No Experience Required? Most Small Businesses Not Willing to Train

Small businesses are seemingly less likely to hang a “Help Wanted: No Experience Necessary” sign in their window these days.

New data from SurePayroll on employee training found that, of the more than 300 respondents to its survey, most small businesses (63.1 percent, to be exact) say that a job candidate must have the right experience to even be considered.

Most Small Business Not Interested In Training New Hires

The rest (36.9 percent) say they’ll train a new hire for the job they need done even if they don’t have experience.

So, with or without experience, the largest group of small businesses responding to SurePayroll’s survey say they don’t have a formal training process in place. Time and a lack of resources seem to be the biggest hangups small businesses have with training new employees.

Of the more than 300 responding, 29.6 percent said it’s a learn-as-you-go situation in regard to training.

Companies that have a formal training process are almost equally divided on how long it lasts. Just more than 20 percent say their training process lasts more than a month. However, nearly as many said their training regimen lasts less than a week.

Another 18 percent said their training lasts a week or two, and another 15.6 percent said it lasts a month.

SurePayroll New Hire Training Survey

Most responding to the SurePayroll new hire training survey say they never failed at training a new employee. However, some did say that they may not have picked the right person for the job in the first place.

One small business owner commented: “As an employer, we give the necessary training to succeed at a particular position. It is then up to the individual employee to follow through. I don’t think there is ever failure in training but possibly failure of appropriate placement for a particular position. Some employees excel in a position and some don’t.”

Onboarding a new employee is a critical step for any growing small business. The wrong pick for an open or new position within your company can be very costly.

But as a small business owner, you needn’t be told that time and money are not on your side. You need to prepare for a proper training program. Still it’s a quandary that seems to impact the smallest businesses more than others.

Speaking to that, one small business owner told SurePayroll, “It’s difficult to train in a learn-as-you-go scenario, but there are no good options for a business with only a few employees. Can’t afford a real training program, so it’s critical to select the right candidates.”

For small businesses in this scenario, considering the cost and impact of a bad hire or a hire-gone-wrong, it may be best to get as many of the proverbial ducks in a row before you sign on a new employee.

Chart: Small Business Trends

This article, "No Experience Required? Most Small Businesses Not Willing to Train" was first published on Small Business Trends