Seeking a Proven Trainer to Help Reduce Attrition for Entry-Level Engineers Near Chandigarh

We are located near Chandigarh, a large engineering organization, and are looking for a hardcore trainer on a fixed-time basis for entry-level employees.

Expectations:

- Reduce attrition to the agreed percentage.
- Trainers with a proven track record, please provide quotes.

Regards,
S.C. Garg
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Dear S.C. Garg,

My organization is involved in diverse engineering maintenance services with 1,500 employees, where the ratio of technical employees is higher than non-technical ones. I train employees on various modules, but we are still facing issues related to attrition.

For your information, attrition cannot be arrested under any circumstances, even if you appoint me as CEO of your organization. However, it can only be controlled to an extent, where terms and conditions will be applicable.

1. A trainer cannot control attrition, but they can submit points for controlling attrition, where top management is expected to pay attention on a top-priority basis.
2. Look for the right people (qualifications may not be mandatory, but the desire to perform and excel in favor of the organization is a very important factor) to be employed for specific assignments.
3. Spend time understanding the psychology of your employees.
4. Correlate the organization's standards with employee standards.
5. Everything is time-bound, and we do live a time-bound life, where nothing can be assured.
6. It is the job of top management to control attrition based on various factors, where the HR department can support beyond their limits to retain the best workforce.

May I ask you a question?

1. To what extent has your management succeeded in controlling attrition?
2. Whom do you want a trainer to train - top management, senior managers, managers, or entry-level employees?
3. Why is there a need for a trainer "to arrest attrition on an agreed percentage" when a trainer can only train, motivate, educate, and counsel employees but cannot meet their requirements/demands pertaining to salary/compensation and other factors associated with the workplace?

I would appreciate it if you could share your views to support your requirement.

With profound regards

Dear Mr. SC Garg, Nothing is stranger than your requirement and the replies to your post by the fellow trainers. This post is a classic example of how people are ignorant about the concept of training—those who ask for it and those who agree to provide it! Alas, there was one sane voice of Mr. Khadir who stood up and put the straight questions. Now it is time for you to give replies to those questions.

Motivating Employees

Motivating employees is the explicit responsibility of your management. Don't expect some outsider trainer to succeed due to the failure of your leadership. Training improves motivation, no doubt, but there are scores of other factors for this, and motivation improves only to a small extent. I have written many times that "training is not a panacea for all organizational problems."

It's good to note that someone has come forward to take the responsibility. Please award him this assignment and share the results of the training, say after three or six months. I have the patience to wait for that time period.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

Dear Mr. Dinesh Divekar, I sincerely appreciate your reply, and I am really surprised to see other trainers offering their services without even evaluating or understanding the existing scenario. This is the major reason for "THE BEST LOGICAL/CREATIVE TRAINERS" being ignored and sidelined as we are accustomed "TO SPEAK FACTS BASED ON TRUTH".

Your point will definitely come true: "Don't expect some outsider trainer to succeed for the failure of your leadership" if S C GARG had decided to allow a trainer to meet his expectations.

With profound regards,

Dear Mr. Garg,

I see that Mr. Khadir and Mr. Divekar have already highlighted some valid points. What I understand is that, especially in the engineering sector, attrition at the entry level and junior level is a constant challenge. It's the way the engineering industry works. The challenge has even translated to the blue-collar workers as well—thanks to NREGA. Politicians might have scored a vote but have definitely impacted the economy.

In a situation like a high attrition rate, I don't think you need trainers. What you need is an organizational consultant to work in parallel with your management team and make your organization a better place to work. They will understand the dynamics of your organizational environment and attempt to influence the factors causing attrition by providing recommendations to your management.

It would be up to your management to accept or reject the same. Having said that, I would like to emphasize that the factors could be both internal and external, like the availability of better work options in the vicinity, which will be according to the spread of your industry in your area.

Further, even after all these efforts, there would be a restricted zone of influence you would be able to cause change to; beyond that, you won't be able to do much. Attrition will be there—you need to decide how much you are willing to manage. You need to set a target for it.

Though people will come and tell you they can provide a program and attrition will be down, be careful, as they are promising what they can't deliver. You will only be left with frustration in the end. It's a question of individual maturity—maybe the people who approach with a proposal like that haven't understood the dynamics of business in fine detail. You need to be extra careful with such proposals. There is no single capsule training that can solve everything.

What you need is an organizational transformation—just bulldozing the minds of employees with a company-sponsored mandate might not do the trick. I used the word "transformation" specifically—as it's beyond change, like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

Hope this helps!

Regards

Dear Mr. Sunil Chandra, I would not like to engage in a one-to-one duel; however, since you have written your post mentioning my name explicitly, it is incumbent on my part to reply to you.

I have given my comments on employee attrition several times. These are as below:

- https://www.citehr.com/287570-heavy-...ml#post1297575
- https://www.citehr.com/327495-attrit...ml#post1496661
- https://www.citehr.com/175846-how-ch...tml#post763782
- and most importantly:
- https://www.citehr.com/252800-sharin...ml#post1134405

There is no evidence to show that by hiring the services of some external training company, one can control attrition. If that were the case, top-notch companies like Infosys would have done it long ago. Moreover, well-established training companies would have made "controlling employee attrition through training" their sales pitch and minted money.

Attrition is a problem anywhere and everywhere. Training companies are also beset with this problem.

While business is important, accurate assessment of the client's requirement is more important. We, the trainers, should be judicious in drawing lines that demarcate our services. We always preach in our leadership training that leaders should have self-awareness. This self-awareness is very much required about our own training services as well. Out of this humble thought, I had written this post. It is more pertinent than impertinent, but certainly, it was not an insinuation.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar