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| Employer Survey |
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| 01/12/2005 |
CONTACT: Art Ayre
Oregon Employment Department
State Employment Economist
503-947-1268
Art.L.Ayre@state.or.us
Treating Employees Well Helps to Keep Them on the Payroll
Nearly half of Oregon employers treat their employees well to help reduce turnover, according to the results of a recent survey. Employers reported that communication, respect, fair treatment, teamwork, and a good work environment all contribute to increased employee retention.
The survey, conducted in August 2004, provides information regarding the share of businesses offering training to their employees, the reasons for employee training, and types of training offered. Employers also provide insights into employee retention, including the causes of turnover and methods used to reduce it. Some of the key findings are:
- Nearly half of employers offered training to their employees during the past year; about half also feel that employee training is cost-effective.
- Larger firms make training a higher priority than do smaller firms. Training is most common in the educational and health services, information, and professional and business services industries.
- Top reasons for providing training to employees are to improve product or service quality, company productivity, and employees’ basic skills. Among goods-producing industries, safety training is especially important.
- More firms provide hard-skills training, such as computer skills or power equipment operation, than soft-skills training, such as interpersonal communication and work ethic.
- Almost one in five of Oregon’s employers has a significant problem with turnover. This rate is essentially unchanged from 2002, but lower than the one-in-four rate reported by the 2000 survey. The problem is caused largely by employees leaving for higher-paying jobs.
- Private-sector firms find it easier to retain managers and professional/technical workers than other workers. Local governments find managers and professional/technical staff harder to retain than other employees.
- Raising employees’ wages is the most common effort taken by employers to reduce employee turnover. Flexible work schedules are also used by many firms.
The full report, "Training and Retaining Oregon's Workforce," is available on-line at www.QualityInfo.org. Printed copies will be available soon; to obtain a printed copy, please contact Curtis Thrapp, 503-947-1204, Curtis.M.Thrapp@state.or.us .
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