Employee Training: An Introduction

Introduction to Employee Training

• Training imparts essential knowledge, skills, and behaviors for job performance.
• Training ensures employees perform their job roles safely and correctly.
• It applies to both new and existing employees and should be regularly assessed.
• It can be job-specific or more general.
  • For example, teaching a sales employee to sell a specific product or teaching a worker to operate machinery.
• Training is short term relating to an employee's current job, while development prepares current employees for future roles.
• It is part of a company's strategic plan
• Training is a strategic investment in human capital

Legal Aspects of Training

• Employees can be considered to have abandoned their position if they refuse a lawful and reasonable order to attend training.
• Training groups should be equitable and non-discriminatory
• Negligent training occurs when an employer fails to adequately train an employee who subsequently harms a third party.

Benefits of Training

• Achieved through better job performance
• Reduction in accidents and injuries.
• Improved employee engagement and satisfaction
• Greater employee retention
• Enhanced employer brand and strengthened employee commitment

Avoiding Negligent Training

• Negligent training happens when an employer doesn't provide sufficient training
• A negligent employer may face accusations from a third party if an improperly trained employee causes injuries or loss.
• This can arise from under-training or improper adherence to training procedures,
• Results in an unsafe work environment that can negatively affect clients.
  • For example, a forklift operator receives 10 hours of training when 20 hours are required.

Training Program Development: Needs Analysis

• Determines what training is needed for employees to perform their jobs well.
  • Poor performance should be linked to deficiencies, not low morale due to poor salary.
  • It identifies new training opportunities.
  • It finds gaps in current training programs.

Three Components of Training

• Organization analysis: Establishes the context for training
  • Considers organizational goals, training climate, and barriers (resources, budget, time, expertise)
• Person analysis: Identifies who needs training, their existing knowledge, and characteristics like availability and learning styles.
• Task analysis: Defines observable actions needed to achieve job goals
  • Key job-related tasks are identified, with measurable performance standards that may include a timeframe.
  • Considers conditions, skills, and knowledge required, especially for new employees.
• Job descriptions or specifications are used in task analysis
  • They outline main tasks, frequency, performance standards, conditions, and required competencies.
  • Determines if training should be on-the-job or off-the-job.
  • For example, pilots must use a simulator before flying a jet.
• Competency Model:
  • Consolidates required knowledge, skills, and behaviors for a job.

Performance Analysis for Training

• Determines training needs for existing employees.
• Verifies significant performance deficiencies and decides if deficiencies can be fixed through training or other methods like job transfer.
• Compairing current performance with desired performance is vital
  • Methods used include performance data, observation, interviews, tests, and attitude surveys.
• Distinguishes between "can't do" (lack of training) and "won't do" (lack of motivation), offering support or incentives as needed.

Establishing Training Objectives

• Identified needs lead to concrete, measurable objectives that specify what trainees should achieve by the end of the program.
• The training program can then be developed and implemented using these objectives

Method of Instruction (Instructional Design)

• The actual training content is compiled and produced, including workbooks and activities.
• It must be decided whether learning is programmed or informal, and what the training medium will be.

Traditional Training Techniques

• Classroom Training:
  • The primary method of corporate training in Canada - with instructor-led lecture sessions are effective for large groups.
  • Loss of productivity, slower feedback
• Blended Learning: blends instructor-led and online e-learning.
• On-the-Job Training:
  • Skills are practiced at the workplace under supervision.
  • Offers regular feedback
  • Almost every employee undertakes on the job training.
• Apprenticeship training
  • When a apprentice studies under a master, combining classroom instruction with on-the-job training.
• Job instruction training
  • Step-by-step method showing how to perform tasks, including key points.
  • Increasingly replaced by behavior modeling.
• Behavior Modeling is delivered in four steps
  • Includes modeling, role-playing, reinforcement, and transfer of training to the job.
• Adventure-Based Learning:
  • Involves challenging physical activities to promote teamwork, communication, & leadership skills.
  • It can be taxing on time and resources, causing loss of productivity and requiring external training companies.

Technology-Enabled Learning

• E-Learning:
  • Good for multi-regional organizations
  • Consistent and often cheaper than classroom training.
  • Requires learner motivation and is suitable for adults needing flexible learning.
  • Appropriate for specialized businesses with limited time for training
  • Ideal for global organizations; provides consistent training.
• Simulated Training:
  • Places trainees in realistic job situations.
  • Is immersive and can be very effective to trainees
  • Can be expensive to develop and maintain.
• Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS):
  • Computer-based tools automate training, provide documentation, and offer support
  • EPSS is a reminder of training and is constantly accessible to provide quick and cheap support
  • Dell support staff using EPSS to guide technicians and customers in analytics.
• Programmed Learning:
  • Presents questions, facts, or problems, allows trainee response
  • Provides feedback, reducing training time and risk of error.
• Informal Learning:
  • Is not designed by an organization, making up two-thirds of workplace training
  • It results from day-to-day interactions between colleagues.

Validation, Implementation, and Evaluation Steps

• Validation:
  • Pilot-testing the training program with a group of trainees is often overlooked
  • It Assess if objectives are met, and trainees are tested.
• Implementation:
  • Integrates training within the organization.
  • Aims to maximize the transfer of training.
  • The Extent to which learned behaviors are applied on the job relies on similarity between training and job situations
  • "Train the trainer" programs familiarize staff with new content and methods.
• Evaluation:
  • Determines if training achieved its objectives.
  • Evaluation design assesses program effectiveness and uses controlled experimentation.
  • Kirkpatrick’s model measures reaction, learning, behavior, and results

Kirkpatrick's Training Evaluation Model

• Level 1 (Reaction): Assesses trainees' feelings, enjoyment, and engagement.
• Level 2 (Learning): Measures what trainees have learned.
• Level 3 (Behavior): Measures changes in job performance.
• Level 4 (Results): Assesses benefits to the organization that stem from training.

Performance Management

• Performance Appraisal is evaluating current and past performance against set standards through setting standards, assessing performance, and providing feedback.
• Performance Management is a system encompassing activities to improve employee effectiveness through goal-setting, pay, training, & career management.
• The system defines, measures, and develops workforce performance.
• It aligns with employees' activities and organizational strategy

Steps for Performance Management

• Step 1: Set Organizational Goals (financial, non-financial)
  • Clarify the organization's desired outcomes, set continuously.
• Step 2: Set Employee Objectives
  • Aligns individual contributions with organizational goals through measurable, time-bound objectives.
• Step 3: Monitoring and Support
  • Involves frequent feedback and resources from the organization.
• Step 4: Evaluation
  • Assesses if objectives were met, sets new ones, and should be conducted through dialogue.
• Step 5: Consequences/Rewards
  • Applies meaningful, relevant rewards or appropriate consequences.
  • Rewards include promotion or bonuses, while consequences may include reprimands or termination.

Purposes of Performance Management Systems (SAD)

• Strategic: aligns employee efforts with organizational goals
• Administrative: informs decisions regarding promotion or reprimand.
• Developmental: helps employees grow and improve

Performance Appraisal Methods

• Alternation Ranking: identifies the best and worst employees in an iterative sequence.
  • Difficult in large organizations
  • Resultant feedback isn't informative
  • Creates a ranking, but does not explain why the ranking happened.
• Paired Comparison: compares each employee with every other employee.
  • Difficult to implement in large organizations
  • Resultant feedback isn't informative
• Forced Distribution: Pre-determines percentage of employees placed into categories.
• Useful for large organizations
  • Top compensation limited leading to termination if performing low
• Graphic Rating Scale: measures proficiency on dimensions using a rubric.
• Clear feedback - Lack of clarity to improving performance
• Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS): identifies key dimensions and uses behavioral examples
  • Is more consistent
  • Provides rationale for scores

Techniques to improving performance

• A mixed method incorporates several appraisal techniques.
• Management By Objectives requires managers and employees to jointly set and discuss goals aligned with the organization.
  • Difficult goals may improve personal growth, but result is burnout
  • Can be time consuming

Appraisal issues

• Honesty is often compromised by interpersonal issues.
• Employees have overly optimistic bias
• Managers may lack of training to give appraisal
• Structural issues are a concern to appraisal fairness, which is shown through validity and reliability.

Rating factors in Appraisal

• Validity and reliability: Results should be consistent for the same performance.
• Criteria: must be relevant, broad, and specific.
• Rating scale Issues -Unclear, Halo Effect, Central Tendency, Strictness or Leniency, Appraisal Bias
• Supervisory training is a solution to a rating scale where everyone is aware of the issue

Sources of Appraisal Information

• Supervisor
• Peer
• Subordinate
• Self
• Committees

Three-sixty Degree Appraisal

• Uses multiple sources of input
• Is time consuming, but yields detailed and accurate feedback.
• Advice includes developing specific criteria, providing training, and ensuring anonymity.
• Measurement errors can come from primacy or recency effects.
• Rating errors come from leniency, strictness, or central tendency.