Over the years, I have experienced varying levels of training and subsequent varying results based on the depth and type of training used. When I think back on a memorable training experience, I have to say that The Best Training goes to… The Melt! A relatively quaint fast-casual grilled cheese, mac and cheese, and burger restaurant located in Denver, Colorado.
As a new hire from outside the company stepping into my first management position as a shift lead, I was impressed with the Manager and Employee Training manual that was given to me on the first day. It outlined a weekly planner that guided me through the training workbook, complete with check-ins and direct one-on-ones with the General Manager. It felt like I was completing a school workbook with exercises, questions to ponder, and tasks to complete, making it a fun and educational experience. The use of the manual/workbook coupled with hands-on training gave me the tools and the knowledge I needed to feel confident running my own shifts, even though I still made plenty of mistakes.
The reason I feel like this experience was especially effective is because it helped me not only understand what the standards and expectations were of the job via the handbook, but I also developed a mentor-like relationship with the GM (Lecture Notes – Development). Her hands-on and one-on-one time approach made me feel safe and comfortable to ask for help when I needed it. Overall, I had greater satisfaction, motivation and commitment towards that job because the company saw how important it was to give employees the information and the tools they need to succeed.
On the other hand, I have certainly been let down by companies, big and small, regarding training or lack thereof. When I was contemplating which, if any, was the worst training I’ve ever had and I really couldn’t pin down one experience in particular that was memorable. In general however, I would say that The Worst Training goes to…. the jobs that didn’t provide any training at all!
When being onboarded into an organization, there is some level of expectation that you will be taught or at least told what a role entails and the job tasks required. However, some organizations (maybe un-organizations) offer very little to no training or onboarding, which can be a frustrating experience as a young adult with a tendency toward people-pleasing. All I wanted was for someone to tell me what they needed from me. In my experience, these types of “training” situations made me feel as if I were thrown to the wolves, left to figure it out on my own.
What makes this type of training style ineffective is that it does the exact opposite of what The Melt experience did. I had very little job satisfaction since I didn’t know what job I was supposed to be doing, motivation went out the window with job satisfaction, and job commitment did not last long, sometimes only a day. Beyond that, I was not invested in the company because I was not socialized into the working environment.
Hiring the right person with the right talents is important but training and onboarding is the only way to set your new hires up for success.
SOURCES
Lecture Notes – Development