The next time you fill your coffee mug at work, consider the fact that most companies spend more money on coffee than they do on training. And while that might be good news to the more distinguished palates, it doesn’t bode well for the longevity or performance level of new employees.
New hire training is important not only for your brand new colleague, but also for the success of the business. The more resources and time you spend on training, the better your results. According to the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, the average time it takes to train a new employee is three months and 65 hours. Anything you can do to make the training cycle more efficient will help get employees up to speed and working at peak efficiency faster.
The Value of Training and Onboarding
The Bureau of Labor currently puts the unemployment rate at 3.7%. That means that if people aren’t happy with their employer, they may feel confident enough to leave and seek employment elsewhere; it’s easier to find a job today than it was a year or two ago.
The faster you can onboard new employees, the more engaged they will be in their work. The millennial workforce especially will count training and career development among the top-ranking factors of what makes a job or company a good fit. Nearly half of employees say that a company’s training courses make them more likely to stay.
By making it easier for people to learn the job skills they need to succeed, you can reduce the likelihood of employee turnover.
Training Gets Workers Up to Speed Fast
Getting new supply chain employees onboarded quickly certainly helps minimize turnover. It’s also important to get temp and seasonal workers up to speed quickly. If they’re good employees and have a positive experience at your organization, they may be more likely to come back next season. Or they may prove to be a solid option for a full-time hire.
First, ensure that expectations—of both full-time and seasonal/temp employees—are clearly communicated up front. Each new employee should understand their exact roles and responsibilities.
Second, communicate to all employees how their role impacts the organization overall. Share how their work connects to the big picture, and reinforce that by sharing key metrics for the department and/or facility. You may even choose to connect screens that share real-time numbers from your ERP or WMS with employees to help drive an extra measure of pride and ownership in performance.
Third, keep the coaching going beyond Day One. While a good first day is critical to employee success, ongoing coaching and mentorship will help that success continue by building on strengths and proactively addressing areas to improve.
Finally, review and reinforce performance goals. Checking in at designated times helps the employee know how they’re doing and where they can develop more fully to continue being successful, both for themselves and the company.
Boost Productivity All Around with Sage 100cloud and ASI
Sage 100cloud offers both smart accounting and great accountability for all your projects. By utilizing Sage 100 and Sage 100cloud, you can ensure up-to-the-minute inventory status, tight supply chain management, and accurate order information. Both the accounting team and project managers will have instant access to the data they need, all in one software package that enables enhanced productivity company-wide.
With Sage 100 and 100cloud, you have a powerful data center that helps you improve employee performance, win new customers, and keep your current customers coming back for more.
Boost your training today by empowering employees with Sage 100cloud. ASI is an authorized Sage partner that has been helping companies match to the best business software for more than 30 years. If it’s time to fast track your employee training, let us help.