When reflecting on a training that I found especially beneficial and cross referencing it with the article, Your New Hires Won’t Succeed Unless You Onboard Them Properly, I found there to be a couple key points that I resonated with. The training that I am recalling was primarily conducted through online training modules for the first two weeks, then transitioned into half work days with training modules incorporated throughout the shift. Something that found to be super helpful during this process that relates to the article was the managerial support that I experienced. The manager for this job demonstrated support by checking in after each training module, voluntarily walking me through hands-on practice so I could familiarize myself with the work before being thrown into a shift, and introducing me to co-workers and incorporating them into my training. All of these supportive behaviors made me feel competent and prepared to move forward as an independent employee.
On the contrary, when looking at the training for my current position, it represents training that I did not find beneficial. In comparison with the training method for my last example, there was no managerial involvement in the training structure of my current position other than random drop-ins and making corrections when she thought necessary. The structure consisted of very loose objectives that were taught through presentation and hands-on work that had no form of evaluation once completed. This basically looked like an experienced employee onboarding and socializing with other employees for a couple hours then shadowing her for the rest of the day before being deemed a trained employee. As one might imagine, a single “training” session that is a duration of six hours is not enough to prepare an individual to work on their own in a new environment with duties that they are nothing more than faintly familiar with. In order to improve this process, there should be a structured, designed training course that is consistent with all employees and has more managerial involvement, as well as support.
References:
Ellis, A. M., Nifadkar, S. S., Bauer, T. N., & Erdogan, B. (2020, November 3). Your new hires won’t succeed unless you onboard them properly. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved October 31, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2017/06/your-new-hires-wont-succeed-unless-you-onboard-them-properly?registration=success
Swift, M. (2022, October). Selection. [PowerPoint slides].
