Often, employees are trained to a level and then when they get into the real job it is all thrown out the window as their immediate supervisor advises them to do something else. When writing training packages or training trainers it is important that they understand the inherent requirements of the role, including any time constraints that will be placed on the worker. If the expectation is that they are to do the job in a certain way and they are unable to do it in that way in the time allocated to them in a safe manner, then this needs to be looked at.
This issue was drawn to my attention when my Sherpa (husband) started a job as a cleaner and he was trained to do detailed cleaning of the surfaces. When he began working shifts, his supervisor said there was no time to do detailed cleaning and he should just do spot cleaning. He was confused who he should listen to and worried that he would get into trouble if he did not do the tasks as he was trained. The company has covered their liability of anything that might go wrong because they have “trained them” according to the correct procedure, but the employee is in cognitive dissidence. They know that they are supposed to do it in the way that they are trained but the supervisor is telling them differently. This is exacerbated when companies rely on employees being trained in other companies, thus creating a variety of perspectives on how the job should be completed.
McDonald's Family Restaurants are often complimented for their intense training of all staff members. In fact, as a Registered Training Organisation, they have been hailed as a training company, not a restaurant company. It's one of the cornerstones to McDonald’s success that anyone can walk into a McDonald’s in Beijing, Paris, or Chicago and the cheeseburger will be made the same with very similar ingredients - a travellers' “safe haven”. Interesting side note: there is no McDonald's in Kathmandu, I assume because of the predominant Hindu religion and the cow being sacred as KFC is there and always packed.
Observing talent enter organisations over many years, I can attest that people who have worked at McDonald’s for over 12 months are guaranteed to be able to follow systems, learn quickly, and deliver according to deadlines. If they have cut the mustard with McDonald's, they will have the mantra of Quality, Service, Cleanliness, and Value instilled in their being and will easily adapt to the “real” workforce.
It is essential that we train employees as we expect them to perform the role.
“Oh, you should save the file there for audit purposes but no one ever checks so I do not bother” is not acceptable. We must have a clear understanding of how long a task should take and the correct way to do it. This likely means that someone who is doing or has done the role to the level of quality required is the best person to teach a new starter.
What I have seen over the years is that employers would prefer to find an employee who can “hit the ground running” which essentially means that they have left the training up to their competitors. Research by Peter Capelli, director of The Wharton School's Centre for Human Resources has backed up these observations. Companies want workers they don't have to educate. In 1979, the average young worker received 2.5 weeks of training per year. By 1995, training time fell to just 11 hours, and by 2011, only a fifth of employees reported receiving on-the-job training from their employers over the past five years.
Trained workers mean more productive ones, which means more productive companies. When we take the time to train our employees in how we expect a task to be completed, we ensure that they are doing it the most efficient way for “our company”, do not rely on training of other companies as every company is different and every employee learns in a different manner. Also train them as you would expect them to do the role, do not train them in a perfect world process if no one else in the organisation has the time, or is following that process. Be fair to the employee and set them up for success.
If you would like to learn more about career coaching with me which includes how to develop a mindset for attracting opportunities, please reach out.
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