About ten years ago, I had the opportunity to work for a large international company that surveyed its employees every year. Every year, tens of thousands of respondents shared their views on the company, their work, customers, the environment, and more.

Over a long period, the most significant factor in determining whether an employee remained with the company was their ability to envision their future. To imagine that, in five or ten years, they would be a better person. That they would have new challenges, new responsibilities, and new knowledge. A deep belief that they were “going somewhere” within the organization.

Between extraordinary challenges and hierarchical promotions, the tool mentioned most frequently was training.

A Win-Win Arrangement

An old saying sums up the unusual paradox of training quite well: in a highly dynamic market, some fear that a trained employee may be tempted to leave and use their newly acquired—and costly—skills elsewhere.
The opposite, however, is far worse: what happens when an employee who is never trained chooses to stay?

Beyond the skills used day after day on a task or project, corporate training is one of the key drivers of engagement. The fact that an employer encourages training—for example, by paying for it, allocating normally paid working hours to it, and establishing a link between learning and work—is highly valued.

It shows that the employer values the employee and their skills.

Many studies have examined the relationship between training and engagement and have concluded that implementing learning and development programs has a positive impact on 80% to 95% of employees.

The benefits are therefore shared. More engaged and productive employees who feel more valued offer undeniable advantages, both in terms of productivity and in the quality of creative output, customer service, and the organization’s internal culture.

Training, Purpose, and Retention

A scientific study conducted in 2020 and published in The International Journal of Human Resource Management showed a 14% to 18% increase in the retention of employees who benefited from training programs—even when their skills were transferable to other employers.

We live in a time when the economy is changing rapidly. Automotive manufacturers are entering the defence industry. Retailers are competing creatively to attract customers. Governments—some of them, at least—are becoming digital, mobile, and agile.

Employees who experience these transformations in their personal lives can feel the world changing around them. They want to contribute through their work and help move things forward. Most are aware that training is one of the main drivers that can accelerate this modernization.

In this context, trained and motivated employees will participate more actively in transforming the organization. They will be able to fill positions internally as the organization evolves and adjusts to a new economy and new technologies. They will be able to share their knowledge more generously, generate new knowledge and, as a result, commit themselves a little longer to advancing the collective.

Imagine for a moment the costs that could be saved in staffing, external agencies, and onboarding. Consider the value of the expertise lost every time an employee leaves because they received too little training. For specialized positions, this can amount to tens of thousands of dollars per employee, per year.

Employee turnover and the loss of talent caused by insufficient continuous training are a genuine scourge—financially, culturally, and productively.

Ultimately, training is not only a matter of skills. It is a matter of momentum. Employees who have the opportunity to learn, improve, and take on new challenges are more likely to invest themselves in their work and envision a future within their organization.

The large international company I mentioned earlier? A global leader in continuous training. And, unsurprisingly, a company where many employees spend their entire careers, moving through cycles of learning, development, new challenges, and promotions.

In a world where everything is changing rapidly, training employees is not a luxury. It is one of the best ways to maintain their engagement, prepare for the future and, quite simply, give them a good reason to continue the journey.

By Francis Gosselin, Ph.D., ASC

Consultant, economist, and speaker since 2009, Francis supports strategic planning and leadership development initiatives, as well as the delivery of economic analyses across a wide range of industries. He has extensive international experience, having led strategy, research, and training mandates in Europe, Asia, and North America.