Winning Workplaces

Last month I wrote that,

Contrary to popular belief, we've often seen that if you put it out there that employees can use the training they receive at your company to go elsewhere if they choose, they often won't, realizing that this combined with other progressive employee engagement activities makes staying put their best option.

Don't believe me? As LeVar Burton might say, "You don't have to take my word for it." Here is some feedback from one of our 2008 Top Small Workplace Finalist companies – a project management firm in the Chicago area with 80 employees. This is from an interview we conducted with a project manager at the firm a few months ago as part of the due diligence phase of our workplace recognition project:

In my career you felt like you had to protect yourself and watch your back. Here there is none of that. The boss hugs everyone! I would've fallen over dead if someone did that at my old job.

There's a real family atmosphere here. I don't have to worry. They're truly invested in my development beyond the company's stake. There's a lot of listening to what I need. I think they know you'll have better-performing, higher-quality employees with more retention if you recognize that they're in charge of their career.

How many employees in your business would say something like this? If the answer is "No one" or "Not many," you should take stock of your employee engagement best practices geared toward learning and development. Winning Workplaces offers proven assessment measures, including employee opinion surveys, to help you in this area.