Making Informed Decisions: An Argument for Training Rather Than Hiring

I remember an old adage I like to think about:

“What if we train our employees and they go get better jobs?”
“What if we don’t train them and they stay?”

This is something that I believe strongly in. I’ve always considered my role as a manager as one where I’m serving as a mentor to my direct reports. I know how this industry works, and you’ll never be truly paid what you’re worth at your current job. Every day, you gain experience that makes you more valuable, but your compensation doesn’t increase. Over time, this becomes a deficit. If you don’t get a raise, eventually you’ll be drawn to another organization where you’ll enter at a higher salary than you left. I feel like this is inevitable, but as long as my direct reports are working with me, I will try to give them experiences and when possible, actual training that will increase their skills and make them more marketable. I know they’ll be moving on, but until they do, they are still on my team.

I’ve tried to ensure a budget for conference attendance and training (usually SANS). I know these can cost a lot, and leadership is loathe to fit this bill. I’ve tried to ask for agreements to be put in place, which I voluntarily offered when I was offered conference attendance and training — if you attend a conference, you contract to not leave the organization for at least 8 months after returning, or the cost of the trip has to be returned. If you have training (SANS is now $8K!!) you contract to not leave the organization for 18 months. The org can lay you off, fire you, whatever, but if you take the training and run, you owe them the money they invested. I think this is very reasonable and a good way to get the value back from the outlay of cash, and honestly, would you hesitate to enter into that agreement if you could get a SANS training every two years and Hacker Summer Camp every year? I could not want for more, personally.

There was one org where I pitched this, and legal came back and said we couldn’t do something like that in a for-hire state (which Utah is), meaning the org can let you go for whatever reason at any time and the employee has no recourse. I don’t think that’s really what for hire means, but that’s what I’ve been told. I don’t understand the legal nuance of this, but I know it’s possible to do anything with the right lawyers, so that should be an overcomeable problem.

Why This Is What I’m Thinking About Right Now

This topic is top of mind for me because I was recently separated from my employer. They’re technically a startup, but they’ve been around for years and have gone through multiple funding rounds. In my head, you’re more of a grown-up company when you have 300-400 employees and nine executives, but I don’t speak entrepreneur, so what do I know. Anyway — I started as employee number 34, and the company hit their first $1M ARR milestone two months later (don’t read this to understand I had anything to do with hitting the milestone). Fast forward three years, and they crossed the $25M ARR milestone. Awesome right? And then I had a one on one with the COO and my VP and I was told that the organization needed someone with more experience running security for a company this size as they grow from $25M to $100M. I asked what I was doing wrong, or what I wasn’t doing for them and why I couldn’t just continue the good job I’ve been doing and gain that experience myself? I was told that’s not what the organizaiton needs at this time, so I had to go. The board wouldn’t give the headcount to hire the new person while I was still there to do a tribal knowledge exchange. So I was given three months to find a job (it’s taking longer than that), and then I was out (as of this writing, I am out).

Over the three months, I kept asking what I was doing wrong or what I needed to change. My COO said I have been exemplary and a great asset to the organization’s culture and that he “didn’t have a leg to stand on” if he were to try and come up with a reason to let me go. He said all these things in his recommendation for me which you can read on LinkedIn.

I often asked if I could receive training to be an executive or better leader or whatever — but while we could be sent to conferences, training was something they wouldn’t pay for.

Having to look for a new job is frustrating, scary, disheartening, and all other kinds of adjectives that describe the feeling of the voice in your head saying over and over, “HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY?!?!?!” There’s plenty you can read about that elsewhere. I want to focus on steps we can take when we have an organization that won’t pay for training their staff, but prefers to hire new employees with skills built-in.

So What Can We Do About It?

Working with an employer who prefers to hire new skills rather than train current employees can be challenging, but there are strategies you can employ to address this situation. Here’s how I look at it:

1. Understand their perspective: Start by understanding your employer’s rationale for favoring new hires over training existing employees. Are they concerned about cost, time, or specific skill requirements? Understanding their perspective will help you tailor your approach.
2. Highlight the value of existing employees: Showcase the skills, experience, and institutional knowledge that current employees bring to the table. Emphasize the benefits of retaining and developing loyal and dedicated staff, such as reduced onboarding time, cultural alignment, and increased employee morale.
3. Showcase success stories: Collect examples of successful training initiatives within your organization or from other companies in your industry. Highlight the positive outcomes, such as improved productivity, increased employee engagement, and cost savings achieved through training and upskilling programs.
4. Identify skill gaps: Identify specific skill gaps within your organization and demonstrate how upskilling current employees can bridge those gaps effectively. Present a detailed plan that outlines the training methods, resources required, and potential return on investment.
5. Propose a pilot program: Suggest starting with a pilot program to test the effectiveness of training and upskilling initiatives. Select a small group of employees who are interested in acquiring new skills and demonstrate the benefits of investing in their development. Collect data and metrics to evaluate the program’s success.
6. Collaborate with management: Engage in open and constructive conversations with management to address their concerns. Offer to assist in identifying training opportunities, researching cost-effective solutions, or seeking external funding options for employee development programs.
7. Stay proactive and adaptable: Keep yourself informed about emerging trends, technologies, and skills relevant to your industry. Demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and development, which can serve as a model for other employees and potentially influence the employer’s perspective.
8. Seek external resources: If your employer remains resistant to training initiatives, consider suggesting external resources, such as industry conferences, workshops, or online courses. These options can help employees acquire new skills without requiring extensive internal training efforts.
9. Build a business case: Develop a compelling business case that outlines the long-term benefits of investing in employee training. Quantify potential cost savings, improved productivity, reduced turnover rates, and enhanced competitiveness that can result from upskilling existing employees.
10. Lead by example: Take the initiative to enhance your skills and demonstrate the value of continuous learning. By setting an example, you can inspire and motivate others to embrace personal and professional development.

How have YOU worked with your organization to get training on the table? It’s not easy, and it takes time and patience. But I would love to know what you have done. Please share in the comments.