Improved Employee Retention

Evidence and data. Interviewees told Forrester that employee attraction and retention was a major issue in their industries. Finding employees with the right skills and willingness to stay long term was very challenging. But they said Guild Grow provides a strategic program that helps with attraction and retention. Each interviewee told Forrester about a significant decline in attrition rates when their organizations compared employees enrolled in Guild Grow and those who were not.

• The director of learning and development at a manufacturing organization explained: “Attrition rate is currently 20% for those enrolled in Guild Grow. [The rate for] people who are not participating in any education program is 45%. We track this because this was one of our initial metrics. We believe that if we invest in people and provide them with opportunities, then they’ll stay. And what the data has shown is that’s absolutely the case.”

• The VP of total rewards at a healthcare organization elaborated about retention as a major benefit of implementing Guild Grow: “The replacement cost for a nurse is somewhere between $45,000 and $50,000 for our organization. With the number of nurses we retained — about 490 — it came out to over $22 million in savings over the 18 months we have had the program.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• Five percent of eligible employees are enrolled in the Guild Grow program.

• Seventy percent of learners are frontline workers and 30% are professionals with college degrees.

• The cost of replacing an employee is calculated by dividing their annual salary by 1,000. This is the percentage of the salary needed to replace that worker.

• There is a 25 percentage-point reduction in annual attrition for employees enrolled in Guild Grow programs.

• A full-time equivalent (FTE) works 2,080 hours per year.

• A frontline worker earns $18 per hour and professionals earn $50 per hour.

Risks. An organization’s realization of benefits due to improved employee retention may vary due to several factors, including:

• Pay rates of employees in the industry and geographical location.

• The cost of replacing an employee within the industry.

• Employee attrition rates within the industry.

• The participation rate for eligible employees who enroll in Guild Grow and stay in the program.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 10%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $35.6 million.

Productivity Improvement From Internal Mobility

Evidence and data. Interviewees told Forrester that training and moving or promoting employees from within also saves their organizations a lot of money, and there have been significant benefits in terms of efficiency and onboarding cost reduction compared to hiring externally. They said learners going through Guild Grow programs build on their familiarity with the company’s culture, processes, and goals, which enables quicker integration of new skills and reduces the time spent onboarding. They also talked about cost effectiveness, avoided recruitment expenses, avoided salary premiums for external hires, and avoided risk of potentially mismatching candidates. They said these learners leverage in-house expertise and resources to arrive at full productivity faster than new external hires and that using Guild Grow, their organizations focus on internal development and create skilled, loyal workforces that adapt quickly to organizational needs while maintaining operational continuity and saving significant financial and time resources.

• A director of learning and development at a manufacturing company said: “[For] firing, I am giving severance. [For] hiring, I am giving recruiting and hiring premiums. Then there is the cost of training and the qualitative stuff of time to productivity. These are hard numbers. Reskilling is more efficient.”

• The chief workforce planning officer at a healthcare organization said, “In general, we are an organization that focuses on knowing, growing, and moving our employees. We have a specific strategy around making sure we are equipping our individuals and teams to grow within the organization. It is more efficient to promote from within than to hire externally.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The composite promotes 20% of Guild Grow learners in Year 1, 30% in Year 2, and 40% in Year 3.

• Of the promoted learners each year, 70% are frontline workers and 30% are professionals with college degrees.

• The time from onboarding to full productivity for a frontline employee is two months. The time for a professional employee is three months.

• Time efficiency to full productivity for internally promoted hires is 60% over new hires.

• The fully burdened salary is equal to 135% of the worker’s annual salary.

Risks. An organization’s realization of benefits due to productivity improvement from internal mobility may vary due to several factors, including:

• The time internally moved employees need to achieve full productivity versus the time for new hires.

• The ease and cost of reskilling or upskilling employees in the industry.

• The cost of firing and hiring new employees in the industry and region.

• The organization’s strategic focus on investing in and growing internal talent pipelines.

• The participation rate for eligible employees who enroll in Guild Grow and stay in the program.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $9.2 million.

Learning And Development Program Operational Efficiency

Evidence and data. Interviewees told Forrester their organizations previously managed education benefit programs manually with internal HR teams and that moving to Guild Grow-managed programs offer numerous advantages. They explained that Guild Grow streamlines program administration, which frees HR teams from time-intensive tasks like tracking tuition reimbursements and managing vendor relationships. This allows HR to focus on strategic priorities, such as talent development and employee engagement.
They also said Guild Grow’s solution is scalable, which reduced FTE time needed to manage education benefits. A VP of total rewards at a healthcare organization explained: “We have the same people, but we have been able to absorb more and different work into our HR service center team. I would say they don’t spend too much time on manual work right now. A lot of their work has shifted because, before Guild Grow, it was processing paperwork, processing checks, and dealing with employees. But now it’s more strategic program management and vendor management. It’s just about a third of their time now.”

They also said Guild Grow’s solution is scalable, which reduced FTE time needed to manage education benefits. A VP of total rewards at a healthcare organization explained: “We have the same people, but we have been able to absorb more and different work into our HR service center team. I would say they don’t spend too much time on manual work right now. A lot of their work has shifted because, before Guild Grow, it was processing paperwork, processing checks, and dealing with employees. But now it’s more strategic program management and vendor management. It’s just about a third of their time now.”

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• Four employees managed the composite’s previous education benefits program.

• Using Guild Grow leads to a 60% efficiency in FTE hours for those program managers.

• The average fully burdened annual salary for a program manager is $140,000.

Risks. An organization’s realization of benefits from program management efficiency may vary due to several factors, including:

• The complexity of the organization’s education benefits program before adopting Guild Grow.

• The number of employees who managed the previous program.

• The annual pay for employees who managed the previous program.

• The size and scope of the previous program.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $710,000.

Unquantified Benefits

Interviewees mentioned the following additional benefits their organizations experienced but were not able to quantify:

• Strategic flexibility. Interviewees said Guild Grow offers tailored solutions to meet workforce development goals, which can enhance strategic flexibility in education benefits deployment. They explained that Guild collaborates with their organizations to build education catalogs that best serve their strategic goals, and they said Guild Grow provides scalable programs that adapt to diverse employer needs, employee needs, and evolving industry demands. Employers can leverage data-driven insights from Guild to align learning opportunities with organizational priorities. Interviewees explained that by offering personalized career pathways, Guild Grow ensures employees have access to the right skills at the right time while supporting upskilling initiatives and preparing their organizations to navigate market shifts. They said the Guild platform simplifies administration, which reduces the complexity of managing education benefits, and that the program fosters employee engagement and retention, which contributes to long-term business success.
  They also said Guild Grow supports upskilling initiatives, preparing their organizations to navigate market shifts, while enabling partnerships with leading academic institutions to ensure high-quality learning experiences. They described transparent tracking and reporting that allows their organizations to measure ROI and optimize investments and said that Guild Grow empowers their companies to remain agile and competitive in a rapidly changing environment.

• Enhanced brand value and recognition. Interviewees told Forrester that working with Guild to manage their organizations’ education benefits program enhanced their companies’ brand value and recognition. They described the learning and development opportunities offered through Guild Grow as robust, and said using it positions their organizations as forward-thinking companies invested in employee growth with a commitment to education and career advancement, which makes them an employer of choice in their communities and helps them attract top talent in competitive markets. They also explained that Guild Grow’s tailored catalogs align with industry demands and allow their companies to demonstrate dedication to innovation and workforce readiness.
  A VP of total rewards at a healthcare organization said: “One big piece that we haven’t quantified from working with Guild is brand value. I mentioned the internal goodwill we have earned. We have also partnered with Guild at different conferences, and our program has been one of the most successful healthcare programs they’ve had. We have been featured in several articles, podcasts, and presentations. There is messaging out there about how we support our employees, thereby improving recruitment.”
  Interviewees also told Forrester employees who feel supported in their personal and professional development are more likely to share positive experiences, which can boost word-of-mouth promotion and improve employer branding. Additionally, they said Guild’s partnerships with respected academic institutions and linking learners through Guild Grow improves their organizations’ credibility and demonstrates a focus on quality. Their companies highlight success stories, such as employees earning degrees or certifications, in marketing campaigns to demonstrate the impact of Guild Grow on its workforce.
  They also said Guild Grow’s data-driven insights have helped their organizations create compelling narratives about their contributions to societal and economic growth while their organizations are seen as catalysts for empowerment and upward mobility in their communities. Interviewees explained that their focus on education and opportunity has resonated with customers, partners, and stakeholders, which strengthened overall brand loyalty.

• Employee engagement. Interviewees told Forrester that deploying Guild Grow can significantly enhance employee engagement and satisfaction by providing meaningful opportunities for personal and professional growth. They said employee engagement at their organizations has improved immensely, especially for employee populations that couldn’t pay for their education up-front and wait for reimbursement later. Offering access to tailored education programs and career pathways helped employees feel supported in their long-term development, fostering a sense of value and belonging.
  They also said Guild Grow’s platform is user-friendly and simplifies enrollment and navigation, which reduces barriers to participation and increases program utilization. They said employees are more engaged when they see their organization is investing in their future, leading to higher morale and loyalty. And they believe providing employees with the ability to upskill or reskill through Guild Grow empowers them to take charge of their careers, which improves job satisfaction and confidence.
  A chief workforce planning officer at a healthcare organization said: “Guild brought thought leadership around career pathway development that we had struggled to advance. They brought expertise there that helped us design eight clear and navigable career pathways for 45,000 of our employees.”
  Additionally, interviewees explained that Guild Grow provides access to academic advising and career coaching to ensure employees feel guided and supported throughout their learning journeys as employees are more motivated and productive when they achieve milestones, such as obtaining degrees or certifications. By aligning education benefits with employee aspirations and organizational talent needs, interviewees said their organizations foster a culture of continuous improvement and purpose and that this enhanced engagement reduces turnover rates and strengthens the employer-employee relationship. Interviewees explained that Guild Grow helps create a workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, and committed to their organization’s success.

Flexibility

The value of flexibility is unique to each customer. There are multiple scenarios in which a customer might implement Guild Grow and later realize additional uses and business opportunities, including:

• Targeted skilling. Interviewees said Guild Grow provides their organizations with the ability to tailor solutions that align with evolving business needs and that they can choose programs that target specific skill gaps or future workforce demands to ensure adaptability in competitive markets. For example, a business focused on digital transformation could invest in Guild Grow programs that emphasize coding, AI, or data analytics certifications while a healthcare organization might prioritize nursing degrees or medical assistant training to address talent shortages. Interviewees said Guild Grow’s model also allows for expansion into emerging fields, such as adoption of AI, advanced manufacturing and automation, and digital and data fluency, and that this flexibility ensures investments remain relevant as industries and technologies evolve.

• New-to-market programs. Interviewees explained that their organizations can scale programs to include new partnerships with universities and bootcamps, broadening the scope of learning opportunities. They said that Guild Grow’s data-driven insights enable continuous refinement of offerings to maximize employee engagement and ROI and that future investments might include leadership development programs or specialized training for global expansion. They explained that Guild Grow has an adaptable framework that empowers their organizations to stay ahead of trends while ultimately supporting the long-term growth of both their organizations and their workforces.

Flexibility would also be quantified when evaluated as part of a specific project (described in more detail in Total Economic Impact Approach).