1. 1 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. CHAPTER THIRTEEN Training Programs

2. 2 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. LEARNING OUTCOMES  Describe orientation training programs and essential skills training  Describe technical skills training and information technology training  Discuss WHMIS legislation and safety training programs  Describe total quality management (TQM) training

3. 3 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. LEARNING OUTCOMES  Describe team training and the skills required of team members  Describe sales training and the skills required to be effective in sales  Discuss customer-service training and the skills that employees require to interact effectively with customers  Define sexual harassment and describe sexual harassment training  Describe ethics training, diversity training and cross- cultural training

4. 4 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. TRAINING PROGRAMS  Diverse variety of training programs delivered in Canadian organizations  Many factors influence what training is delivered Organizational values, goals, mission, strategy  Many programs have common or generic goals that are transferable  Will also determine how and to whom the training is provided Table 13.1 provides a snapshot of most common types of programs

5. TYPES OF TRAINING PROGRAMS 5 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd.

6. 6 ORIENTATION TRAINING Programs designed to introduce new employees to their job, the people they will be working with, and the organization  Conducted in-house by human resource practitioners Health, safety, conditions of employment, organizational history  Results in more socialized employees

7. 7 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. ESSENTIAL SKILLS TRAINING Skills that are required for work, learning, and life  Nine essential skills identified by Government of Canada and others: 1.Reading text 2.Document use 3.Numeracy 4.Writing 5.Oral communication 6.Working with others 7.Continuous learning 8.Thinking skills 9.Computer skills

8. 8 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. ESSENTIAL SKILLS TRAINING Literacy Levels of Canadians  42% of Canadians aged 16–65 in the lowest levels and are semi-literate  4.7 million in the upper Level 2 and lower Level 3 (there are five levels)  Only 58% of Canadians can read well enough to meet most day-to-day requirements

9. 9 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. ESSENTIAL SKILLS TRAINING  Essential skills training: Designed to provide employees with essential skills required to perform their job, and adapt to workplace change Becoming more important as competition in world economy increases Success of other training programs can be affected if essential skills not present Has benefits for the organization and the employee

10. 10 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. TECHNICAL SKILLS TRAINING Training in specific job skills that all employees need to perform their jobs

11. 11 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. TECHNICAL SKILLS TRAINING  Global competition has forces employers to spend time and money on technical skills training, particularly among manufacturing firms  Low-skilled employees have had to become highly skilled to keep their jobs and for their organizations to survive

12. 12 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Training programs that focus on the use of computers and computer systems  Key factor in the successful implementation of information systems technology  Tech failures a result of lack of training Computer software training:  Planned, structured, and formal means of delivering information about how to use a specific computer software application

13. 13 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING  Work-related injuries on rise  Present serious threat to employees and organizations  Approximately: 1000 die each year in workplace accidents 340,000 suffer lost-time injury Costs 12 billion dollars per year

14. 14 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING  Safety training is one of most important ways to prevent accidents  Goal is to educate employees on safe work methods and techniques  Employees should also be trained to recognize chemical and physical hazards

15. 15 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS)  Legislation to ensure workers across Canada are: Aware of potential hazards of chemicals Familiar with emergency procedures for the clean-up and disposal of a spill in the workplace

16. 16 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. QUALITY TRAINING Total Quality Management (TQM) Systematic process of continual improvement of the quality of an organization’s products and services Also includes a teamwork and customer service focus  TQM often requires significant changes in employees’ skills and the way employees work  Training involves team training, the use of statistical tools, and problem solving

17. 17 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. TEAM TRAINING Programs that are designed to improve the functioning and effectiveness of teams in areas such as communication and coordination  Group processes are usually the focus  Team training focuses on two types of skills: 1.Task work skills 2.Teamwork skills Task work skills should be mastered first

18. 18 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. SALES TRAINING Today, sales professionals need to develop:  The ability to deal with competitive challenges  Relationship-based sales training: Knowledgeable about their customer’s business needs Customized sales strategies Learning to sell solutions that combine support and service agreements

19. 19 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. CUSTOMER-SERVICE TRAINING  Organizations with strong commitment to customer service invest heavily in training  The training needs to be tailored to meet the organization’s: Strategy Context Characteristics Customers  Employees must have ability and motivation to provide excellent service

20. 20 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING Sexual harassment training is designed to:  Increase awareness and understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment  Train staff on policies and complaint procedures  Facilitate a positive climate that prevents sexual harassment Often mandatory in certain occupational fields or environments where history of harassment has been prevalent

21. 21 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. ETHICS TRAINING Ethics training programs involve teaching employees about the organizations’ values and ethical policies  Create an ethical culture and workplace  Comply with legal mandates  Gain liability protection  Attract and retain the right type of employees

22. 22 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. ETHICS TRAINING Components of an effective ethics training program:  Mandatory  Copy of organization’s code of ethics  Discussion of relevant compliance laws  An ethical decision-making model  Resources for help  Role-playing scenarios

23. 23 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. DIVERSITY TRAINING Focuses on differences in values, attitudes, and behaviours of individuals with different backgrounds  One of the most common ways for organizations to manage diversity  Is controversial – some say it has helped and others think it is a waste of time and money – and does not work

24. 24 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. DIVERSITY TRAINING Diversity Training Objectives  Increase awareness about diversity issues  Reduce biases and stereotypes  Change behaviours to those required to work effectively in a diverse workforce

25. 25 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING Training that prepares employees for working and living in different cultures and for interactions with persons from different backgrounds Training rigour is a critical factor in the effectiveness of the various methods used in cross-cultural training

26. 26 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING Major types of cross-cultural training:

27. 27 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING Training Rigour The degree of mental involvement and effort that must be expended by the trainer and the trainee in order for the trainee to learn the required concepts  Also refers to the length of time spent on training Low RigourMedium RigourHigh Rigour LecturesRole playsField trips FilmsCasesInteractive language training Examples of different levels of rigour:

28. 28 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING The degree of rigour required depends on three dimensions: 1.Cultural toughness How difficult it is to adjust to a new culture 2.Communication toughness The extent to which employee will have to interact with locals 3.Job toughness How difficult tasks/job will be compared to current role

29. 29 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. CROSS-CULTURAL TRAINING Recommendations for an Effective Cross- Cultural Training Program  Should be considered mandatory  Location should be chosen based on needs of the family  Depth of training is of utmost importance  Families must be incorporated into training  Language training should be incorporated  Education and expectations of training should be clear See Trainer’s Notebook 13.1

30. 30 © 2013 by Nelson Education Ltd. SUMMARY  Presented an overview of the major types of training programs offered in today’s organizations  Discussed key objectives, components, and success factors for many of the training programs  Discussed the link between the need for these programs, environmental influences in the world economy, and organizations’ strategies