Chapter 8: Onboarding and Training Flashcards
By February 2021, nearly __________ of all workers in Canada aged 18 to 69 were working mostly from home (Statistics Canada, 2021)
one-third
Once employees have been recruited and selected, the next step is _______________ them to the company and their new job
orienting or onboarding
Difference between orientating and onboarding?
Literally none - use these interchangeably
Purpose of Orientation
New employees need a clear understanding of company policies, expectations regarding their performance, and operating procedures.
A comprehensive orientation program can lead to ______________, __________, fewer instances of corrective discipline, and fewer employee grievances. Can also reduce the number of ____________ particularly for younger workers
reductions in turnover
increased morale
Workplace injuries
Difference between orientation and training
These terms are associated, but represent slightly different variations of employee assimilation efforts.
Orientation (not the real definition in blue)
refers to a long-term, continuous socialization process that employee and employer expectations or obligations are considered
training (not the real definition in blue)
refers to short-term, discrete efforts in which organizations impart information and instructions to help the recipient gain the required skills or knowledge to perform the job at adequate levels.
Training (actual definition)
The process of teaching employees the basic skills / competencies that they need to perform their jobs
Examples of training
showing a new production worker how to operate a machine, a new salesperson how to sell the firm’s product, or a new supervisor how to interview and appraise employees.
Training vs Development
Training focuses on skills and competencies needed to perform employees’ current jobs, whereas development is training of a long-term nature
Orientation programs range from
brief, informal introductions to lengthy, formal programs.
Formal orientation inclues
- internal publications, including employee handbooks that cover matters such as company history, current mission, activities, products, and people
- facility tour and staff introductions
- job-related documents, including an explanation of job procedures, duties and responsibilities, working hours, and attendance expectations; vacations and holidays; payroll, employee benefits, and pensions; and work regulations and policies such as personal use of company technology
- expected training to be received (when and why)
- performance appraisal criteria, including the estimated time to achieve full productivity.
Employee onboarding (orientation) Actual definition
A procedure for providing new employees with basic background information about the firm and the job
The manager wants to accomplish four things when orienting new employees:
1) Make the new employee feel welcome and at home and part of the team.
2) Make sure the new employee has the basic information to function effectively, such as e-mail access, personnel policies and benefits, and expectations in terms of work behaviour.
3) Help the new employee understand the organization in a broad sense (its past, present, culture, and strategies and vision of the future).
4) Start socializing the person into the firm’s culture and ways of doing things
________ is the first step in helping the new employee manage the learning curve; it helps new employees become productive more quickly than they might otherwise
Onboarding
Reality shock (aka cognitive dissonance)
Actual Definition in Blue
The state that results from the discrepancy between what the new employee expected from their new job and the realities of it
An important part of any effective onboarding program is sitting down and deciding on _____________ with the new employee
work-related goals
These goals provide the basis for early feedback and establish a foundation for ongoing performance management
__________________ provides strategic benefits starting with building the brand as an employer of choice
Online onboarding
____________________ engages new hires in a personalized way and accelerates their time-to-productivity by completing benefits decisions, payroll forms, new-hire data, introduction of policies and procedures, and preliminary socialization using videos and graphics before the first day on the job, leading to a productive day one
Online onboarding
Socialization
The ongoing process of instilling in all employees the prevailing attitudes, standards, values, and patterns of behaviour that are expected by the organization
During the time required for _______________ to occur, a new employee is less than fully productive.
socialization
The __________ (or in smaller firms, the office manager) performs the first part of the orientation by explaining basic matters, such as working hours and benefits
HR specialist
At a minimum, the orientation should provide information on matters such as ___________, __________________, ______________, _______________
employee benefits, personnel policies, safety measures and regulations, and a facilities tour
formal component of orientation
that often occurs when a new employee first joins the organization
informal orientation process
with the aim to build a strong employee bond with organizational values, history, and tradition
This can include staff involvement such as mentoring, management guidance (by using high-level staff, firms communicate the importance of messages and experiences in a more meaningful way), and through employee empowerment (indoctrination of values and information to guide workplace behaviour).
The first day of the orientation usually starts with ______________, who explains such matters as working hours and vacation
the HR specialist
Key aspects of the integration process include the following:
(executive integration)
- identifying position specifications (particularly the ability to deal with and overcome jealousy)
- providing realistic information to job candidates and providing support regarding reality shock
- assessing each candidate’s previous record at making organizational transitions
- announcing the hiring with enthusiasm
- stressing the importance of listening as well as demonstrating competency, and promoting more time spent talking with the boss
- assisting new executives who are balancing their work to change cultural norms while they themselves are part of the culture itself.
The Employee Handbook
Courts may find that the employee handbook’s contents are legally binding commitments
So you must be very careful with wording and clauses
The handbook should include a disclaimer stating
“nothing in this handbook should be taken as creating a binding contract between employer and employees, and all employment is on an at will basis.”
For the employee hand book, Do not insert statements such as _______________________________ or statements that imply or state that employees have job security.
“No employee will be fired without just cause”
Three approaches to evaluating orientation programs are as follows:
1) Employee reaction
2) Socialization effects
3) Cost/benefit analysis
1) Employee reaction
1 of three ways to evaluate orientation programs
Interview or survey new employees for their opinion on the usefulness of the orientation program.
Also, evaluate job performance within specified time periods to assess transference of learning and behaviours where possible.
2) Socialization effects
1 of three ways to evaluate orientation programs
Review new employees at regular intervals to assess progress toward understanding and acceptance of the beliefs, values, and norms of the organization.
3) Cost/benefit analysis
1 of three ways to evaluate orientation programs
Compare
(1) orientation costs, such as printing handbooks and time spent orienting new employees by HR staff and immediate supervisors, with
(2) benefits of orientation, including reduction in errors, rate of productivity, efficiency levels, and so on.
Problems with Orientation Programs
- Often, too much information is provided in a short time (usually one day) and the new employee is overwhelmed
- little or no orientation is provided, which means that new employees must personally seek answers to each question that arises and work without a good understanding of what is expected of them (common in PT workers or contract workers)
- the orientation information provided by the HR department can be too broad to be meaningful to a new employee, especially on the first day, whereas the orientation information provided by the immediate supervisor may be too detailed to realistically be remembered by the new employee
A recent federal government report concluded that :
Canada’s ability to remain globally competitive and manage technological change effectively is highly contingent on our ability to upgrade and renew the skills of our labour force.
According to a Conference Board of Canada 2015 study, the average organization in Canada spends _______ on learning and development per employee, accounting for approximately 1.41 percent of the organizations payroll budget, and the average employee undergoes 31 hours of training and development a year
$800
Skills in greatest need of improvement are ____, ________, ___________
problem solving, communications, and teamwork
Government vs Businesses
The federal government has called for businesses to increase spending on training, and business has asked the government to expand programs for professional immigrants to get Canadian qualifications in their fields
Canadian Council on Learning
Created by the federal government to promote best practices in workplace learning
People have three main learning styles:
1) Auditory
2) Visual
3) Kinesthetic
1) Auditory
1 of three main learning styles
Learning through talking and listeneing
2) Visual
1 of three main learning styles
learning through pictures and print
3) Kinesthetic
1 of three main learning styles
tactile learning through a whole-body experience
The following four guidelines help trainers maximize the effectiveness of the training process:
Training as a Learning Process
- Make it easy for trainees to understand and remember meaningful information.
- Make sure that it is east to transfer new skills and behaviours from the training site to the job site
- Motivate the trainee
- Effectively prepare the trainee
- Make it easy for trainees to understand and remember meaningful information.
Training as a Learning Process
1) At the start of training, provide the trainees with an overall picture of the material to be presented.
When presenting material, use as many visual aids as possible and a variety of familiar examples.
Organize the material so that it is presented in a logical manner and in meaningful units.
Try to use terms and concepts that are already familiar to trainees.
- Make sure that it is east to transfer new skills and behaviours from the training site to the job site
Training as a Learning Process
2) Maximize the similarity between the training situation and the work situation, and provide adequate training practice.
Give trainees the chance to use their new skills immediately on their return to work.
Train managers first and employees second to send a message about the importance of the training, and control contingencies by planning rewards for trainees who successfully complete and integrate the new training
- Motivate the trainee
Training as a Learning Process
3) Provide as much realistic practice as possible.
Immediately reinforce correct responses, perhaps with a quick “Well done.”
Use technology to motivate learning.
- Effectively prepare the trainee
Training as a Learning Process
4) Create a perceived need for training in the minds of participants.
Set the trainees’ expectations about the events and consequences of actions that are likely to occur in the training environment (and, eventually, on the job).
Let trainees know ahead of time what might occur.
Under _________________________ legislation, several aspects of employee training programs must be assessed with an eye toward the program’s impact on designated group members
human rights and employment equity legislation
For example, if relatively few women or visible minorities are selected for the training program, there may be a requirement to show that the admissions procedures are valid
Negligent training
Actual definition
Occurs when an employer fails to adequately train an employee who subsequently harms a third party
A typical training program consists of _____ steps
five steps (5)
The purpose of the needs analysis step is to identify the specific_____________ needed, to analyze the _____________ of the prospective trainees, and to develop specific, measurable knowledge and performance _________
Of the 5 step training process
job performance skills
skills and needs
objectives
In the second step, _________, the actual content of the training program is compiled and produced, including workbooks, exercises, and activities
Of the 5 step training process
instructional design
The third step is ________, in which the bugs are worked out of the training program by presenting it to a small, representative audience
Of the 5 step training process
validation
Fourth, the training program is __________, using techniques such as those discussed in this chapter and the next (such as on-the-job training and programmed learning)
Of the 5 step training process
implemented
Fifth, there should be an _____ and follow-up step in which the program’s successes or failures are
assessed.
Of the 5 step training process
evaluation
Five steps to the training and development process
Really do try to know these bro
1) Training Needs Analysis
2) Instructional Design
3) Validation
4) Implementation
5) Evaluation of Training
Step 1: Training Needs Analysis
Of the 5 step training process
Determine what training is required, if any.
The main challenge in assessing the training needs of new employees is to determine what the job entails and to break it down into subtasks, each of which is then taught to the new employee.
Task analysis and performance analysis are the two main techniques for identifying training needs.
Task analysis definition Blue
identifying the broad competencies and specific skills required to perform job-related tasks
Some employers supplement the current job description and specification with a task analysis record form, which typically contains six types of information:
1) List of job’s main tasks and subtasks
2) Indication of frequency of tasks and subtasks
3) Measurable description of performance standards for each task and subtask—for instance, “tolerance of 0.007 inches” or “within two days of receiving the order”
4) Conditions under which task is performed
5) The competencies and specific skills or knowledge required for each task and subtask, specifying exactly what knowledge or skills must be taught
6) The decision as to whether the task is best learned on or off the job, based on several considerations such as training objectives, methods, and resources (for example, prospective jet pilots must learn something about the plane off the job in a simulator before actually getting behind the controls).
