jimtrue.com : school : CUL137 : CH18: Employee Training and Development

Posted by Jim True on August 24, 2009 7:41 PM. Last Updated August 24, 2009 7:41 PM

Disclaimer for all material noted here is at the bottom of this web page.

CH18: Employee Training and Development

• Importance of Training
• Who will do the training
• How Employees Learn best
• Developing a Job Training Program
• Retraining
• Orientation
• Overcoming obstacles to learning

Importance of Training

• 3 kinds of training: Job instruction, retraining, and orientation
• The big sister, big brother or buddy system is when an old hand shows newcomer the ropes
• When good training is absent there is likely to be an atmosphere of tension, crisis and conflict because nobody knows what to do

The Benefits of Training

• Gives the supervisor more time to manage, standardized performance, less absenteeism, less turnover, reduced tension, consistency, lower costs, more customers, better service
• Gives the workers confidence to do their jobs, reduces tension, boost morale and job satisfaction, reduces injuries and accidents, gives them a chance to advance
• Gives the business a good image and more profit

Then Why is Training often Neglected?

• Urgency of need
• Training time
• Costs
• Employee turnover
• short-term worker
• Diversity of worker
• Kinds of jobs (simple - complex)
• Not knowing exactly what you want your people to do and how

Who Will do the Training

• The Magic Apron method: people train themselves the easiest ways to get the job done, and what will keep them from getting into trouble
• The person that is leaving trains: teaches shortcuts and ways of breaking the rules
• Big sister, big brother or buddy: passes on bad habits and may resent new person as competition
• The logical person to train new workers is YOURSELF!

How employees learn the best?

• Learning is the acquisition of skills, knowledge or attitudes
• Adult Learning Theory: is a field of research that examines how adults learn...
• Actively involved in the learning process (to do this choose an appropriate teaching method)
• Training is relevant and practical
• Training material is organized and presented in chunks
• Training is an informal, quiet, and comfortable setting
• When they have a good trainer
• When you receive feedback on your performance
• When you are rewarded

Developing a Job-Training Program

• Training plan: a detailed plan for carrying out employee training for a unit of work
• 1st: establish performance standards; they provide a ready made structure for a training program
• 2nd: Write a training objective derived from the above
• 3rd: Develop standard procedures (list tasks and spell them out)

Develop a Unit Training Program

• This is taught in several sessions
• It should provide checkpoints to measure progress
• Should include two elements
1. Showing and telling the employee what to do
2. Having the employee do it (right)
• Location should be quiet
• Training materials should be the same as used on the job

Moving from Plan to Action

• Training people with some experience begins with a pre-test
• Carry out the training program with the employees who do not meet standards
• Once the training process is complete EVALUATE

Evaluation

• Formative evaluation: uses observation, interviews, and surveys to monitor training while its going on
• Summative evaluation: measures results when training is complete in 5 ways (pg. 268 & 269)
1. Reaction
2. Knowledge
3. Behavior
4. Attitudes
5. Productivity

Job Instruction Training (JIT)

• Also called on the job training
• Consists of 4 steps:
1. Prepare the learner
2. Demonstrate the Task
3. Have the worker do the task
4. Follow through: put the worker on the job, correcting and supporting as needed

Classroom Training Skills

• Be aware of appropriate body language and speech
• Watch how you talk to employees; convey respect and appreciation
• Handle problem behaviors in an effective manner
• Avoid time wasters
• Facilitate employee participation and discussion
• Use visual aids to avoid constantly referring to notes

Retraining

• Needed when changes are made that affect the job, employees performance drops below par, or when the worker has not mastered a particular technique
• A positive one-on-one approach to retraining is referred to as coaching
• Coaching is a two part process:
1. Observation of the employees performance
2. Conversation between manager and employee focusing on job performance

Orientation

• Introduces each new employee to the job and the workplace
• Tells new staff members what they want to know and what the company wants them to know
• Communicates information - give out an employee handbook
• Creates positive employee attitudes toward the company and the job

Overcoming Obstacles to Learning

• Reduce fear with a positive approach (convey confidence in the worker)
• Increase motivation emphasize whatever is of value to the learner, make the program form a series of small successes, build incentives and rewards
• Limited abilities: adjust teaching to learner's level
• Laziness, indifference,resistance: May mean a problem worker
• Teaching not adapted to learners: deal with people as they are (each person not tasks), keep it simple, involve all the senses
• Poor training program: revise to include objectives
• Poor Instructor: The trainer needs to know the job, be a good communicator and leader, sensitive, patient, helpful, etc.

Disclaimer: These are MY notes taken from classroom lectures while I'm in the classroom. While I'm perfectly happy to share my notes with my classmates and I know I take very good notes, you should still make every effort to attend the class and TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES. I will not transcribe everything the instructor says in the classroom, and I will NEVER post pre-exam reviews. My notes will not replace the value of actually attending class and taking your own class notes.I also cannot attest to their accuracy, other than they are what was provided in the lecture; you should not reference my notes as "expert opionion" by any means, and if you notice an error or omission, please do me the favor of e-mailing me with the correction and I will re-post my notes. End of Disclaimer.