When you have an underperforming employee, the simple answer is to replace them. But could retraining them be a more effective solution, not only in terms of cost but also morale and productivity, too?
It depends on the unique situation. For instance, if you find out an employee is stealing from you, bashing your company on social media, or has had performance problems that have been going on for years, then perhaps firing them is the most obvious answer.
However, here’s when it’s not: When you have an employee who’s struggling in terms of skills, tasks, and responsibilities, but who has a positive attitude and strong work ethic overall. Also, when they’re a cohesive member of the team and positively contribute to the morale, then consider retraining them instead of firing them and replacing them with a new person from one of the local office staffing agencies.
The Advantages of Retraining vs. Hiring New Employees
While you need your people meeting goals and expectations, if an employee isn’t, but falls into the category above, then retraining them is definitely worth considering. Here are just a few benefits of it:
- You know your employee’s strengths and weaknesses and can take advantage of what they’re good at while providing more precise and practical training opportunities in areas where they need to improve.
- You can shore up your skill gap in a way that’s not only more cost-friendly than hiring a new team member but also do so in a way that has a positive impact on company morale.
- When employees see you’re investing in your people by retraining them, instead of laying them off, it boosts overall loyalty to your company, enabling you to better retain your top talent.
In addition to the benefits above, there’s less risk when it comes to retraining an employee who you know is a hard worker and has a good attitude, but just needs some new skills. That’s simply because you know what you’re getting. When you hire a new person, you’re seeing their best side on their resume and in the interview. But things can change once they’re on the job and not in a good way.
When you retrain someone instead, there’s less risk involved, as a result. At the same time, when you’re retraining, you’re saving all those hours and days that would go into creating a job description, screening resumes, conducting phone and in-person interviews, checking references, performing background checks, and any other steps in your hiring process.
If, however, it seems like retraining isn’t working, consider re-assigning that person to a different position. There might be a new role that’s the right one for the employee rather than the assignment they’re currently in. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to make the call, but never one you should take casually or lightly.
Work With the Staffing Experts!
If you do need to hire new people for your company, Future Force can help. As one of the leading office staffing agencies around, serving the area since 1992, we can connect you with the skilled, experienced, and hard-working people you need for a variety of positions. Contact us today to get started or learn more!
