Training the Workforce
Jim’s problem as a manager appeared when one of her employees, Suzy, was worried because she was not recommended to go to training sessions by him. Jim as manager didn’t see the need of sending her to training sessions but realized it’s not always about the environment. Employees see training sessions as a reward too, as a socializing part inside the company appart from improving and learning. It gives the employees a social status that makes them perfom better at their job.
After Jim consulting with other managers, he realized his mistake and started recommending her again. The problem here is that training sesions are not meant to make employees socialize but improve their knowledge, and by that, their performance during their stay at the company. I understand the point of view of Jim as a manager, since he sees the training sessions as an investment, because they are not free, there is money spent, time spent, and hours that employees are not working on their normal duties.
Managers have to deal with some issues when trying to deliver training lessons, for example if they should invest a lot in one specific topic sincer nowadays organizational environment changes really fast. How to deliver those lessons, if in a class-environment or during their work. Also how they should motivate employees to take this training lessons. How to promote them.
But what is the difference between Training and Development. When someone is training it’s usually a topic they already know but there is room for improvement but when we talk about development it means developing new skills, they can be for their current job or for future promotions. The goal of training is usually to fix current skill deficit while development can be to prepare for future demand as I said before (future promotions etc.).
Is training the best thing to do in every situation? No. Sometimes the solution for the lack of skills or motivation of an employee won’t be a training session. Managers have to keep in mind that some people is not fit to work in some positions even if they train them with the best sessions. Sometimes the solution will be firing someone, or moving them to another position.
But if they think training is one of the solutions they will have to look at the cost/return of it. They have to look at it as an investment. If after the training employees do not improve their performance it will be a waste of money and lost labour hours.
Training Process
When the training need has been settled there has to be an analysis on where the needs have to be focused. Specially thinking that they have to be related on the organization’s goals and vaules.
Managers have to focus on how different is the country from the one where the employee currently resides if they are changing (like expatriates). The greater the difference the more training needed for them to get used to the country’s culture.
Sometimes the employee is changing to a complete diferent job, so the challenges of training or developing this employee into new skills can lead into a huge investment.
Training can be done while the employee is working, adapting his work to new features and including all new aspects needed for the employee to develop new skills. Or it can be done in a different space as a lesson-type training where the employee has to attend to a “course” where he will have to learn the theory on how to apply this new skills to his job, or future job.
Evaluation/Feedback
After the training sessions or period has concluded. Employees have to realize if it has been worth it for them, if they can see improvement in themselves and comunicate it with his/her superiors. Managers have the need to assess the effectiveness of training, because is more than simply estimating how much it costed the training session and then checking if the employee is having more productivity in his work.
There have different levels of measuring the effectiveness of the training.
The lowest would be level 1, where a manager gives his opinion about the training subjectively, giving his perception of usefulness.
Level 2 would include an objective measure of learning giving the employee trained a test to prove if he has reached the skills taught by the training.
Level 3 is the application of training back on the job such as behaviors and decisions made on the job.
And the last one would be level 4 when managers check with financial reports if this training has been profitable or not with the help of ROI reports (Return On Investment) or other types of financial reports.
Developing Careers
It’s really common for people to ask themselves if they are going to grow inside a company, if they are going to have oportunities to be promoted. To gain more skills, to have more responsibilities. And when they see other companies who offer better jobs, this questions rise. That’s why managers have to develop a strategy where they can show their employees they can develop their career inside the company. Only if employees see they can grow inside the company won’t consider other offers or won’t react to “triggers” from other companies.
Managers have to make an ongoing and formalized effort that focuses on developing enriched and more capable workers, that’s what we call to develop their careers.
Manager have to answer the question employees have in their minds like: “What development needs do I need to address in order to reach my goals? What opportunities are a good match with my values? What opportunities would best suit my strenghts? but also thinking in the organization needs, are this workers necesary? Can they be easily replaced if they decide they want to “progress and develop their growth”?
This is when managers face challenges. Managers have to identify workers who would be able to handle more responsability in the future and encourage them. When they are identified they should give them special tasks or projects, executive training programs that would make them easier to adapt to the future. Also this would give the employee the kind of atention from the company that someone needs if he plans to leave or he is deciding between options. If an employee feels responsible, noticed, there will be more chances that he/she stays in the company.
But this effort to start preparing the employee can’t be really direct, because employees might realize they are a important piece in the company and use it as leverage. Even if they are in their right it can lead into a higher salary for them when promoting them.
To develop worker’s careers is not only manager’s job. It’s mainly worker’s job, that’s why they are the first ones who have to start developing their skills. Proving they can handle more responsibilities and more difficult projects. An employee has to identify his mision, what does he want to acomplish in life, if this job fits those objectives.
Someone who wants to develop his career has to always have room for more knowledge. They have to develop potential by learning new skills and competences. Following someone with that knowledge , or so called “tutors” can be one of the most important things that can help employees with that.
Also it’s important to “sell yourself”. Being a great storyteller can lead you into better opportunities related to promoting or better job positions.
Super-sized gamification for training – McDonald’s is lovin’ it (Milne J. 2016)
Using gamification techinques to educate staff will be the future. But it’s already the present. In McDonald’s is helping delivering a better customer experience.
This is used as a chess game for managers. They are placed in a VR where they have to manage a virtual McDonald’s and choose how to manage the employees. Monitoring customer flow, and making decisions as they would do in a shift.
The best way of knowing if the manager’s actions are correct is by trying them in a real or virtual situation and seeing the reactions and consequences. By then managers can see if they can make some kind of decisions or how to act in specific environments or situations during their shifts. This VR makes manager’s decision more “safer”. What I mean here is, they can try something and see what happens and then apply it in a real life situation.
Nando’s tastes success through training: Expanding restaurant firm retains a family feel.
Nando’s is a UK restaurant that has always maintained it’s “family” feel.
Their managers are called “patrao” that means head of the family. Maybe it sounds familiar if I say this word in Spanish, “El Patrón”. And they are the ones trained to keep Nando’s values. Since the managers have been trained, Nando’s sales have grown from 20million pounds to 90 milion pounds. This article is from 2006, in 2019 their sales hit 1Billion pounds.
Their coaching system main objective was to establish a culture where the people would take more responsability for their own development. All new employees go through ten days of on-site training, giving them the competences and skills to improve their teamwork and communication. Managers are from different countries, backgrounds and cultures giving culturaly diferent point of views to problems.
Nando’s also has a system that every restaurant has two “buddies”. This “buddies” are the responsible of training. They follow workshop often and learn how to run interactive, dynamic and fun training sessions for restaurant staff.
Six unique employee training methods that work.
-Dialogue in the dark is one of them. Impaired trainees with the help of sighted coaches. People will develop greater authenticity, empathy and openness.
-Dialogue in Silence. Employees work with hearing-impaired trainers in a soundproof room. Employees must develop other ways of communicating with trainers order to achieve their goals. People are more alert and trust worthy. THey are also forced into an environment lead to success.
-Piligrame technique. Over 100 companies use it in Japan. It consists in letting new hires focus in one specific thing, for example: Get out of a mountain. This leads into focus on real world, practical experience.
-Ritz Carlton. They allow each person the opportunity to spend 2000 on any guest, without management consent. This is made to prove immense trust in their employees to make the right decision and judgment calls.
-Adventure games where companies simulate a situation where employees have to work together to solve the problem, like for example, the kidnap of their boss.
-Moving to digital is the present already, without any present course, having everything on the internet and e-learning tools. Having the most potential to be a success.
(Blake D. 2019)
References
Super-sized gamification for training – McDonald’s is lovin’ it. Milne J. 2016 URL: https://diginomica.com/super-sized-gamification-for-training-mcdonalds-is-lovin-it Accessed: 4/02/2020.
Nando’s tastes success through training: Expanding restaurant firm retains a family feel Human Resoucre Management International Digest 2006. URL: https://www-emerald-com.ezproxy.haaga-helia.fi/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09670730610656879/full/html Accessed: 4/02/2020
6 Unique Employee Training Methods That Work Blake D. 2019 URL: https://hubworks.com/blog/six-unique-employee-training-methods-that-work.html#Dialogue%20in%20the%20Dark%20and%20Silence Accessed: 4/02/2020
Guillem's Basics of Human Resource Management 