Arkansas employers have access to tools, training, and funding to strengthen job quality, develop managers, and retain the talent they've already invested in.
Post by April Ambrose, Director of Workforce Development, Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation
There is a lot of funding circulating for hiring and training right now, from apprenticeship incentives to federal workforce grants. But planting new seeds is far more expensive than watering the garden you already have, and letting it wither would waste everything you have already invested. The same logic applies to your staff. Replacing a single employee can cost half to four times that person’s annual salary. Before pouring resources into recruiting strangers, invest in the people already clocking in.
Retention begins with job quality. Jobs for the Future's Quality Jobs Framework highlights fair pay, benefits, stability, and advancement. See below for a few actions you could apply to help your staff thrive.
Workers stay when they see a future. That means transparent career maps (i.e. energy or green building) showing exactly what skills and competencies are required to move up. If an employee cannot visualize their next role, they will visualize it somewhere else. Mark Perna frames this as a mindset shift: lifelong learning is not a cost but an investment, and companies that treat upskilling as expendable will watch their best people leave for organizations that do not.
No amount of upskilling will save a team whose manager undermines them daily, so management is another lever. SHRM reports that 58 percent of managers have never received formal training, and 60 percent of new managers fail within two years. A strong operational performer who gets promoted has real technical expertise, but that does not equal people skills. Leading a team requires its own training, just as the technical skills did.
The environment matters, and for energy employers it is a natural fit. Energy efficiency upgrades that improve thermal comfort, lighting, and air quality do more than cut utility bills. LEED-certified spaces are linked to higher satisfaction and lower turnover, and younger workers increasingly want employers whose buildings reflect their sustainability values. The U.S. Green Building Council notes that employees in LEED buildings are happier, healthier, and more productive, and most would choose a LEED workplace over a conventional one. Apply your energy expertise to your own facility, and treat the retention gain as part of the return.
For energy workers, job quality is also shaped by the conditions of the work itself: safe staffing, reliable equipment, manageable schedules, and fair treatment during emergency response. Ask employees what gets in the way of doing good work, then act on what you hear. Retention improves when people can see not only a path forward, but a feedback loop for a safe and sustainable way to stay in the job today.
Arkansas offers substantial support. The Office of Skills Development provides Grow Our Own grants reimbursing up to 75 percent of training costs for businesses with 250 or fewer employees, plus Professional Development grants covering things like leadership, Microsoft Office, or conflict resolution training. UA Little Rock’s Arkansas Public Administration Consortium offers a variety of leadership training, including Professional Development for Managers. SHRM’s People Manager Qualification teaches communication, performance management, and situational judgment, the actual mechanics of leading humans. Arkansas Manufacturing Solutions offers a free Workplace Resilience Assessment auditing culture, compensation, onboarding, and career planning. Heart of Arkansas United Way's ALICE@Workhelps employers understand how to support the 44 percent of Arkansans that fall below the ALICE threshold, struggling despite working.
Build the people you have. It is cheaper than rebuilding.
Feel you’re already doing all the above? Then apply for Arkansas Business’ Best Places to Work and be honored!