This week my children start back to school, and I am so glad that they will have something positive to distract them from the scary pandemic world they are surrounded by. However, my husband and I will have another distraction – tutoring our kids in a virtual learning environment.  

With so many things to distract employees, how do you keep them engaged? A recent study by McKinsey & Company surveyed 800 businesses and their employees and found that showing employees that the organization is stable can increase employee engagement by 52%. 

In addition, showing employees non-financial recognition for their work increased engagement by 55% – the highest of all the increased engagement factors. This totally makes sense, showing an employee that the company is surviving, if not growing, can be critical to improve employee morale and commitment.  

If an employee feels like their contributions at work truly mean something to the success of the company then they are more committed and productive. A May Gallup study found “that team members with higher levels of engagement: produce substantially better outcomes; treat customers better and attract new ones; are more likely to remain with their organization; are healthier and less likely to experience burnout.”  

Providing your employees with a training path can play a vital role in employee engagement as it allows you to show the employee you are willing to invest in them and provide them a stable environment to grow and develop. ESA’s Training as a Service (TaaS) program provides employers with the perfect solution to show your technician you recognize their abilities and are willing to invest in them. 

ESA is now offering 3 tiers of the TaaS program: Tier 1 for entry-level, Tier 2 for those with one to two years installation experience, and a Sales Tier to help the sales–minded individual learn more business development techniques. Employers can select the ideal Tier for their employee and customize it by choosing electives based on the company’s lines of business services. So, if a company doesn’t do fire alarms, they can choose from a vast array of other topics that better fit their needs.  

Each Tier includes a wide range of topics that all technicians can benefit from including OSHA safety protocols, communication, customer service, codes and standards, wireless technologies, and installation and troubleshooting of intrusion, fire, video and access systems. The Sales Tier curriculum specializes in the fundamentals of the sales process, but also includes courses that teach the specifications for intrusion, fire, video and access systems to guide the sales and quoting process.  

With the pandemic and recession disrupting people’s lives in countless ways, providing your employees recognition is one way to keep them engaged and more secure in their employment. Enrolling them in a program that provides a pathway to learning new skills is an excellent solution. To support our members in providing this option to their employees, we are building a subscription option to TaaS that will allow monthly payments to be made rather than face upfront costs. To learn more about ESA TaaS program visit our new website at: courses.esaweb.org/taas. To learn about the launch of the subscription program be sure you are signed up for ESA’s newsletters.