Chief Learning Officer - February 2008 - (Page 25)

learning solutions changing out our sales management team. We were kind of going out with the old and in with the new. What we find is with higher turnover, and it’s probably the same with everyone, is that it’s hard to interview enough people to fill enough seats to cover a schedule. It just adversely affects so many other parts of the business.” There is obviously a monetary loss to turnover, but what a company can’t put a price on is the loss they suffer when employees walk out the door and take their knowledge and experience with them. “That gives them the opportunity to learn in a sheltered environment, but then get out for a week into a store to see how it opens and closes and how it really operates,” Smart said. “Then we bring them back in the third week just to advance their skill set a little further. It gives them some time to really get to know the business before they get out into the real world.” Prior to this redesign, sales associates completed one week of training, and it was mostly based on the company’s products. Now one-third of the training is computer skills, one-third is product knowledge, and one-third is sales strategies. “Depending on what type of retailer you are, you have a very wide range of people that work for you, and [at] different times of the year, your turnover may be higher. I think the difference is, especially with us, we took the training that was already going on a step further,” Smart said. “They already had training. It occupied what it needed to occupy for the time. [But] we are living in a different time when it comes to the people we are hiring, and the program has to change with that.” Mattress Giant’s training doesn’t end after three weeks on the job, though, as there are monthly district sales manager meetings, Getting Them Early One way to keep employees from walking out the door is by offering them plenty of learning opportunities early in their tenure. Apart from teaching them basic work tasks, this accomplishes two things: It shows the employees that they’re valued and exhibits the company’s culture. To avoid this loss and to lower turnover, Mattress Giant’s 700 sales associates go through a three-week training program when they begin their position — two weeks are spent in the classroom and one week is spent in a mentoring environment. 25 February 2008 I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer http://www.clomedia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer - February 2008

Chief Learning Officer - February 2008 Editor's Letter Table of Contents Business Impact Trends Best Practices Effectiveness Guest Editorial Learning Solutions Home Depot: Building Better Associates CLO Profile Environment Realizing the Vision of “One Philips” Tactics Sun Microsystems’ Next-Generation Worker Video Game Recruiting Tool Productivity The Regence Group: Blended Measurement Human Capital NASA: A Case Study in Technical Leadership Development Case Study Business Intelligence Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources In Conclusion

Chief Learning Officer - February 2008

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