Delivering Improved Employee Orientation at the Post Office - Coursework Example

Table of Contents Table of Contents i Executive Summary ii Introduction 0 Train the Trainers 2.0 What to Train 2 Orientation Program 2.2 Crawl, Walk, Run 2.3 Training Materials 2.4 Evaluation of the Impact 3.0 Conclusion 4.0 ii Executive Summary While the Post Office does possess and utilize a training program for new employees, the actual application of this program is widely inconsistent and results in highly different experiences for the employees. Such inconsistencies have resulted in new employee turnover in the excess of 80% at some locations, drastically increasing costs of hiring and orientating new personnel as well as lowering worker morale. In response to these findings, this paper will first address the current situation regarding new employee orientations, examining the core causes of the inconsistencies that are producing high turn-over and low job satisfaction. It will then propose a number of steps necessary to remedy the core causes and thereby lower the associated employee terminations and low morale. Finally, it will suggest a mechanism for ensuring that the changes enacted have, in fact, reduced or eliminated orientation inconsistencies. This evaluation process will also be used to further and continuously update the new employee orientation experience, thereby ensuring that it does not become dated or irrelevant. As will be seen below, the critical area of this process will be the elimination of inconsistencies for new employee orientations. To effectively address this issue, methods will focus on first training the front line supervisors of new employees as it is these supervisors and their individual training methods that are providing the highest level of inconsistency in the orientation process. In conjunction of training these trainers, the paper will also recommend written training documents to be provided to the new employees as well as actual procedures useful for the supervisors. Once the recommended actions have been instituted, the paper will suggest the implementation of a training review program. This will first identify specific target areas that the training should be impacting and the develop means to test the effective impact on these target areas. Should the evaluation determine that the training is not making relevant or sufficient impact, the evaluation will then recommend additional steps that can be taken to more effectively target the training program. 1.0 Introduction The Post Office is currently experiencing probationary employee turnover rates exceeding 80% at some facilities and these high rates are directly attributable to poor or non-existent on-the-job training provided by front line supervisors. Such a causal relationship between poor training and high turn-over is a common one and not limited to the postal service. In fact, a 2004 study of registered nurses determined that “... lack (of) support for RN training are important factors in nursing turnover.” This report also concluded that each turnover resulted in costs of between $20,000 and $30,000 (Stone, Cimiotti, Dick, Larson, & Zwanziger, 2004). While such costs are specific to the health care industry, this report makes it clear that poor training leads to turnover, which then leads to increased costs for the organisation. Considering that causal relationship, strengthening training programs will lead to reduced organisational costs by lowering turnover rates of probationary employees. Currently, new employee orientation consists of two phases. The first of these is a largely administrative and human resources focused module conducted at a central location and attended by all new employees. During this time, probationary employees are familiarized with broad Postal Service policies and procedures and complete necessary human resources documentation. The second phase results when new employees are dispersed to their variously assigned postal offices and where they receive on-the-job (OJT) training from their direct supervisor. It is during this second phase that anecdotal reports and informal studies have revealed that great disparities exist between the quality and quantity of instruction imparted by the various offices. What compounds these disparities is that employees gain as much as 90% of their actual job skills from OJT and that such training accounts for nearly 7 times more training expenditures than off-the-job training (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, 2006). Given the clear impact of OJT, it is critical that this area be further developed and standardized to lower turnover and reduce overall training costs. 2.0 Train the Trainers Given the relative importance of the second phase of new employee orientations, it is critical that this OJT is given a high priority in the process. However, in order for the front line supervisors to provide quality OJT to the new employees, these supervisors must first undergo their own training on how to effectively transmit the necessary skills, knowledge, and abilities to their new personnel. Such “training of the trainers” will impart the supervisors with the skills they need, not only to supervise their new employees, but also how to impart to them the skills necessary to succeed at their assigned tasks. Being a quality worker or supervisor does not necessarily give one the ability to be a quality instructor, that will need to be taught (Callan, 2002). 2.1 What to Train While the evaluation portion of this project will occur after the training has been instituted, before designing or implementing the program it is first necessary to identify what needs to be trained (Ennio, 1988). Doing so will ensure that the training is targeted correctly to address the necessary symptoms being sought to be mitigated. Having interviewed Angela Tran, it is clear that the direct supervisors are inconsistent in how they conduct OJT for new employees and that many of them likely do not know even know how to effectively conduct OJT. Tran’s anecdotal information will then be supplemented by a carefully constructed surveys and interviews with supervisors, veteran employees, and probationary employees. During these surveys and interviews, the subjects will also be asked the numerically rate their confidence and skill in performing each task necessary in the execution of their job responsibilities. Supervisors will also be asked to numerically rate the skills of their direct reports in performing those same tasks and peer will be required to do so for their fellow workers. These numbers will be combined and statistically analysed to provide a baseline of training success and will be divided between veteran and probationary employees (Suzanne & Nicoll, 1999). Under the assumption that these tools will confirm Tran’s suspicions, the focus of this project will then be to construct a training program for supervisors on how to effectively perform OJT with new employees. Finally, as poor or non-existent OJT being identified as what needs training and that the result of OJT is high probationary employee turnover, these factors can then be maintained for use during the final, evaluation phase of this project. 2.2 Orientation Program Once the need to train supervisors on OJT has been identified, the next phase of this project will be to devise a “train the trainers” course for the supervisors. This course will focus on the following desired outcomes (Lawson, 2006): How adult learners function and the trainer’s role in the success or the failure of OJT. How to create a positive learning environment including presentation skills and “stage presence.” How to stimulate discussion amongst participants including how to engage in active listening and how to ask directed questions. In addition to developing the skills needed to impart necessary skills, knowledge, and attitude in their students, the trainers will be familiarized with a new training program for probationary employees. This course will standardize the OJT experience for new employees, thereby eliminating the inconsistencies between the various postal offices. Doing so will ensure that all new employees are given the best possible OJT in a similar environment, will eliminate the argument of, “Whats the use of learning when everyone does it differently?” and will allow a new employee trained at any facility to easily move to another facility without the need for further training or retraining (Berta, 2001). 2.3 Craw, Walk, Run During their training, the supervisors will also be advised to use the “crawl, walk, run” approach to training and how to implement this with the OJT sessions. Having been first implemented in military organisations, this approach has proven successful in training individuals and groups on new physical procedures of varying complexities and helping them to retain those perishable skills for the longest time possible (United States Army, 1996). Given the physical nature of the tasks required from postal employees, this approach is well-suited to implementing their instruction. During the crawl phase of training, the instructor walks the student through the process or procedure and stops the process as necessary to provide guidance to the student or to answer student questions. This progresses until the student is able to routinely and consistently perform the task without guidance or input from the instructor, constituting the walk phase. Finally, in the run phase the instructor will vary or complicate the task to simulate real-world conditions that may arise during the actual performance of the task in a production environment. Time required for this style of training is dependent upon the complexity of the task, the background and prior experience of the student, and the number of complications that will be added during the run phase (United States Army, 1996). 2.4 Training Materials In addition to receiving instruction on the fundamentals of human instruction as well as the specific training techniques to be used, each supervisor will also be equipped with standardized training materials to distribute to probationary employees during their OJT. The foremost of these materials will be activity diagrams designed to visually illustrate the steps necessary to complete required tasks. Essentially a diagram, “In its basic form… is a simple and intuitive illustration of what happens in a workflow…” (Ericsson, 2004). These diagrams will visually reinforce the verbal and demonstrative instruction provided by the supervisor-instructor, providing an additional means to transmit the necessary skills. This is particularly effective for those new employees who learn best from a visual presentation rather than listening to instruction or physically performing a process. While diagrams of the tasks serve to assist with training new employees, they will also be given in-depth written descriptions of these tasks during their training process. These manuals will serve to expand upon the training delivered by supervisors during OJT and will also provide a useful reference for probationary and experienced employees after the training process concludes. By explaining each task in detail and providing logical explanations as to the benefits of performing tasks in the specified manner, the value of the OJT will be enhanced. Additionally, the manual will serve as a valuable reference to employees following training, particularly for those tasks that may not be performed on a regular basis and whose skills will therefore perish normally over time (Roles, 1999). 3.0 Evaluation of the Impact Following implementation of the train the trainers instructional program, it will then be necessary to evaluate its performance, particularly its ability to more effectively impart the necessary skills, knowledge, and ability on the participants as well as its impact on the high probationary employee turnover rate. The evaluation will be conducted at regular intervals following the program implementation at 30, 180, and 365 days. Additionally, the evaluation will be continued on a regular basis following this initial period (Mager & Pipe, 1997). The evaluation will consist of 2 sections: Turnover rates – an analysis will be conducted of the turnover rates at each facility for probationary personnel in their first 90 days of employment. The data generated from this analysis will then be compared to the turnover rates existent prior to the implementation of the train the trainers program. Employee competence – surveys and interviews of a statistically significant selection of probationary and experienced employees will be conducted to generate numeric scores representing each employee’s competence in each task necessary for the execution of their assigned responsibilities. Scores will be self-generated, taken from immediate supervisors, and taken from co-workers. These scores will then be statistically compared to the baseline data generated in the surveys and interviews conducted prior to the program’s implementation. It is anticipated that the data generated in these evaluations will illustrate a consistent lowering of probationary employee turnover as well as increases in task competence. However, should this not be the case, the project will then be analysed to determine what portions of its design or execution are not or no longer relevant or effective. The program will then be redesigned and implemented to address and correct those deficiencies and then the evaluation period begun anew after this subsequent implementation (Mager & Pipe, 1997). 4.0 Conclusion By systematically designing and deploying a train the trainers program, the Postal Service can increase the competence of its employees and reduce the amount of probationary employee turnover. Increasing competence will improve efficiency and thereby lower personnel costs and reduce costs ascribed to employee error on job-critical tasks. Reducing turnover will improve employee morale, reduce overtime to compensate for position vacancies, and eliminate the costs of training new employees to fill those vacancies. These benefits can be achieved by first systematically analysing the high probationary employee turnover rates through employee surveys and interviews to determine the cause of that rate. Assuming that this analysis confirms suspicions that the turnover is caused by poor or deficient training of new employees, a program will be created and implemented to instruct front line supervisors on how to effectively conduct OJT. This instruction will be supplemented by written materials including workflow diagrams and instructional manuals, which will also serve as reference materials for experienced employees, particularly when they are called upon to execute tasks that they have not completed for some time, allowing their skills to naturally perish. Finally, the program will be consistently and regularly evaluated to compare current numerical data against baseline figures obtained prior to implementing the train the trainers program as well as from previous evaluations. It is anticipated that these evaluations will exhibit a measured increase in task competence as well as a reduction in probationary employee turnover rates. However, if this is not the case, the entire project can be re-examined as necessary to correct any deficiencies, dated material, or material that has become irrelevant due to newly developed circumstances. While undertaking these steps will result in a number of one-time and continuous costs, particularly for ongoing evaluation, the Postal Service will garner significant cost reductions in the form of increased efficiency and lowered probationary employee turnover. Additionally, the ability to quantifiably and numerically illustrate these savings through regular evaluation will grant credence to the train the trainers program, both in its efficacy and in a purely monetary cost-benefit relationship. Doing so will make the program more palatable to senior management as well as to the individual stakeholders participating in and affected by the program. Works Cited Berta, D. (2001, October 22). Ian Maksik advocates benefits for standardized service training. Nations Restaurant News . Callan, M. (2002). The Roll of the Trainer - Making Change One Day at a Time. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from Hazmat Central: http://www.hazmatcentral.com/rolloftrainer.htm Chartered Institute of Personnel Development. (2006). On the Job Training (OJT). London, England: CIPD. Ennio, C. (1988). Functional Skills and Behavioral Technology: Identifying What to Train and How to Train It. Child & Youth Services , 80-103. Ericsson, M. (2004, April 22). Activity Diagrams: What They Are and How to Use Them. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from IBM: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/2802.html Lawson, K. (2006). The Trainers Handbook (2nd Ed.). San Francisco, CA, USA: Pfeiffer. Mager, R. F., & Pipe, P. (1997). Analyzing Performance Problems. Atlanta, Georgia, USA: CEP Press. Roles, S. (1999). The Benefits of a Tutor Training Manual. Action Research Monographs . Stone, P., Cimiotti, J., Dick, A., Larson, E., & Zwanziger, J. (2004). Turnover of critical care registered nurses. AcademyHealth Meeting. San Diego, California, USA: U.S. National Institutes of Health. Suzanne, B., & Nicoll, L. (1999). A survey does not equal research. AORN , 263-264. United States Army. (1996, 8 26). TC 25-10 A Leaders Guide to Lane Training. United States Army. Read More