Some years back, I was working part time at an insurance brokerage — as a “word processor”. No, I wasn’t a computer myself (although it seemed like it sometimes). But back in the day, people were so unfamiliar with MS Word and other word processing programs that they hired people like me to lay out and format everyone else’s documents. In a strange way, I kind of enjoyed the gig — prettifying other people’s work and demystifying this whole computer thing. Still, I found myself doing a lot of sitting around, waiting for my co-workers to come to me with projects. So in the downtime, there I was covertly playing playing video games. If it were 2010, I’m sure I would’ve been goofing off on Facebook and other social media.
The problem: my job felt stagnant. I wasn’t learning new skills. Nor was there any opportunity for advancement.
Not surprisingly, employee stagnation continues to exist today! According to an article in December’s Training and Development Magazine, titled “Employee Stagnation Could Lead to Migration”, allowing your employees to “stagnate” may well lead to a ton of turnover–and soon. Shockingly, a recent survey of 1,000 employed U.S. workers across industries showed 1/2 of respondents said their jobs were stagnant. Imagine it — a possible 50% turnover rate on the horizon.
The solution: Provide people with a chance to advance. Give them the resources they need to tackle assignments. Afford them the opportunity to learn new skills.
Yes, times are tough, and we’ve all been forced to focus on profits and bottom line. But don’t forget about your people! To keep them, you’ll need to take measures re-engage people. Otherwise your employees will check out, doing only what they need to, to get by. And that’s the bottom line.
For the entire T&D article, go to: http://bit.ly/8fQFGU