If you don’t provide your workers with leadership and development opportunities, they will look for these opportunities somewhere else. As an employer, this means it’s incredibly important to provide leadership training to your workers. From offering tuition reimbursement to in-house training options, your development opportunities will determine the long-term skills and motivation of your employees.  

Why Leadership Training Matters 

As an employer, you want to make sure you have an equipped workforce that can handle all the challenges you throw at them. Additionally, studies show that workers who don’t have development opportunities are more likely to move on to a different employer. 

In a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), 91% of participants said that it’s very important or somewhat important to get a job that has consistent educational opportunities. Unfortunately, only 47% of participants report having learning opportunities through their employer.  

Recently, Asure completed our 2024 HR Benchmark Report. We found that learning opportunities were significantly more common at successful organizations. A total of 8 out of 10 fast-growth companies use the best practices in employee development. Meanwhile, less than half of zero-growth businesses used the same practices.   

Our survey also included a few other important takeaways. 

• 81% of fast-growth businesses offer leadership training opportunities to management. 
• 72% of fast-growth organizations provide tuition reimbursement to employees. 
• 81% of fast-growth companies updated their employee handbook in the last year.
• 76% of fast-growth organizations give employees access to structured training programs. 

Fast-growth companies are significantly more likely than slow-growth companies to train and support employees. These types of programs don’t just provide workers with additional skills. They can also keep workers engaged and prevent them from going elsewhere for their development opportunities.

How to Implement Leadership Training Into Your Workplace 

Starting new leadership training programs doesn’t have to be challenging. As an employer, you can assign projects so that employees can learn new skills. Additionally, you can use formalized training programs, online courses, and performance feedback to help your workers grow. 

Incorporate Training Opportunities Into Day-to-Day Assignments 

You don’t have to wait for a new fiscal budget to start offering more training opportunities. Instead, look for opportunities in your day-to-day assignments. 

For instance, you may have an employee who wants to transition to a management role. Rather than immediately giving them a management position, start assigning them as the team leader for different projects. 

Adopt Technological Solutions for On-Demand Leadership Training 

No matter where you’re located or what type of schedule your employees work, you can easily use on-demand leadership training. You can talk to your HR and payroll provider to get recommendations for on-demand options. Once these training programs are set up, your employees just have to get online to start their training. 

At fast-growth companies, on-demand solutions are incredibly popular. While 73% of fast-growth companies offer on-demand training, only 54% of zero-growth businesses do.  

Offer Reimbursement for Tuition and Training Expenses 

Another method for training your workers is through reimbursing their tuition and training expenses. In the 2024 HR Benchmark Report, we found that 72% of fast-growth and 57% of zero-growth companies reimburse tuition expenses. 

Other than helping workers expand their talents and abilities, tuition reimbursement is a good way to reduce turnover. Employees can’t leave if they want to continue getting their tuition covered. 

As a business owner, you can often save money through tuition reimbursement because it lets you get a more qualified employee for a lower cost. These types of programs are also good for attracting talent, so you may have an easier time finding high-quality workers in a tight labor market.   

Create Stretch Projects for Your Workers 

To help your employees build on their current skills, try offering stretch projects. These kinds of projects involve new, challenging skills and tasks that stretch the worker’s current abilities. In Asure’s report, we found that 58% of fast-growth businesses give their workers stretch projects to help them learn. Meanwhile, just 35% of zero-growth companies do the same thing.

Ensure Consistent Onboarding Training for Employees and Managers 

Leadership training and employee support begin with the onboarding process. During onboarding, let employees know about future career and training opportunities so that they know which career paths are open to them. 

Onboarding is another area where fast-growth companies really stand out. An estimated quarter of new hires quit within three months. Some of these new hires leave because of inconsistent onboarding, which makes them feel unsupported. In the 2024 HR Benchmark Report, we found that 89% of fast-growth companies have an onboarding checklist to give new hires. Plus, 81% ensure their employee handbook is updated annually. 

Provide Performance Feedback 

Performance feedback, like an annual performance review, helps employees know how they are doing and what they can change. In addition to having an annual review, it’s important to update employees at more frequent intervals so that they can know how they are doing. This type of feedback is especially useful for employee growth, and it can help leaders develop their abilities as they continue working at your company.

Top Performers Leave Companies to Grow

Research shows that employees are more likely to leave a job if they don’t have room to grow. If you don’t offer leadership training options to engage your best workers, they’ll start looking for a new job that will provide them with the right opportunities. To retain your best performers, you need to incorporate leadership training options into your workplace. 

As you adopt these new training measures, consider the following questions.

• Are these leadership opportunities relevant to my employees? 
• Will workers be able to access training options while fulfilling their job requirements? 
• How will I identify which workers are eligible for new training opportunities? 
• Is the program well-structured with clearly defined outcomes and goals? 
• Will the training options help employees reach their goals? 
• How does the training program help your employees become more effective workers? 
• Are you going to require minimum employment periods or other qualifications before workers can access leadership training? 
• How does the curriculum overlap with your company’s goals and learning preferences? 
• For stretch projects, how will you find and assign potential projects? 
• What rubric will you use to gauge the program’s success? 

Use Consistent Leadership Training to Develop Your Best Workers

Top performers want new growth opportunities. Other than retaining workers and increasing employee engagement, leadership training also increases the value you get out of each employee. Instead of searching for new managers, you can promote from within and employ managers who are already familiar with your organization. If you are interested in learning more about HR programs and leadership training options, we can help. Contact Asure’s team of small business HR and payroll experts today.