9.4: Developing Employees

Because companies can’t survive unless employees do their jobs well, it makes economic sense to train them and develop their skills. This type of support begins when an individual enters the organization and continues as long as he or she stays there.

New-Employee Orientation

Have you ever started your first day at a new job feeling upbeat and optimistic, only to walk out at the end of the day thinking that maybe you’ve taken the wrong job? If this happens too often, your employer may need to revise its approach to orientation—the way it introduces new employees to the organization and their jobs. Starting a new job is a little like beginning college; at the outset, you may be experiencing any of the following feelings:^[1]

• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Loneliness
• Imposter syndrome
• Stress and exhaustion

The employer who understands how common such feelings are is more likely not only to help newcomers get over them but also to avoid the pitfalls often associated with new-employee orientation:^[2]

• Failing to have a workspace set up for you
• Failing to implement a feedback mechanism for new hires to give feedback
• Failing to introduce new employees to their coworkers
• Failing to share clear expectations and goals for new employees

Initially, when an employee is hired, the organization uses an orientation program to introduce the employee to the company’s people, policies, and procedures. A good employer will take things slowly, providing you with information about the company and your job on a need-to-know basis while making you feel as comfortable as possible. You’ll get to know the company’s history, traditions, and culture over time. You’ll learn more about salary and benefits, and how your performance will be evaluated. Most importantly, you’ll find out how your job fits into overall operations and what’s expected of you. Over the first few weeks, the manager should schedule check-in meetings to review expectations, progress, responsibilities, and answer any questions the new employee may have. Failure to integrate new hires into a company adequately leads to low retention rates.

Training and Development

When you start a new job, you may enter that job role with many skills and knowledge gained through education or previous work experience. Even with some experience, knowledge, and skills, your new employer will still want to provide you with training specific to the technologies, processes, and practices used by the organization.

As you grow with your new employer, you will need to continually learn, after all, life is about lifelong learning, and our world continues to grow around us. We need to keep up with the times. Companies ensure their employees have the skills and knowledge to support company goals and for the company to remain competitive in its field. Often, employers pay for programs/courses whereby employees can update their knowledge and skills. This helps retain employees, increase employee satisfaction and brings new ideas and skills into the business.

Types of Training

Corporate training is essential for employee onboarding and employee retention. Onboarding is the perfect time to deliver training. A new staff member is bursting with excitement about joining your company. Existing employees are also eager to extend and develop their skills. In any case, for the sake of learning effectiveness, the training method is as important as the content and activities.

Below are seven of the best types of employee training methods:^[3]

• Case studies
• Coaching/mentoring
• Technology-based learning (eLearning)
• Instructor-led training
• Interactive training
• On-the-job training
• Video-based training

Training Costs

It would be nice if employees came with all the skills they need to do their jobs. It would also be nice if job requirements stayed the same: once you’ve learned how to do a job, you’d know how to do it forever. In reality, new employees must be trained; moreover, as they grow in their jobs or as their jobs change, they’ll need additional training. Unfortunately, training is costly and time-consuming. How costly?

In a U.S. analysis of corporations and educational institutions with 100 or more employees for the year 2023, companies spent $954 per employee for training, and the average hours of training each employee received were 57. Services organizations spent the most per learner ($1,172), followed by nonprofits ($1,105). Small ($1,420) and midsize ($751) companies spent more per learner than large corporations ($481). On average, organizations allocated the biggest portions of their training budget to mandatory compliance training (13 percent), management/supervisory training (12 percent), and onboarding (11 percent). Diversity, equity, and inclusion were new categories added in 2023, and they came in at 7 percent.^[4]

Canadian firms invest modestly in training—an estimated $240 per employee annually—and lag behind their international peers in rates and hours of instruction. Larger firms are more likely than smaller firms to provide training. Employers in utilities, finance and insurance, and other knowledge-based, technology-rich industries train at above-average rates, while firms in retail, forestry, and oil and gas extraction provide below-average levels of training. Firms in Québec and Ontario are more likely to provide training than firms in the Prairies or Atlantic provinces. Given their concern for return on investment (ROI), firms tend to invest in training for immediate needs, such as onboarding and orientation, technology adoption, addressing skills gaps, and implementing innovations, and favour on-the-job and at-workplace modes of delivery over classroom and other external options.^[5]

Compliance Training

Compliance training covers the standards for a healthy working environment and teaches safety and accident prevention procedures.