Module 5- Onboarding, Training & Development Flashcards
Onboarding
Aims at integrating the new employee into the org. quickly
Onboarding- orientation mostly
Operate specific equipment – must be trained
Successful onboarding essential to:
Get the new employee being productive quickly
Avoid errors and/or accidents
Reduce new hire attrition
Set expectations on performance levels
Familiarise employee with org. policies and regulation
Reduce employee stress/anxiety
Reduces grievances
Reduces need for disciplinary measures
Successful onboarding
= important for long term success of relationship of employee and employer b/c saying “never get a second chance to make a first impression” – getting day one right is essential, impact how employee thinks about the company
Integrating Includes orientation and socialization
Onboarding- orientation mostly
Operate specific equipment – must be trained
Orientation = formal part
Socialization = informal part (understand cultural organizational company)
Orientation
- Usually, formal training
- Online or face-to-face
- Need to be done by experienced facilitator
- Should familiarize employee with the org. as a whole
- Can take a few hours to a few days
Socialization
- Newcomer to understand org. values and “how are things done here”
- Takes much longer, weeks even months
- Usually, more informal
- Often done through observation of peers
- If it fails, chances are employee will leave
Onboarding Best Practices*
Introduce (key) team members
* IT set up ready
* Assign a buddy
* Badge/physical access granted
Paperwork (e.g. benefits selection) ready
* Manager to be available on day 1
* Do not overwhelm the newcomer
* Set expectations right (critical initial timelines)
Tour the facilities
* Workspace/desk clean
* Welcome gift(s)
* Enroll in required training
Most important
it’s a very common mistake (lots of paperwork) – can be overwhelming even for long term employees
Introduce
Address basic needs of employee first- ex. Show where washrooms are, food, water, etc. – know how to get from a to b
as manager try not to be absent, or gone get other manager to take care of – meet as soon as possible
–be mindful of start date of hire- don’t start on first of august – then go away for 3 weeks
set up regular check points at least once a week to see how doing, ask you questions
Training – The Basics
To be useful for employer, training has to be aligned with org. strategies and needs
Limited training budgets to be used where impact is the largest (budgets vary significantly during business cycle)
Basics Cont.
Comprehensive needs assessment essential by:
Manager
HR department
Employee
BUT if done by employee: may not align with org. strategies and focus on employee’s (personal) interests instead
BUT if done by manger: may be done to get employee to leave the team
Training outcomes need to be clear, e.g. what is it the employee is expected to do after the training?
Buy-in of employee essential for lasting training success and impact
Training is HR discipline
rewarding, lots of employees like going in person, meet colleagues
Training
-determine who to send and for what (some is for everyone ex. New travel booking tool)
-other is more job specific
-training that focuses on employers needs usually has positive impact- ex. Safety training may lower workplace injuries, and show care about employee
-training also allows employees to meet each other
The Goodies of Training: For the employer
Increased productivity
Fewer accidents
Less attrition
Cost reduction
Increased profits
Better image/reputation
The Goodies of Training: For the employee
Increased engagement
New skills/competencies
Potential for promotion
More confidence
Sense of growth
Retain employability
Training - How People Learn
- Verbal – learns by using words, both written and verbal
- Aural – learns by hearing, topic should be reinforced by sound
- Physical – learns by touching, experiencing and doing things
- Logic – learn through reasoning and logic
- Visual – learns through pictures, images and spatial understandings
- Social – learns in groups and with other people
- Solitary – learns alone and through self-study
Learning sticks if:
-It is relevant
-It is transferable
-It is repeated
-It allows participation
-It provides feedback
When training adults ensure
Training relates to previous life experience
Training facilitates achieving a certain goal (not training for the trainings sake)
Training is practical
The 7 learning styles
Verbal, aural, physical, logic, visual, social, solitary
4 main ones
aural, physical, logic, visual
For training to be successful
must cater to the learner, adults learn different than young people- must be tailored to them and be relevant to them
-clear to employee how training applies to practice, how can apply to daily work
Outlines the main learning style-
most people use multiple but tend to have a dominant one (knowing it helps success)
Ex. Listening is best way of learning (might listen more than once)
-if verbal learner might prefer read textbook or work through powerpoint slides
-solitary learners vs social (in groups- join study group)
-logic – no interest in learning by heart
-physical – find in trades (mechanic) –best way is to go out and do it
Traditional Training Methods
- On-the-Job
- Off-the-Job
On-the-Job
In practice, most effective
- Traditional OTJ Training
- Job rotation
- Apprenticeships
- Job enlargement
- Job enrichment
Off-the-Job
In practice, most common
- Lectures/formal training
- Simulations & labs
- Role play
- Digital training
- Self-study
Best way to train
is to train on the job
Contrast is off the job training –less effective , certain aspects can be, like online tech stuff – or simulations and labs (docs and nurses )
Which method to use
depends on
Different factors which determine type of training
Costs (venue, trainer)
Content of training (certain types of training need certain settings)
Expected outcome of training
Availability of required facilities
Preference of trainer
Preference of participants
Availability of trainer
Regulatory constraints (e.g. visa requirements for participants) if certain people can even come – out of country, vaccine, etc.
Time contains
-digital training has exploded over past few years
Digital Training
Seen huge uptake b/c of pandemic
Common digital learning tools
- Webinars
- Virtual reality
- Open online courses
- Wikis
- Blogs
- Pre-recorded videos
The Good
Cost-effective
Available 24/7
Allows easy customization
Flexibility for learner
Appealing to younger workers
The Bad
Limited ability to ask questions (unless synch. session with trainer)
May not be appealing to older workers (e.g. gamification)
Motivation of learner can be challenging if no interaction with others
Technical hiccups
Quality concerns over badge issuance
Limitations can be significant
at workplace- no live sessions (cant ask questions about material), suitability depends on the context (theories vs maintenance), lots of technical hiccups (in future get better), digital badges (some take long time to gain others easy 1hr )-unless look at how long/quality/comprehensiveness of the training – don’t be impressed by a lot of badges
Employee Development (ED)
Aims at preparing employees taking on increased responsibility in the future
Very often used in Management
Development (e.g. Assessment Centers)
Usually focuses on communication skills, change management, conflict resolution, or other competencies
-Usually part of training department
-enhance skills in hopes of one day being able to take on more responsibility
-Assessment centers- where potential managers are sent for 2-3 days, asked to solve a wide variety of problems, communicate bad employee review, etc. and final report summarizes how well suited for role (not a pleasant experience)
Challenge is how to use limited ED budget:
for all employees – e.g. if everyone should enhance certain core competencies
for “high potentials” – e.g. only for those who should take on management/executive positions in the future
for all managers/leaders – e.g. if leadership capabilities need to be improved in the org.
in large organisations, approach may vary between different business units
teaching employees how to deal with conflict, etc.
Can’t send everyone to everything- pick and choose who goes to what
Depending on which issue want to target– maybe only for certain groups (target people for training)
ED requires financial commitment (usually not inexpensive) but tends to improve org. performance by:
Increasing:
-Better retention of key talent
-Internal talent pool available in case of unexpected short-term vacancy of key role(s)
-Greater job satisfaction
-Greater engagement/commitment by employees
-Better corporate image/reputation
Money spent of employee development is money well spent, employees usually appreciate it (younger people looking for this)
-higher commitment from employees when give them extra training
Succession plans- identify employees one or two roles away from taking over – process assessed through employee development
