How Continuous Training Reduces Costly Employee Turnover in Machine Shops

g3 cnc
Oct 20, 2022
2 min read

Updated: Sep 5

CNC Employee Retention: How Continuous Training Reduces Costly Turnover

The Business Case for Ongoing CNC Training [Employee Retention]

High turnover is one of the most expensive problems in CNC machining. Recruiting, onboarding, retraining, and lost production add up quickly. Replacing just one employee can cost 33% of their annual salary. For a $60,000/year role, that’s $20,000 in replacement costs alone.

In CNC shops, 45% of new hires quit within 90 days. Here’s why — and how to stop it.

1. Implement a Structured CNC Onboarding Process

Why: Lack of structure on day one leads to confusion, early resignations & poor CNC employee retention.

Action Steps:

Prepare a step-by-step onboarding plan before their start date.
Complete all paperwork digitally before day one.
Provide hands-on machine safety and process training immediately.
Assign a mentor for the first 30 days.

2. Set Clear Role Expectations and Measurable Goals

Why: 43% of early departures happen because the job wasn’t what they expected.

Action Steps:

Use accurate job descriptions detailing daily tasks and responsibilities.
Discuss performance metrics during the first week.
Schedule weekly check-ins during the first 90 days.

3. Continue Training Beyond Onboarding

Why: Skills fade and motivation drops without ongoing development.

Action Steps:

Offer modular CNC skills training (online or in-person).
Include company culture and values training for alignment.
Invest in leadership and communication skills for future leads.
Allocate a training budget for employee-requested courses.

Training Payoff

A culture of continuous CNC operator training:

Reduces turnover and recruitment costs
Improves productivity and quality
Builds loyalty and career growth pathways

By replacing one-time orientation with ongoing skill development, modern machine shops create stability, safety, and profitability.

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About G3CNC

G3CNC is uniquely impacting the training space for CNC machining to attract more talent into the industry and drive rapid results with educational resources focused on improving employee work ethic and productivity. Unlike traditional training G3 focuses on the "whole person" with job specific skill sets in addition to qualities like work ethic, communication, professionalism & leadership. Using advanced learning methods including online modules & artificial intelligence, we specializes in "capturing" employees into the CNC machining industry, and dramatically boosting employee performance, productivity & employee retention.