Controlling Turnover – The Training Paradox

Article brought to you by BestWork DATA

A common problem with job performance is found in the lack of training or the manner in which the employees are trained for their particular job. Of course, too often there is no organized training. Instead it is left to chance or the coworkers to provide the skills and knowledge needed for the job. People learn best when information is presented in a clear and orderly fashion. Coworkers are generally busy with their own work, and any training occurs in bits and pieces.

Even when professional trainers are used to deliver well-planned programs, they face a class with assorted learning speeds, varied levels of experience and different ways of acquiring knowledge. BestWork provides Training Guides that explain the most effective way to train any individual. Trainers and managers can both use this information to get the most out of their employees in a marvelously positive way.

People learn at different speeds, but this is quite different from the traditional understanding of how people learn. In school, learning ability is associated with grades, and that was mistakenly interpreted with how smart someone was. Today there is a better understanding of cognitive ability. People learn and process information at different speeds, and jobs themselves have different operating speeds. Many manufacturing jobs involve working with highly complicated technology but the elements of the job are basically repetitive. The complications lie in acquiring
the skills and knowledge necessary to perform those repetitive actions correctly.

This paradox of needing to master a set of detailed and complex information in order to perform a relatively routine job is a major cause of turnover and job dissatisfaction. Companies seek out fast learners who can handle the training and then put them into roles that are boring and lack the challenge they need to stay engaged. BestWork identifies those candidates that can handle the routine and remain engaged with the job. BestWork describes each candidate’s learning speed, which makes it possible to adjust the training program keeping its effectiveness while extending it and providing refresher courses. The ironic benefit of this targeted hiring is that there are far more candidates available for that type of training and who will tend to remain on the job.