Republic of the Philippines

Saint Loiuse de Marillac College of Sorsogon, Inc.

Sorsogon City, Sorsogon

Riche Justine P. Duran

Kathlyn Joyce P. Estareja
Marijo D. Burton Advanced Human Resource Management
MBA

Training and Development of Employees

Employee Orientation
Noe et al. (2007), in the book Fundamentals of Human Resources Management, aptly said that
employees today receive their first training during their first day on the job. This is the orientation of
employees for them to become familiar with assigned tasks, the organization’s practices, policies,
and procedures.

This is the procedure for providing new employees with some basic background information
about the firm, its culture, and the job. It is similar to what sociologists refer to as socializations.

Socialization is a process when a new employee learns the norms, values, goals, work
procedures, and patterns of behavior that are expected by the organization.

The initial period in an organization is also a critical point in determining whether a new
employee will become a high performer or simply perform at a minimum or mediocre level.

Regardless of the type of organization, orientation should be conducted at two levels:

1. Organizational/ overview orientation – topics discussed include overview of the

company, key policies and procedures, compensation, benefits, safety and accident
prevention, employees and union relation if there is any, physical facilities, and the like.

2. Departmental and job orientation – topics about the department function and the
duties and responsibilities of the newly hired employee, policies, procedures, rules and
regulations, tour of the newly hired employee, policies, procedures, rules and regulations,
tour of the department, and introduction to department employees.

The HR department and the new employee’s immediate supervisor normally share
the responsibility for the orientation.
 It is a learning process that involves the acquisition of knowledge, sharpening of skills,
concepts, rules, or changing of attitudes and beaviors to enhance the performance of employees.

Objectives of Training and Development

1. Improve productivity and the quality and quantity of output. This can lead to an increase in an
individual’s skills in one or more areas of expertise.

2. Effectiveness in the present job. This involves increasing an individual’s motivation to perform
his/her job well.

3. Create more favorable attitudes such as loyalty and cooperation.

4. Help employees in their personal development and advancement by helping them acquire
additional qualifications for a better job.

5. Help organization respond to dynamic market conditions and changing customer demands.

6. Satisfy human resource planning requirements.

Using Training to Deal with Competitive Challenges

1. Global challenge – in the advent of a borderless society, cross-cultural training is important to

prepare employees and their families for possible overseas assignments.

2. Quality challenge – the emphasis on quality is seen in the establishment of the Malcolm
Baldridge Quality Award and the ISO quality standards. As a result of these, the quality challenge
has forced employers to train their employees to create high-quality products and services.

3. High performance work system challenge – new technology causes changes in skill
requirements and work roles, and often results in redesigning work structures. Through new
technology, the information needed to improve customer service and product quality becomes more
accessible to employees.
The Training Process
1. Training Needs Analysis (TNA)/ Needs Assessment

This refers to the process used to determine if training is necessary. It identifies specific job
performance deficiencies and increases productivity. Training is needed when significant differences
exist between actual performances and prescribed standards. It refers to a systematic, objective
identification of training needs. Consulting the supervisor can determine areas of need, revealed
through performance appraisal, as well as the manager’s concerns for specific training needs to
improve bottom-line performance. If such needs can be pinpointed by hard data and survey
information, training can lead to an increase in employee efficiency.

Five Methods used to gather Needs Assessment Information

a. Interviews – can be used to take note of the problem of the employees in relation to the job,
additional skills or knowledge the employee needs to better perform the job, and what training the
employee believes is needed.

b. Survey questionnaire – involves developing a list of skills required to perform particular jobs
effectively and asking employees to check skills in which they believe they need training on.

c. Observation – specialists in the HR department who have been trained to conduct job analysis
are usually adept at observing to identify training needs.

d. Focus groups – employees from various departments who conduct focus group sessions to
determine skills and knowledge needed by employees for the organization to stay competitive and
identify problems of the organization that can be solved by training.

e. Documentation examination – this involves examining records like absenteeism, turnover,

accident rates, and performance appraisal information to determine if problem exists and whether
any problems identified can be addressed through training.

Needs Assessment Process

a. Organizational Analysis – involves determining the appropriateness of training, given the
company’s business strategy, its resources available for training, and support by managers and peers
for training activities.

b. Person/ Performance Analysis – determining the training needs of current employees. This
means verifying that there is a significant performance deficiency and whether that deficiency should
be rectified through training. It involves determining whether performance deficiencies result from a
lack of knowledge, skill, ability, or from a motivational or work design problem. It also involves
identifying who needs training and determining employees’ readiness for training.
c. Task Analysis – assessing training needs of new employees. This is a detailed study of the job to
determine what specific skills are required. It includes identifying the important tasks and
knowledge, skills, and behaviors that need to be emphasized in training for employees to develop
the skills and knowledge required for effective performance and for the employees to complete their
tasks.

Steps in Using Performance Analysis to Determine Training Needs

Behavior discrepancy or lack of experience

Cost value analysis

Is it a can’t do or won’t do
problem?
Won’t Do
Can’t Do Knows what to do?

Could do if wanted to?

Employee wants to do best?

Motivate
Set Standards
Employee

Eliminate Obstacles

PRACTICE

TRAIN

CHANGE THE TRANSFER OR

JOB TERMINATE
STEP 1: Appraise employee performance to determine how employees are doing and how they
should be doing their assigned task to take note of behavior discrepancy or lack of experience.

STEP 2: Determine cost of value of correcting identified behavioral discrepancy to find out if it is
worth the cost, time, and expense involved.

STEP 3: It is important to determine if the employee could do the expected job if he/she wanted to
or he/she cannot do the job because of lack of skills.

STEP 4: Performance standards should be clearly communicated to improve performance of those

who cannot do the job. For those who will not do the job, try to motivate them to change their
attitudes. Rewards, punishments, sanctions, or some combination may be needed to create a positive
climate that results in the employee utilizing his/her skills optimally.

STEP 5: Eliminate obstacles by determining other factors that can hinder performance such as time,
equipment, and other people.

STEP 6: Practice can help to improve performance.

STEP 7: If performance analysis indicates the need to acquire skills, training is a viable
consideration.

STEP 8: In redesigning through job enrichment, job simplification may be the best solution.

STEP 9: Last resort is either transfer or termination if performance is still a failure after exhausting
all means to help the employee improve his/her performance.

Designing the Training Programs/ Training Objectives

After determining training needs, objectives must be established to meet those needs.
Effective training objectives should state the benefit to the different stakeholders in the
organization. The outcome of the training or learning objectives can be categorized as follows:

a. Instructional objectives – What principles, facts and concepts should be learned in the training
program taking into consideration the positions of the participants?

b. Organizational and Departmental objectives – What impact will the training have on
organizational and departmental outcomes such as absenteeism, turnover, reduced costs, improved
productivity, accident rate, and the like?

c. Individual and Growth objectives – What impact will the training have on the behavioral and
attitudinal outcomes of the individual trainee and on the personal growth of the trainee?
Importance of Training Objectives
a. Considering that resources are always limited, the training objectives actually lead the design
of training. It provides the clear guidelines and develops the training program in less time
because objectives focus specifically on needs. It helps in adhering to a plan.

b. It tells the trainee what is expected out of him/her at the end of the training program. If the
goal is set to be challenging and motivating, then the likelihood of achieving those goals is much
higher than the situation in which the goal is set. Therefore, training objectives help in
increasing the probability that the participants will be successful in training.

c. It becomes easy for the training evaluator to measure the progress of the trainees because
the objectives define the expected performance of trainees. Training objective is an important
tool to judge the performance of participants.

TRAINING DESIGN

➢ The design of the training program can be undertaken only when a clear training objective
has been produced. The training objective clarifies what goal has to be achieved by the end
of the training program, i.e., what the trainees are expected to do at the end of their training
program.

3. Validation
Introduce and validate the training before a representative audience. Base final revisions on
pilot results to ensure training effectiveness. When clearly defined objectives are lacking, it is
impossible to evaluate a training program efficiently.

4. Implementation of the Training Program

➢ Completing the training design does not mean that the work is done because implementation
phase requires continual adjusting, redesigning, and refining. Preparation is the most
important factor guarantee success. Therefore, the following are factors that should be kept
in mind while implementing a training program:
a. The trainer – needs to be prepared mentally before the delivery of content, prepares
materials and activities well in advance and set grounds before meeting with participants.
b. Physical setup – it is a prerequisite for effective for successful training program because
it makes the first impression on participants.
c. Establishing rapport with participants – a trainer can establish good rapport with trainees
by:
• Greet participants which is the simplest way to ease those initial tense moments
• Encouraging informal conversation;
• Remembering their first names;
 • Familiarized with one another
• Listening carefully to trainees’ comments and opinions
• Getting to class before the arrival of learners
• Start the class promptly
• Varying the instructional techniques and use alternate approach
d. Reviewing the agenda – it is very important to review the program objective and must
tell the participants the goal of the program, what is expected of the program and the
flow of the program.

5. Training Evaluation
➢ Evaluation ensures the candidates ae able to implement their learning in their respective
workplaces, or to the regular work routines.

Purpose of Training Evaluation

a. Feedback
Giving feedback helps the candidates define the objectives and link them to learning
outcomes.
b. Research
It helps in ascertaining the relationship between acquired knowledge, transfer of
knowledge at the workplace, and training.

Process of Training Evaluation

a. Before the Training
The learner’s skills and knowledge are assessed before the training because this can
help determine whether the actual outcomes are aligned with the expected outcomes
of training.
b. During the Training
This is the phase at which instruction is started. This is usually consist of short tests
at regular intervals.
c. After the Training
This phase is designed to determine whether training given had the desired effect at
individual departments and organizational levels.

TRAINING OPTIONS
There are four (4) training options that
an organization can consider before providing
training to their employees:
1. Outsourcing
➢ Allows organizations to concentrate on
their core business. This way, a company
gets to avail the required expertise and
high-quality training programs and saves
 money on content development, recruiting and maintaining training team.
2. Internal Training
➢ This alternative is generally for the new employees who are given the fundamental or job-
related training in-house and then send outside for higher training.
3. Product-related Training
➢ The user may negotiate with the dealer for regular updates and upgrades of product-related
know-how or expertise in place of a one-time training
4. Independent Professionals
➢ In this option, the responsibility of training in entirely on the individual and a better-trained
professional will always have better market worth than others.

“There are various methods of training which can be divided into cognitive and behavioral
methods. Trainers need to understand the pros and cons of each method and its impact on
trainees keeping their background and skills in mind before giving the training.”

Cognitive Methods dwell on giving theoretical training to the trainees. The various
methods under cognitive approach provide the rules on how to do specific tasks such as
written or verbal information and demonstrate relationships among concepts. These
methods are associated with changes in knowledge and attitude by stimulating learning.

The various methods that come under cognitive approach are:

❖ Lecture/ Discussion Approach. It involves transmitting large amount of factual

information to a large number of people at a given time. It is the traditional
method of teaching and it is used in many training programs. It is primarily one
way- from the trainer to the audience.

A good lecture consists of introduction of the topic, purpose of the lecture, and
priorities and preferences or the order in which the topic will be covered. These
are the main features:

• Inability to identify and correct misunderstandings

• Less expensive
• Can reach large number of people at once
• Knowledge-building exercise
• Less effective because lectures require long periods of trainee inactivity

Variations of the Lecture Method

 Method Description
Standard Lecture Trainer talks while trainees listen and absorb information.
Team Teaching Two or more trainers present different topics or alternative views of
the same topic.
Guest Speakers Speakers visit the session for a predetermined time period. Primary
instruction is conducted by the great speaker.
Panels Two or more speakers presented information and ask questions.
Student Groups of trainee present topics to the class.
Presentation

❖ Demonstration/ Hands-on Method. This requires the trainee to be actively

involved in learning. This is ideal for developing specific skills, understanding how
skills can be transferred to the job, and experiencing all aspects of completing a
task.

This method is a visual display of how something works or how to do something. As an

example, a trainer shows trainees how to perform or how to do the tasks of the job. In
order to be more effective, demonstration method should be accompanied by
discussion or lecture method. The main features are:

• Demonstrates the task by describing how to do while doing

• Helps the trainees focus their attention on critical aspects of the task
• Explains why procedures should be carried out in a certain way

The difference between the lecture methods and the demonstration method is the level
of involvement of the trainee.

❖ Computer-based Training (CBT). It is an interactive training experience in which

the computer provides the learning stimulus where the trainee must respond.
The computer analyzes the responses and provides feedback to the trainee. CBT
was one of the first new technologies to be used in training. These are some of
the benefits of computer-based training:

Provides the
instructional
consistency
Reduces the Reduces
cost of trainee’s
training learning
time
❖ Virtual Reality. A training method that puts the participant in a 3-D
environment. The three-dimensional environment simulates situations and
events that are experienced in the job. The participants interact with 3-D images
to accomplish the training objectives. This type of environment is created to give
the trainee an impression of physical involvement in an environment. To
experience virtual reality, the trainee uses devices like headset, gloves, and
treadmills.

One advantage of virtual reality is that it allows the trainee to practice dangerous
tasks without putting himself-herself or others in danger. The virtual reality
environment can be identical to the actual work environment. This method is
appropriate in the training of pilots and other airline crews. Devices include the
following:

• Headset provides audio and visual information

 • Gloves provide tactile information
• Treadmill is used for creating a sense of movement
• Sensory Devices transmit how the trainees are responding in the virtual
workplace to the computer

This allows the virtual reality (VR) system to respond by changing the
environment appropriately. The features of Virtual Reality (VR) System:

• It is poorly understood and requires technical understanding.

• It is expensive.
• It is time consuming.
• It is flexible in nature.
• It does not require traveling, lodging, or food cost.
• It requires excellent infrastructure.

Behavioral Methods are more of giving practical training to the trainees. These methods
are best used for skills development. The various methods that come under behavioral
approach are:

❖ Games and Simulations. This method stimulates learning because participants

are actively involved and they mimic the competitive nature of business. The
decisions that participants make in games include all aspects of management
practice: labor relations (agreement in contract negotiation), marketing (the
price to charge for a new product), and finance (financing the purchase of new
technology.

A training game is defined as an activity or exercise in which trainees compete

with each other according to the defined set of rules. Simulation is creating
computer versions of real-life games. It is about imitating or making judgment or
opining how events might occur in a real situation.

❖ Case Studies and Role Playing. In this type of training, participants assume
specific characterizations and act out a particular situation or problem. Rather
than simply talking about what the solution should be, the participants attempt
to solve the situation as if they were the real individuals involved. This method
facilitates attitude change since the best procedure for changing attitude is to
have participants play roles in which they are asked to express attitudes that are
opposite to their own personal feelings.
 This is an effective training technique for reducing the role conflict between a
supervisor and a union steward. A good training activity can have them reverse
roles and allow them to resolve their differences.

❖ On-the-Job Training (OJT). OJT involves having a person learn a job by actually
performing it. The employee is shown how to perform the job and is allowed to
do it under a trainer’s supervision. The length of the training will vary with the
complexity of the job and the specific skills to be learned.

Although OJT is simpler and less costly, if it is not handled properly, the costs can
be high in terms of possible damage to machinery, unsatisfied customers,
misfiled forms, and poorly taught workers. It is then a must to carefully select
and train the trainer to use the most effective technique. The advantages of OJT
are:

• No special space or equipment required

• Provides immediate transfer of training
• Allows employee to practice what they are expected to do after their
training ends

These are some techniques for the on-the-job development:

• Coaching/ Mentoring. The coaches or mentors act as consultants who

assist companies to prepare for succession by identifying and training
future top executives. This involves coaching the employee through the
use of periodic reviews of performance. Coaching lets subordinates know
what their supervisors think about how they do their jobs, enables
supervisors and employees to work together on ways in which employees
can improve their performance, improves communication and
collaboration between supervisors, and provides framework for
establishing short and long-term personal career goals.
• Job Rotation. Movement from one position to another provides
employees with exposure to a number of different job functions and a
broad grasp of the overall purpose of an organization. IF directed by a
skilled manager, the trainees can obtain valuable knowledge about
diverse operations and can practice the different management skills that
are required.
• Job Instruction Technique (JIT). This technique uses a strategy with focus
on knowledge (factual and procedural), skills, and attitudes development.
Before the actual learning occurs, it requires a careful analysis of the job
to be performed an assessment of what the trainee knows about the job,
and training schedule. In some cases, written instruction may be provided
to serve the basis in completing a procedure or operate a machine. This is
effective for repetitive situations.