Orientation

and Employee
Training

Chapter 8

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Learning Objectives
1. Define orientation.
2. Describe an orientation kit.
3. Define training.
4. Describe needs assessment
5. Outline three categories of training
objectives.

8-2
 Learning Objectives (cont.)
6. Describe job rotation.
7. Explain apprenticeship training.
8. Define virtual classroom.
9. Outline the seven principles of learning.
10.List the four areas of training evaluation.

8-3
Relationships among Human Resource Functions
Necessary for Effective Performance

Figure 8.1

8-4
 Orientation
Orientation
└ the introduction of new employees to the
organization, their work units, and their jobs

8-5
 Shared Responsibility
Human resource department and new
employee’s immediate manager normally
share responsibility for orientation
The new employee’s manager is usually
responsible for conducting departmental and
job orientation

8-6
 Shared Responsibility
Human resource department is responsible for:
 Initiating and coordinating both levels of orientation
 Training line managers in procedures for conducting
the departmental and job orientation
 Conducting general company orientation
 Following-up initial orientation with the new
employee

8-7
 Orientation
 Organizational  Departmental and job
orientation orientation
└ presents topics of └ describes topics that
relevance and interest are unique to the new
to all employees employee’s specific
department and job.

8-8
Possible Topics for Organizational
Orientation Programs
Policies and
Company
procedures Compensation
overview
review

Safety and Employees

Benefits accident and union
prevention relations

Physical Economic
facilities factors
8-9
Departmental and Job Orientation
Content depends on
└ Specific needs of department
└ Skills and experience of new employee
Both experienced and inexperienced
employees should receive a thorough
orientation concerning departmental matters

8-10
Possible Topics for Departmental
and Job Orientation Programs

Department Job duties and Policies and

functions responsibilities procedures

Introduction to
Department
department
tour
employees

8-11
 Orientation Kit
Orientation kit
└ Supplemental packet of written information for
new employees
Many organizations require employees to sign
a form indicating they have received and read
the orientation kit

8-12
 Typical Orientation Kit
 Company organization
chart
 Map of the company’s
facilities
 Copy of policy and
procedures handbook
 List of holidays and fringe
benefits
 Copies of performance
appraisal forms, dates,
and procedures
 Emergency and accident
prevention procedures
 Sample copy of company
newsletter or magazine
 Telephone numbers and
locations of key company
personnel
 Copies of insurance plans
8-13
 Orientation Length and Timing
Brief sessions, not to exceed two hours, and
spread over several days, increase the
likelihood that new employees will understand
and retain the information presented

8-14
 Follow-Up and Evaluation
 Manager should regularly check on how well new
employee is doing and answer any questions that
may have arisen after training
 Human resource department should conduct a
scheduled follow-up after employee has been on the
job for a month
 Human resource department should also conduct an
annual evaluation of total orientation program

8-15
 Follow-Up and Evaluation
Feedback enables an organization to adapt its
orientation program to specific suggestions of
actual participants
It is in the best interest of the company to
have a well-planned, well-executed
orientation program.

8-16
 Training Employees
 Training
└ Learning process that
involves the
acquisition of skills,
concepts, rules, or
attitudes to enhance
employee
performance.

8-17
 Reasons for Training
1. Economic, social, technological, and
government changes can make skills learned
today obsolete in future
2. Planned organizational changes (such as
introduction of new equipment) can make it
necessary for employees to update their skills
or acquire new ones

8-18
 Reasons for Training (cont.)
3. Performance problems within an
organization such as low productivity or large
scrap problems can be reduced by training
4. Regulatory, contractual, professional, or
certification issues can require an employer
to provide training for its employees

8-19
Steps to a Successful
Training Program
Perform job
analysis

Evaluate Perform
training needs
outcomes assessment

Conduct Establish
training training
program objectives 8-20
 Needs Assessment
 Needs assessment
└ A systematic analysis
of the specific training
activities the
organization requires
to achieve its
objectives

8-21
 Needs Assessment
1. What problems is the employee having in his
or her job?
2. What additional skills and/or knowledge
does the employee need to better perform
the job?
3. What training does the employee believe is
needed?

8-22
Needs Assessment Questionnaire
with Selected Questions

Figure 8.4

8-23
Methods Used to Gather Needs
Assessment Information
Interviews
Surveys/questionnaires
Observations
Focus groups
Document examination

8-24
 Establishing Training Objectives
Effective training objectives should state what
will result for the organization, department, or
individual after training is completed
Outcomes should be described in writing

8-25
 Establishing Training Objectives
Instructional objectives
└ What principles, facts, and concepts are to be
learned in the training program?
└ Who is to be taught?
└ When are they to be taught?

8-26
 Establishing Training Objectives
Organizational and departmental objectives
└ What impact will the training have on
organizational and departmental outcomes such
as absenteeism, turnover, reduced costs, and
improved productivity?

8-27
 Establishing Training Objectives
Individual performance and growth
objectives
└ What impact will the training have on the
behavioral and attitudinal outcomes of the
individual trainee?
└ What impact will the training have on the
personal growth of the individual trainee?

8-28
 Methods of Training
On-the-job training (OJT)
└ Training that shows the employee how to perform
the job and allows him or her to do it under the
trainer’s supervision

8-29
 Methods of Training
Job rotation (cross training)
└ Training that requires an individual to learn
several different jobs in a work unit or
department and perform each job for a specified
time period

8-30
Steps Leading to Effective
On-the-Job Training

8-31
 On-the-Job Training and Job
Rotation
 Advantages
└ No special facilities are required
└ New employee does productive work during learning
process
└ Found to be more effective than classroom training
 Disadvantage
└ Pressures of the workplace can cause instruction of
employee to be haphazard or neglected

8-32
 Apprenticeship Training
Apprenticeship training
└ Giving instruction, both on and off the job, in the
practical and theoretical aspects of the work
required in a highly skilled occupation
└ two-thirds of apprenticeable occupations are in
the construction and manufacturing trades

8-33
Length of Selected Apprenticeship
Courses

Table 8.2

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 Classroom Training
Classroom training
└ The most familiar training method
└ useful for quickly imparting information to large
groups with little or no knowledge of the subject
└ frequently used for technical, professional, and
managerial
employees.

8-35
 Virtual Classroom
Virtual classroom
└ online teaching and learning environment that
integrates chat rooms, desktop video
conferencing, Web sites, and e-mail distribution
into a typical lecture-based system.
└ offer training in either self-paced courses, real-
time courses through intranets, or real-time video
conferencing

8-36
 Evaluating Training
 Reaction: How much did the trainees like the
program?
 Learning: What principles, facts, and concepts were
learned in the training program?
 Behavior: Did the job behavior of the trainees
change because of the program?
 Results: What were the results of the program in
terms of factors such as reduced costs or reduction
in turnover?

8-37
 Principles of Learning
 Use of sound learning  Motivation to Achieve
principles during Personal Goals
development and  Knowledge of Results
implementation of  Reinforcement
these programs helps  Flow of the Training
to ensure that Program
programs will succeed  Practice and Repetition
 Spacing of Sessions
 Whole or Part Training
8-38
 Motivation to Achieve Personal
Goals
The most frequently identified objectives of
employees are:
 Job security
 Financially and intellectually rewarding work
 Recognition
 Status
 Responsibility
 Achievement

8-39
 Knowledge of Results
 Progress feedback as measured against some
standard helps in setting goals for what remains to
be learned
 Continuous process of analyzing progress and
establishing new objectives greatly enhances
learning
 Care to be taken to ensure employees do not
become discouraged by goals that seem
unachievable

8-40
Sample Learning Curves

Figure 8.6
8-41
 Reinforcement
Reinforcement
└ Behavior that appears to lead to a positive
consequence tends to be repeated, while
behavior that appears to lead to a negative
consequence tends not to be repeated
└ Positive consequence is a reward
• Praise and recognition are two typical rewards that can
be used

8-42
 Flow of the Training Program
Flow of the Training Program
└ Each segment of training should be organized so
that individual can see
• Its purpose
• How it fits in with other parts of program
└ Later segments should build on those presented
earlier

8-43
 Practice and Repetition
Practice and repetition
└ Having trainees perform a particular operation
helps them concentrate on subject
└ Repeating a task several times develops facility in
performing it
└ Practice and repetition almost always enhance
effective learning

8-44
 Spacing of Sessions
Spacing of sessions
└ Managers often want to get an employee out of
training and into productive work
└ Trade-offs involved in deciding whether training
should be given on consecutive days or at longer
intervals
└ Spacing out training over a period of time
facilitates learning process

8-45
 Whole or Part Training
Decision to train for a job at one go, or to train
employee separately for each job component
should be based on
└ Content of specific job
└ Material being taught
└ Needs of those being trained

8-46