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Training staff is essential, but expensive - it does not have to be

According to a nationwide study in 2011 by Kenexa, the top 5 reasons why employees quit their jobs are:

  1. Lack of opportunities for professional development (30%)
  2. Inadequate compensation (28%)
  3. Boredom/lack of challenge (27%)
  4. Poor work/life balance (20%)
  5. Job stress and unfair treatment (20%)

For small business owners, providing professional development to a growing and increasingly competent workforce can be expensive.  There are however, some good short term options for employers that do not have to cost so much.  One of the best I have come across is MindTools .  It is a club which charges an annual membership fee ($1 for the first month, then $19 / month or $27 month ) which is well worth it.  They offer succinct articles, discussions and videos as well as reading recommendations on a host of leadership, management and other topics. Other options are often to be found in your local Small Business Development Center, and sites like bizfilings.com.

Some of the most appropriate training, however, can be harnessed from your own experience and knowledge in-house, by developing an atmosphere in whcih employees can learn from their mistakes without fear of retribution, and share those learnings with others to develop greater in-house capability.

At Namaqua Consulting we offer a range of training options for managers, leaders as well as more general employee awareness and development sessions  e.g Harassment and Discrimination Training for Employees and Supervisors.


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