4 Outcomes You Should Be Seeing From Your Employee Training Program

Not enough organizations offer employee training or a comprehensive L&D program. The article 10 Statistics on Corporate Training¹ reported that in 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics discovered that small organizations (those with fewer than 100 employees) offered just 12 minutes of manager training once every six months, and organizations with between 100 and 500 employees offered a mere 6 minutes of training. This doesn’t align with workers’ needs and desires for relevant, accessible training, and it doesn’t support good business outcomes.

Workers Want More Employee Training

Many employees want their employer to provide training. “Roughly 86% of employees say that job training is important to them—and nearly three out of every four (74%) are willing to learn things outside of work hours to improve their job performance,” explained an article by Curiosity at Work.² “Only 52% of employees think their employer provides the right amount of training.”

The article also explained that over 70% of workers don't know if their employer offers online learning. Employers are missing a major opportunity here since 65% of employees prefer to learn via video (i.e., online learning). 

Because employees want training, and because it can deliver many organizational benefits, companies should make it a top priority. But not all training programs are effective. Read on to discover what outcomes you should be seeing from your employee training program, and what to do if you aren’t noticing these outcomes. 

4 Outcomes You Should Be Seeing From Your Employee Training Program

Do you offer your workforce employees training? If so, here are a few outcomes you should be seeing as a result of your employee training program:

1) Increased productivity - When an employee training program is effective, worker productivity soars. This results in a much healthier bottom line, which is critical in the post-COVID business world where many companies are scrambling to financially recover from the pandemic. 

“As it turns out, training is one of the most effective things that a company can do to increase productivity,” stated an article by Shift eLearning.³ “...companies that offer comprehensive training programs have 218% higher income per employee than companies without formalized training (and) enjoy a 24% higher profit margin than those who spend less on training…. At the root of these fantastic results is increased employee productivity, which in turn is driven by the skills advancements made possible through employee training and development.”

If productivity is poor, that is one of the top signs that an L&D program is not meeting the needs of employees. Perhaps the training content isn’t relevant to workers’ specific job roles, or maybe employees do not have online, on-demand, 24/7 mobile access to training. Switching from in-person to online learning can make a huge difference in the outcome of your employee training program. 

2) Better employee morale - As mentioned earlier, workers want to be trained. Without training, it is challenging to succeed in one’s work role, so it makes sense that employees see the need for more L&D opportunities. 

A CNBC article⁴ reported, “94 percent of employees say that they would stay at a company longer if it simply invested in helping them learn.” Moreover, referring to a study, HR Dive⁵ explained,

“Slightly more than one-third, 39%, of the 2,042 U.S. employee respondents said their employers were (helping to improve their skills via training), while 80% said they considered professional development and training offerings to be important when accepting a new job. A majority of respondents across age groups said they considered such opportunities when accepting a new job.”

When employees get what they want, such as training opportunities, employee engagement and morale grows. Due to the pandemic, employee morale in some organizations has lowered. But with access to continuous training, morale can increase. Because a percentage of U.S. workforces are dispersed, an LMS (learning management system) is often the best option for training for companies across all industries. 

3) Lower staff turnover - Employee turnover is at an all-time high. According to an article by Unleash,⁶ “In 2021, 15% of employers filled positions in 1-2 weeks…in 2022 half as many respondents are filling positions in this time, according to a study by HireVue of 1,657 hiring leaders across the globe.” The article also stated that 55% of respondents claimed to have higher staff attrition in 2022, and 25% of organizations saw turnover of at least 14% of all their workers. 

The financial effects of high rates of turnover can be devastating. Employee Benefit News⁷ reported that employers spend about 33% of an employee’s yearly salary to replace one worker. That means it could potentially cost $12,000 to replace a worker making $36,000 a year, and $20,000 to replace an employee earning $60,000 a year.

Employee training isn’t a cure-all for staff turnover, but it can help companies hold onto more workers. “Training that seeks to improve employee investment and helps the employee identify with the organization will enhance the overall employee's commitment to the company and, in turn, reduce an employee's turnover intent,” explained HR Exchange Network.⁸ “This ultimately results in an organization that is better able to retain its workforce.” 

4) Better retention and attraction of top talent - Top talent isn’t always easy to come by. When organizations have talented employees, they should do all they can to retain them. It’s also important that organizations consistently draw top talent and maintain a talent pipeline. Employee training can make it easier for companies to keep and attract top talent.

The Harvard Business Review⁹ called creating effective training and programs “the most obvious solution” to increasing retention of high-performing, top-talent workers. eLearning Industry also said employee training can help companies attract and retain top talent. How to Catch and Keep Top Talent With Employee Training¹⁰ named four ways employee training can do this: 

• Helps companies develop career paths for workers that tie into training and engage staff.
• Allows companies to invest in leadership training. 
• Enables organizations to cross-train workers and “please training-hungry employees, protect (the company) from knowledge loss due to turnover and build (the company’s) bench of experts.”  
• Ensures companies regularly survey workers, which can help boost engagement. 

If drawing and keeping top talent has been a challenge for your organization, prioritizing employee training may turn things around. 

What To Do If You Aren’t Seeing Positive Outcomes from Your L&D Program

So, what should you do if your organization isn’t seeing the outcomes mentioned earlier from an employee training program? There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but transitioning to a more engaging mode of training, such online learning delivered via LMS, can help.

Corporate online learning is well known for promoting outcomes such as increased productivity and worker morale, and lower staff turnover. Also, it can help companies attract and retain top talent by ensuring such workers receive the ongoing training they need to continue to add value to the company and develop professionally. As a result of these outcomes, specifically increased productivity and lower turnover, online learning often saves organizations money. 360 Training¹¹ explained,  

“Corporations now report that e-Learning is amongst the top two training methods that they use. They have discovered that e-Learning saves businesses at least 50% when it replaces traditional instructor-based training. Not to mention the fact that e-Learning cuts down instruction time by 60%.”

But cutting down instruction time, online learning frees up time for workers to be more productive. Online learning in the workplace can increase employee morale and retention because it allows staff to work at their own pace. “eLearning allows your employees a much greater say about what they learn, when they learn it and at what pace,” stated 5 Ways eLearning Can Help with Employee Retention.¹² “Thus, they have a sense of increased autonomy. This, in combination with their newly acquired knowledge can empower them in their working role and offers the prospect of career enhancement and advancement.” 

TOPYX Quick Start LMS Delivers Outstanding Benefits to Organizations

Looking for an LMS that will deliver undeniable benefits to your organization and employees? Look no further than TOPYX Quick Start LMS. TOPYX Quick Start LMS has built-in features sure to engage employees on a deeper level and make delivering, tracking, and reporting on training easy for administrators. TOPYX Quick Start LMS helps organizations:

• Enhance training and engagement to reduce churn and onboard employees faster.
• Quickly deliver training on shifting regulations and maintain compliance.
• Onboard employees quickly and audit their training records more accurately.
• Provide employees with a clear path for improved skills and disseminate information more efficiently.

With TOPYX, organizations can close skills gaps, simplify financial training audits and management of certifications/compliance training, lower turnover, and much more. 

With in-depth learning features and pre-built content to support remote workers and develop skills, TOPYX Quick Start LMS includes everything your organization needs to implement an L&D program for up to 500 learners. All of this is available through a unique flat-rate pricing model.

Interested in giving TOPYX Quick Start LMS a try? Request a free LMS demo. 

References: 

1. Shift eLearning. https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/statistics-on-corporate-training-and-what-they-mean-for-your-companys-future. 
2. Curiosity at Work. https://www.surveymonkey.com/curiosity/why-employees-crave-more-training-and-how-employers-arent-delivering-it/. 
3. Shift eLearning. https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/statistics-value-of-employee-training-and-development.
4. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/27/94percent-of-employees-would-stay-at-a-company-for-this-one-reason.html.
5. HR Dive. https://www.hrdive.com/news/workers-want-training-development-but-few-say-their-employers-provide-it/617852/.
6. Unleash. https://www.unleash.ai/employee-experience-and-engagement/55-experiencing-higher-turnover-in-2022/. 
7. Terra Staffing Group. https://www.terrastaffinggroup.com/resources/blog/cost-of-employee-turnover/#:~:text=According%20to%20Employee%20Benefit%20News,manager%20making%20%2460%2C000%20a%20year.
8. HR Exchange Network. https://www.hrexchangenetwork.com/learning/columns/engagement-matters-the-impact-of-training-on-emplo#:~:text=Training%20that%20seeks%20to%20improve,able%20to%20retain%20its%20workforce.
9. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/01/a-better-way-to-develop-and-retain-top-talent.
10. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/keep-top-talent-with-employee-training-catch.
11. 360 Training. https://www.360training.com/blog/benefits-of-elearning#:~:text=Reduced%20Costs&text=Corporations%20now%20report%20that%20e,down%20instruction%20time%20by%2060%25.
12. eFront. https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2016/11/5-ways-elearning-help-employee-retention.html#:~:text=eLearning%20allows%20your%20employees%20a,of%20career%20enhancement%20and%20advancement.