For many companies (big or small), the customer is usually viewed as the most important part of the company. Customers are incredibly important. I will not debate that. They pay our salaries and provide many people with a reason to go into work each day. But for small companies, employees are the most important part of the company. They do jobs that often don’t go hand in hand and have more knowledge than most employers are comfortable admitting. Losing those employees can impact the overall productivity of a small business, lower moral, and lead to costly mistakes made by less experienced workers.
Experts recommend using flexible work schedules and allowing employees to work from home (just a few of the many ideas) to help lower employee turnover. Employee education can be another tool that allows small business’s to retain key talent. This tool can include reimbursing employees for conferences and classes they attend. But some firms really drop the ball during implementation and management of this program.
While many larger firms have a policy for employee educational reimbursement, most small businesses do not. One of the small business’s I worked for employed the ‘as its needed it will be addressed’ plan of action. In better economic times, the company happily paid for its employees to attend a variety of conferences and classes. But as the economy started declining, employee education was one of the first expenses to be slashed. To the best of my knowledge they still haven’t brought the program back.
Another company that I worked with had a program implemented that covered employee education. However, the restrictions on the reimbursement were so tight, I only knew one person that had ever taken advantage of it. Some of the restrictions included reimbursement for classes that provided a grade. This meant that many of the continuing education classes that the local community college designed for working people would not be reimbursed.
I tell you this to encourage small firms to be flexible when developing an employee education program. The point of employee education is to give existing workers resources that will improve their job skills. Encourage employees to develop an educational plan during their annual review that includes goals and next steps. This will empower them to take control of their education. Hold employees accountable to achieving their goals and provide opportunities for them to use their newly developed skills. And last but not least recognize their commitment and offer praise when it is deserved.
Well, I’m off to do some Photoshop homework.
