Effectively Training New Employees
Make sure the need is a training and development opportunity. Do thorough needs and skills analysis to determine the real need for employee this action.
Make sure the opportunity you are pursuing or the problem you are solving is in fact a training issue. If the staff member is failing in some aspect of her job, determine whether you have provided the worker with the time and tools needed to perform the job.
Create a context for the employee development. Provide information for the employee about why the new skills, skill enhancement, or information is necessary.
Make certain the worker understands the link between the class and his job. You can enhance the impact of the session even further if the staff member sees the link with their ability to contribute to the accomplishment of the organization’s business plan and goals.
It is also important to provide rewards and recognition as a result of successful completion and application of the class. This contextual information will help create an attitude of motivation as the employee attends the class.
It will assist the worker to want to look for relevant information to apply after the program. Provide training and development that is really relevant to the skill you want the employee to attain or the information he needs to expand his work horizons.
You may need to design an employee session internally if nothing from providers exactly meets your needs. Or, seek out providers who are willing to customize their offerings to match your specific needs.
It is ineffective to ask a worker to attend a session on general communication when his immediate need is to learn how to provide feedback in a way that minimizes defensive behavior. The staff member will regard the program as mostly a waste of time or too basic and his complaints will invalidate potential learning.
Whenever possible, connect the employee training to the worker’s job and work objectives. If you work in an organization that invests in a self-development component in the appraisal process, make sure the connection to the plan is clear.
Favor employee training and development that has measurable objectives and specified outcomes that will transfer back to the job. Design or obtain worker classes that have clearly stated objectives with measurable outcomes.
Ascertain that the content leads the staff member to attaining the skill or information promised in the objectives. With this information in hand, the staff member knows exactly what he can expect from the session and is less likely to be disappointed.
He will also have ways to apply the program to the accomplishment of real workplace objectives. Provide information for the worker about exactly what the program will involve, prior to the class.
Explain what is expected of the staff member at the session. This will help reduce the person’s normal anxiety about trying something new.
If she knows what to expect, she can focus on the learning and training transfer rather than her potential discomfort with the unknown. Make clear to the employee that the class is her responsibility and she needs to take the worker training seriously.
She is expected to apply herself to the employee development process before, during, and after the program. This includes completing pre-class assignments, actively participating in the session, and applying new ideas and skills upon returning to work.
Make sure that internal or external providers supply pre-class assignments. Reading or thought-provoking exercises in advance of the session promote thoughtful consideration of the content.
Exercises or self-assessments, provided and scored in advance of the program, save precious time for interaction and new information. These ideas will engage the staff member in thinking about the subject of the session prior to the training day.
This supplies important paybacks in terms of his interest, commitment, and involvement. Train supervisors and managers either first or simultaneously so they know and understand the skills and information provided in the session.
This will allow the supervisor to model the appropriate behavior and learning, provide an environment in which the worker can apply the training, and create the clear expectation that she expects to see different behavior or thinking as a result of the class. An executive, who has participated in the same class as the rest of the organization, is a powerful role model when he is observed applying the methods.
Tommy Greene is a certified CNA and has worked in health care for the past 15 years. He has great advice on CNA Training Utah and what it takes to jump start your career.
Contact Info:
Tommy Greene
TommyGreene09@gmail.com
www.coleholland.com
