Properly trained employees are our best asset. With good training, our team members work more safely, create a better work environment, and do a better job overall. We provide the instruction and training our workers need to perform their jobs correctly—and to stay safe. (For more on safety training, see Injury Prevention Management.)
Murphy-Brown, for example, regularly receives industry recognition for its Step Plan training program, which includes financial incentives for employees to complete training certification goals.
LEARN MORE Reducing Employee Turnover
Across our company, we have been actively exploring ways to enhance the workplace environment and, as a result, reduce employee turnover. Nearly three-quarters of all serious injuries in our industry typically occur within the first six months of employment. So the longer our workers stay at our company, the lower the chances that they will suffer a serious injury.
A low turnover rate is essential. We need a skilled, stable workforce to succeed as a business. We’re pleased that our turnover rates range from 20 percent to 35 percent, depending on the location—far below an industry average that hovers around 50 percent.
Although the relatively low turnover rate may be partly due to the economy—workers across all industries have been staying in their jobs longer—we firmly believe that our competitive wages and benefits packages have helped us to retain good workers.
Strong training programs, coupled with our rigorous health and safety requirements, aid in reducing turnover. We also encourage our employees to stay with our company by providing opportunities for advancement. We promote from within as often as possible. At Murphy-Brown, for example, about 40 percent of our senior managers were originally local hires promoted up through the ranks. At Farmland Foods, substantially all of the plant supervisors were promoted from within.
When there are open positions at our independent operating companies, employees get the opportunity to apply and advance within the company. At Murphy-Brown, for example, we encourage our team members to talk with their supervisors about their career plans so we can provide the guidance and educational assistance needed to foster growth.
