2. TrainingMethodsforNon-Managerial Employees
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................3
Orientation Training........................................................................................................................3
Mentor Training..............................................................................................................................4
On-The-Job Training (OJT) ...............................................................................................................6
Computer-Based Training (CBT).......................................................................................................6
Simulation Training.........................................................................................................................7
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................7
Works Cited....................................................................................................................................9
3. TrainingMethodsforNon-Managerial Employees
Introduction
The competitive markets around the world are constantly evolving with the times. Whether it be
a new way to evaluate data within an organization or new technology being implemented, it is
easy to see that employees must be up to date with an organizations’ goals. In today’s
competitive markets, human capital and personnel management can make or break an
organization. The training methods in which to teach non-managerial employees are plentiful.
An organization can correctly train their personnel through methods such as: Orientation
Training, Mentor training, On-the-job training (OJT), Computer-based training (CBT), and
Simulation training.
Orientation Training
Orientation training (or “onboarding’) is intended to assist managers and supervisors in
providing new employees valuable information about their organization and jobs. The aim of
orientation is to help a new employee make a smooth, positive adjustment to the workplace. To
do this, you need a well-planned orientation program. As stated in the “New Employee
Orientation Training” book “Each new employee should receive a three-ring binder with the
following materials and corresponding tab dividers: Mission, Vision, Values, Organization
History, Organization Structure, Products and Services, Employee Handbook, Resources and
Contacts, Helpful Information, and Checklists”. (Lawson 2016) Although the task of making an
orientation can be very daunting, the manager doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel here. Managers
can and should use current employees to organize the orientation process, others in the
manager’s department, or use the organizations’ Human Resource Department for help. The
orientation program should focus on: minimizing the employee’s anxiety levels, foster a positive
outlook toward the organization, answer questions not touched on at the time of hiring, and
establish realistic job expectations. It is crucial to make sure the new employee has a good
4. TrainingMethodsforNon-Managerial Employees
impression during the first impressionable days on the job. A bad first impression can lead to the
new employee quitting before even starting, and even if they don’t quit, they could cultivate a
negative outlook that could pose long-term complications.
The use of technology can also be used to help integrate employees into the organization.
For example, IBM uses virtual environments like Second Life, to support orientations for
employees abroad. According to Dessler (2013), some companies have employed the mobile
phone route with the use of such apps like Workday’s iPhone app. With this application,
companies can provide employees with easy mobile access to their employee directories such as
e-mail coworkers, contact information, and even physical addresses on Google Maps. (p. 222)
Mentor Training
To be a mentor, one must be interchangeable in the roles they must play towards their
protégé.
The story of Mentor comes from Greek mythology. It appears in Homer’s Odyssey circa
800BC. Mentor was the faithful companion of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. Before
setting off for the Trojan Wars, Odysseus instructed Mentor to stay in Ithaca and take full
charge of the royal household…This meant that Mentor had to be a father figure, a
teacher, a role model, an approachable counsellor, a trusted adviser, a challenger, an
encourager, among other things, to the young Telemachus in order that he become, in
time, a wise and good ruler. (Carruthers 9)
In today’s world, Telemachus would be the new hire in an organization, and Mentor would be
the manager guiding the new employee.
5. TrainingMethodsforNon-Managerial Employees
For new college graduates, the first job can be crucial for building confidence and to
establishing a realistic picture of what they can and cannot do. Through mentor training,
experienced employees can help the new recruits by providing advice, counseling, and guidance
for attaining long-term careers. Mentoring may be both formal or informal as stated in “Human
Resources Management” by Gary Dessler. (Dessler 2013) states that “Informally, mid- and
senior-level managers may voluntarily help less-experienced employees—for instance, by giving
them career advice and helping them navigate office politics” (p.302). According to Dessler
(2013) it also states that employers also have formal mentoring programs “For instance, the
employer may pair protégés with potential mentors, and provide training to help mentor and
protégé better understand their respective responsibilities” (p. 304). Through both the formal and
informal mentoring training techniques, new employees can gain valuable career-related
guidance and enhance one’s career satisfaction and success.
Through an accumulation of many organizations’ mentor regulations and guidelines, some
of the following tasks are entailed when mentoring:
formation of corporate culture of young employees
development of young employee’s potential
determining the track of their further individual professional career
providing career opportunities for young employees (Masalimova, Sadovaya &
Flores,2016)
Clearly, mentoring others in an organization provides a great foundation to further the mentee’s
skills and job capabilities. As stated in the Journal of Environmental Health, “It is estimated that
over 90 percent of women executives have had mentors sometime in their careers and that, of
6. TrainingMethodsforNon-Managerial Employees
those, 80 percent considered their mentors to be important to their career advancement”
(Hagevik 1998).
On-The-Job Training (OJT)
On-the-job training is one of the earliest forms of training with observational learning
probably being the earliest. OJT, like many other training programs, comes in many forms with
the most familiar being coaching or the understudy method. According to Dessler (2013), This
usually involves the new employee to observe the experienced worker, or having the worker
show them the ropes, step-by-step (p. 229). Another form of OJT is using the job rotation
method. In a job rotation, the employee moves from job to job in planned interludes to create an
all-around employee who is capable of working in any area of the job. In essence there are four
steps to making sure that any OJT results in success. The first step is to prepare the learner,
which involves: Putting the learner at ease, explain to the learner why they are being taught,
create interest and find out what the learner already knows about the job. The second step
involves presenting the operation, which involves explaining quantity and quality requirements,
going through the job at a slower pace, and going through the job at the normal work pace. The
third step is to do a tryout run, which involves having the learner thoroughly go through each
step of the job several times, run the job at normal pace, and then letting the learner run the job
on their own. The fourth step is the follow-up, which involves designating who the learner
should go to for help, gradually limiting supervision to the learner, and showing positive
reinforcement to the learner when the job is done correctly.
Computer-Based Training (CBT)
Through computer-based training, organizations use interactive training modules to
increase the knowledge of their employees. The training modules allow the trainee greater
7. TrainingMethodsforNon-Managerial Employees
control over the content by being able to enter and leave the training when needed. CBT ensures
the organization that all employees are getting the same training. It also makes it possible for
organizations to track the performance of their employees easily by evaluating quiz scores at the
end of each training session. Computer-based training provides an enormous financial advantage
for organizations to effectively streamline training. An organization will no longer have to worry
about the cost of travel, training facilities, trainer costs, and the employee taking time off work to
train.
Simulation Training
With technology so rapidly evolving, virtual reality is now a presence in training
methods. In The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, an
article in virtual reality has shown how virtual reality can help in minimal invasive surgeries.
According to Pan (2016), “With this simulator, trainees can operate on the virtual rectum with
both visual and haptic sensation feedback simultaneously. The system also offers surgeons
instructions in real time when improper manipulation happens.” Video games have also been
used to mimic real life situations. For example, the U.S. armed forces use a video game called
Full Spectrum to train troops in urban warfare. The video game is used to cultivate real-time
leadership and decision-making skills (Dessler, 2013, p. 234).
Conclusion
I found the topic of training for non-managerial managers quite interesting, because these
are all training methods in which I have encountered throughout my years of working. As a soon
to be graduate, this research topic has opened my eyes to many different training procedures that
I’ll be able to use in my future workplace. The most intriguing training method that caught my
attention was the orientation process. The job I currently work at did not have such a detailed
8. TrainingMethodsforNon-Managerial Employees
orientation as explained in my readings. Because of the lack of orientation, it felt more like I was
thrown to the wolves the first couple of weeks on the job. Through a mentoring training process,
I was able to feel at ease into my position thanks to some helpful employees. The lack of
orientation till this day still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Although it was a tough first couple
of weeks at my job the experience will help me be a better manager from it. I know how it feels
now to be lost in the workplace without proper guidance, and I will make sure that no employee
has to go through that experience. My job also uses computer-based training modules for training
purposes. In my experience these modules are helpful, but I can see how they can be easily
misused. Countless times I have seen my coworkers just print out the modules and hand them to
other coworkers to meet the deadline. Overall this was a good topic to give me insight in useful
training techniques that I can use in my future.
9. TrainingMethodsforNon-Managerial Employees
Works Cited
Caldwell, B. J., & Carter, E. M. (2003). The Return Of The Mentor : Strategies For Workplace
Learning (1). London, US: Routledge. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com
Hagevik, S. (1998). What's a mentor, who's a mentor?. Journal Of Environmental Health, 61(3),
59-59 1p.
Masalimova, A. a., Sadovaya, V. V., & Flores, R. D. (2016). Guidelines for Mentoring
Optimization. International Journal Of Environmental & Science Education, 11(7), 1597-1602.
doi:10.12973/ijese.2016.365a
Dessler, G., & Dessler, G. (2015). Human resource management (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson.
Jun J. Pan, Woojin Ahn, Saurabh Dargar, Tansel Halic, Bai C. Li, Ganesh Sankaranarayanan,
Kurt Roberts, Steven Schwaitzberg, Suvranu De, Graphic and haptic simulation for transvaginal
cholecystectomy training in NOTES, Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 2016, 60, 410
