closely aligned around leadership skills: 54% of respondents said they want training in this area, and 53% of employers provide it.
Beyond offering training programs, perhaps tailoring them to the wants and needs of potential and existing employees will draw them in and entice them to stay.
See full survey results here.
Lois A. Bowers is the editor of McKnight’s Senior Living. Read her other columns here.
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