New Employee Training in Information Technology - Term Paper Example

New Employee Training in IT 1. Introduction Employees are an organization’s most valuable resource, but the way most organizations “welcome” a new employee sometimes produced the opposite impression. Organization frequently approach orientation as a late addition while others spend thousand of dollars and a great deal of time and effort on slick presentations, multiple guest speakers, and ample employee handbooks, all of which leave the new employee confused, apprehensive, and besieged. However, the important question is why organizations are doing this, why train employees? This paper will discuss new employees training program in IT and related issues in the field of training and development. 2. New Employee Training According to the Productivity Press Development Team (2002), there are three types of training standards to be considered in new employee training program. These are employee-to-employee training, training by specialist or managers, and training by visual management (p.60). New employee training is obligatory in some IT –based companies; for instance, a call center had a separate and broad orientation and training program that lasted a total of more or less five weeks (Ahlstrand et. al. 2003). 2.1 Training from a Business Perspective A common approach to training in business is to assign an experienced employee to teach new employee how to do a job (Fournies 1999). In its simplest sense, training is the process of elucidating to someone how to do something. It involves communicating ideas and concepts. “Everyone is a trainer is some fashion” (Wallace and Webber 2005:409). However, things are not that simple since someone leaves company to go elsewhere, the cost of replacing that person approaches a prohibitively expensive level. It is expensive not only in terms of monetary cost, but also in the cost of knowledge and experience that the person has and has contributed to the company. In Murch (2001) analysis of the cost of Information Technology Staff replacement, the cost of turnover for the departing person can be as much as 150% to 250% of that person’s salary and more for expert knowledge workers (p.47). The scope of training in IT covers areas even beyond new employees’ orientation but retraining current employees, and it is not limited to information systems personnel but includes all system users (Wallace and Weber 2005). 2.2 Reasons for Training New Employees Orientation is a type of training offered to new employees to help them adapt to their new jobs and employers. Increasing employee integration with the job through orientation throughout the first 90 days gets people skillful and makes them feel part of the company “team” and “orientation that is well administered may augment employee retention rates by as much as 25%” (Mathis and Jackson 2006:85; Dinero 2005:282 ). For starters, the typical new employee orientation program is boring (Lawson 2002:1). Like many other traditional training programs, it is presenter-centered and lecture-driven, with little or no opportunity for participant interaction. However, the orientation program really is the employee’s first exposure to the organization thus; it should be an enjoyable and memorable experience. A thoughtfully planned and delivered program helps the employee’s transition, prompts him or her to feel good about the organization, and ignites excitement and enthusiasm. The focus is helping new employee integrates into the organization and to begin building relationships. Organizations that skimp on orientation programs not only shortchange the employee but also miss the perfect opportunity to communicate and help the employee embrace and internalize the organization’s philosophy, values, norms, and culture. Neglecting training will slow organization’s operations, incur loses as mistakes, time lost searching for information, blindly trying solutions, and methods are clearly unproductive (Vallée 1999). Employees need to comprehend how they fit into the big picture. They must realize that what they do is important and makes a difference. The orientation program can help the new employee become more at ease, positive, and proficient (Lawson 2002:2). In the study conducted by the Ohio State University, reveals that new employees who completed a three-hour orientation program show a higher level of commitment than did those who skipped the program. Moreover, the increased commitment resulted from the fact that those who attended had a better understanding of the organization’s goals and values and knew more about its history than those who did not go. Therefore, increased commitment leads to increased employee retention rates (Lawson 2002 referring to the works of Grabmeier 2000). 2.3 Phases of New Employee Training Program 2.3.1 Analysis In the analysis phase of new employee training design, it includes information on a nee-to-know basis so as not to overwhelm trainees and to help them move into and adapt to their new environment. Normally, a model of human learning is introduced. This includes considering the adults need of self-direction, past experience, the need to learn, how they are motivated by real world application, and their specific training method requirements (McConnell 2003; Lawson 2002). Target audience, is also very important since trainers can this to design and conduct a training program consistent with organization’s culture and philosophy. It is also useful to help train line managers and supervisors in orienting their new employees that would create a more effective and meaningful orientation experience for their new employees. The organizational landscape has changed dramatically and will continue to change in the future. A diverse workforce has altered not only the way organizations do business but also the way they train their workers thus differences in age, gender, race, ethnicity, lifestyle, religion, language, disabilities, and literacy affect how trainers design, develop, and deliver training. Since people in a new employee orientation programs will vary greatly in education background, life experiences, innate intelligence, and abilities, it is important to know as much as possible about the participants before they attend the orientation session (McConnell 2003; Lawson 2002). 2.3.2 Design In the design phase, human resource professional need to spend time upfront getting support, buy-in, and participation from others in the organization since the orientation program cannot be design in a vacuum. It has to be clear what top management wants to accomplish in a new employee orientation program. Therefore, the purpose and goals of the program should be to provide employees with information that helps them integrate smoothly and quickly into the organization. To introduce employees to the organization as a whole such as its structure, philosophy, purpose, values, and so forth. To help new employees identify the importance of their roles within the organization and how what they do affects others. Introduce them to their department’s goals and their roles in helping meet those goals. Promote communication between the employee and management. Communicate expectations regarding policies, procedures, and performance. Make them feel welcome and assure them that they made the right decision in joining the team. Finally, get them excited about being part of the organization and motivate them to do the best job possible. In other words, the design of the program should be informative, motivational, and fun. 2.3.3 Development On the completion of the design phase, the development starts with selecting specific program content. Content driven by the objective determines the length of the program. Standard contents include company history, profile, culture, philosophy, mission, vision, values, goals and direction, senior management team, financial position, locations, building layout, structure, products and services, customers, and competitors. More importantly, compensation and benefits such as bonuses, insurance plans, retirement, deferred compensation, profit sharing, time off, paid overtime, worker’s compensation, and tuition reimbursement. Content of the training program also normally contains policies and procedures regarding work hours, standards of personal conduct, ethics, safety, emergencies, computer and Internet usage, sexual harassment, parking, attendance and tardiness, rest and meal breaks, and performance evaluation. Lastly, employee programs and services include employee assistance program, mentoring, employee development, and service and recognition awards (McConnell 2003; Lawson 2002: Mathis and Jackson 2006). 2.3.4 Implementation During the implementation phase, or within three to six weeks, members of senior management participate as guest speakers. It can be a short reception during a break or after the session during which members of management mingle with the newcomers, getting to know them on a personal level and answering any questions they were afraid to ask in front of the group. Printed materials are an important element of the program’s implementation phase and each participant must receive copies of these materials. Crating an enjoyable environment is also essential to show employees how much the organization values them. Usually, this is accomplished by establishing a theme and creating the physical environment that reflects it (McConnell 2003; Lawson 2002: Mathis and Jackson 2006). 2.3.5 Evaluation According the Lawson (2002), there are three reasons to evaluate an organizations new employee orientation program. First, is determining whether the training achieved its objectives. Second, is to assess the value of the orientation program since its important to know the effect the program has on the employee’s satisfaction with the organization and how quickly he or she is able to adapt to the environment and to the job itself. Thirdly, to identify program areas that need improvement as this will help determine what works and what does not so that future designs can accommodate them. In addition, it can help identify topics that need more emphasis and perhaps others more appropriately delivered through another medium. The Four-Level Model (reaction, learning, behavior, results) for evaluating training is the most widely used evaluation tool (p.48). 3. Summary and Conclusion A new employee-training program is almost compulsory since it has a considerable impact on businesses, as the cost of replacing an employee is almost double the cost of an effective training program. In IT, staff replacement or the cost of turnover is huge as it includes knowledge gained from years of employee’s technical work experience. Therefore, new employees’ training is very important since it can greatly help employees adapt to their new jobs that would consequently increase retention rates. The new employee training increases worker’s commitment because they will have a better understanding of the company’s objective, aspirations, and values. Lastly, an effective training program should go through different stages such as analysis, design, program development, implementation, and evaluation to ensure that the training program achieve its objective and identify areas that need improvements. Reference List Ahlstrand Amanda, Bassi Laurie, and McMurrer Daniel .2003. Workplace Education for Low-Wage Workers. Published 2003 W.E. Upjohn Institute. ISBN 0880992662 Dinero Donald, 2005, Training Within Industry: The Foundation of Lean, Published 2005 Productivity Press, ISBN 1563273071 Fournies Ferdinand. 1999. Why Employees Don't Do What They're Supposed To Do and What To Do About It. Published 1999 McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0071342559 Lawson Karen. 2002. New Employee Orientation Training. Published 2002 American Society for Training and Development. ISBN 1562863185 McConnell John. 2003. How to Identify Your Organization's Training Needs. Published 2003 AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. ISBN 0814407102 Murch Richard. 2001. 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