Orientation and Training
If you think training is expensive,
try ignorance!
Chapter Overview
• The primary job of the supervisor is to see to
it that the organization and, more specifically,
the department meet their objectives.
– The employees of the department are one of the
most important resources available to the
supervisor for meeting these goals.
– Supervisors are responsible for making sure that
their employees know what to do and how to do it.
• Even the best new and experienced
employees will need some degree of
training at times.
– Types of training needed by employees
include
• orientation of new employees to the company
and the job,
• specific job-related training, and
• retraining as new skills are needed in an everchanging workplace.
• Orientation training will help new
employees gain basic information
related to their job and become
productive sooner.
– Orientation reduces the nervousness and
uncertainty of new employees, and helps
them develop a positive attitude by
boosting job satisfaction.
• Orientation may be held by the supervisor
alone or with the help of the human resources
department.
– The first task is to relate information about the
specifics of holding a particular job in a particular
department.
• This includes explaining
– what the department does and the new employee’s job
details,
– general details about the organization,
– safety rules,
– employee benefits, and
– other information useful to help the employee feel
comfortable.
Orientation of New Employees
• Orientation: The process of giving new
employees the information they need in order
to do their work comfortably.
• Training: Increasing the skills that will
enable employees to better meet the
organization’s goals.
– Training may be provided for technical skills
related to performing the employee’s job, and
interpersonal skills such as teamwork and
communication skills.
• Supervisors are responsible for making
sure that their employees know what to
do and how to do it.
• Good selection practices will minimize
the time and cost of employee training.
• However, even the best employee will
need some degree of training.
• Types of training needed by employees
include:
– orientation of new employees to the
company and the job,
– specific job-related training, and
– retraining as new skills are needed in an
ever-changing workplace.
• Orientation is the process of giving new
employees the information they need in order
to do their work comfortably, effectively, and
efficiently.
• This training includes such things as
– explaining where the lunchroom and restrooms
are located,
– where to get supplies,
– as well as how to operate the equipment basic to
their job.
• The primary reason for orientation
programs is that the sooner employees
know basic information related to their
job, the sooner they can become
productive.
– It also reduces their nervousness and
uncertainty, and leads to more satisfaction
so they are less likely to quit
• Orientation training is used to develop a
positive attitude in employees.
– The time spent conducting a session
shows that the organization values the new
employees.
– Employees with positive attitudes are more
likely to do good work.
Human Resources and
Orientation
• In a small organization, supervisors
often are responsible for orienting their
employees.
– In fact, the supervisor may decide what is
covered in the orientation.
• In large organizations, a more formal
orientation program is conducted by the
human resource department.
• When the human resources department
and supervisor share responsibility for
conducting the orientation,
– the human resources department typically
covers topics related to the organization’s
policies and procedures, and has the
employee fill out the necessary paperwork.
– The supervisor is responsible for topics
related to performing a particular job in a
particular department and the involvement
of co-workers.
• If the department has any policies and
procedures of its own, the supervisor should
explain these.
• The supervisor should prepare and follow a
checklist of topics during orientation of new
employees.
Conducting an Orientation
• Employee Handbook: A document that
describes an organization’s
– conditions of employment,
– policies regarding employees,
administrative procedures, and
– related matters.
• In large organizations with a human
resources department, a handbook of
information may be provided for new
employees and will spell out orientation
procedures to follow.
• In small organizations, it may be up to
the individual supervisor to develop and
use the orientation methods.
• An employee handbook describes an
organization’s
– conditions for employment
• (such as attendance, behavior on the job, performance of
duties),
– policies regarding employees
• (time off, hours of work, benefits),
– administrative procedures
• (filling out timesheets and travel expense reports), and
– related matters.
• The supervisor should show (and
perhaps tell) the employee what topics
are in the handbook and describe how
to use it to find answers to questions.
• Another important orientation method is to
give the employee a tour.
– The tour can start with the employee’s work
station, and include such things as the
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restrooms,
water fountain,
coffee station,
photocopier, and
storage areas for
– supplies,
– parts, or
– other materials needed to do the job.
– Also introduce coworkers along the way, telling a
little about what they do in the organization.
• Involve coworkers in the orientation.
– Ask all employees to help welcome
newcomers.
– Encourage coworkers to invite a new
employee to join them on breaks and at
lunch
– The supervisor can also help the new
employee feel welcome on the first day by
inviting him or her to lunch.
• The supervisor should also check with
new employees at the end of their first
day and their first week in order to make
sure they understand what they are
supposed to be doing and know where
to get what they need.
The Training Cycle
• Training is an ongoing process.
– As the workplace changes, employees need
continued training.
• The process of providing training takes place
in a cycle of steps.
• The steps include:
– identifying a need for training,
– setting training objectives based on desired level
of performance and skills, and
– choosing the training methods.
• Once the training has been planned,
someone conducts it.
• The trainer may be the supervisor or
even one of the department’s
employees.
– In other cases, a professional trainer is
more appropriate.
• The choice depends on the
– supervisor’s or employee’s expertise,
– content and type of training, and
– time available for training.
Identifying Employee Training
Needs
• It is part of the supervisor’s job to
recognize when employees need further
training.
• The supervisor also decides when it is
convenient to meet those training needs
with a training program.
• There are several ways to identify training
needs.
– First, the supervisor can observe problems in the
department that suggests a need for training.
– Customer complaints and recurring defects may
be indicators of a training need.
– The supervisor may simply ask employees what
they need to learn to do a better job.
– Finally, the supervisor can identify training needs
when carrying out the planning function.
Major Types of Training
• On-the-Job Training: Teaching the job
while trainer and trainee do the job at
the work site.
• Apprenticeship: Training that involves
working alongside an experienced
person who shows the apprentice how
to do the various tasks involved in a job
or trade.
• Vestibule Training: Training that takes
place on equipment set up in a special
area off the job site.
• A variety of types of training are available for
employees.
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On-the-job training
Apprenticeship
Cross-training
Vestibule training
Classroom training
Computer-based instruction
Role playing
Basic-skills training
• The supervisor must weigh the costs of training
relative to the benefits, resources available, and
trainees’ needs for practice and individualized
attention.
• In terms of retention of information
taught, people will retain only 10% of
what they read.
• More information is retained when other
senses are included.
– Ninety percent of materials taught are
retained when people describe while doing
the task.
Coaching and Mentoring
• Coaching: Guidance and instruction in
how to do a job so that it satisfies goals
for performance.
• Mentoring: Providing guidance, advice,
and encouragement through an ongoing
one-on-one work relationship.
• To help employees maintain and use
skills they have acquired, the supervisor
takes on the role of coach.
– Much of the coaching is done informally to
support the more formal training process.
• Basically, the supervisor observes employees
and works with them to solve problems he or
she identifies.
• To be effective, the supervisor should work on
only one problem at a time.
• The steps of coaching include
– observing the employee’s performance and
providing feedback,
– praising proper use of skills, and
– pointing out mistakes.
• The supervisor and employee should decide
how to correct the problem and determine
what additional training may be necessary.
– Later the supervisor observes the employee’s
performance again.
– Acting as a coach is especially important for
supervisors in organizations that encourage
employees to participate in decision making and
teamwork.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of
Training
• The most basic way to evaluate training is to
measure whether the problem addressed by
the training is being solved.
– The supervisor is usually the best person to
determine whether the training is working.
– Other people can provide information to help the
supervisor evaluate training.
• Participants in the training might fill out a questionnaire
or the organization might set up a team of people to
evaluate the organization’s training methods and content.
• If the evaluation suggests that training is
not meeting its objectives, the training
may have to be modified or expanded.
– The type of training may not be appropriate
for the training needs.
• To identify what kinds of changes to make, the
supervisor can ask questions such as the following:
– Was the trainer well prepared?
– Did he or she communicate the information clearly and in an
interesting way?
– Did the training include visual demonstrations of how to do
the task, not just verbal descriptions?
– Were the employees well enough prepared for the training
program?
– Did the employees understand how they would benefit from
the training?
– Did employees have a chance to ask questions?
– Did the employees receive plenty of praise for their
progress?
• Training that does not produce results
should be changed or discontinued.