Page 23 - DMGT106_MANAGING_HUMAN_ELEMENTS_AT_WORK

Unit 1: Introduction to Human Resource Management

executives recognize that training offers a way of developing skills, enhancing productivity Notes
and quality of work, and building worker loyalty. Enhancing employee skills can increase
individual and organizational performance and help to achieve business results. Increasingly,
executives realize that developing the skills and knowledge of its workforce is a business
imperative that can give them a competitive edge in recruiting and retaining high quality
employees and can lead to business growth.
Other factors involved in determining whether training is needed include the complexity of
the work environment, the rapid pace of organizational and technological change, and the
growing number of jobs in fields that constantly generate new knowledge and, thus, require
new skills. In addition, advances in learning theory have provided insights into how people
learn and how training can be organized most effectively.
Training managers oversee development of training programs, contracts, and budgets. They
may perform needs assessments of the types of training needed, determine the best means
of delivering training, and create the content. They may provide employee training in a
classroom, computer laboratory, or onsite production facility, or through a training film,
Web video-on-demand, or self-paced or self-guided instructional guides. For live or
in-person training, training managers ensure that teaching materials are prepared and the
space appropriately set, training and instruction stimulate the class, and completion certificates
are issued at the end of training. For computer-assisted or recorded training, trainers ensure
that cameras, microphones, and other necessary technology platforms are functioning properly
and that individual computers or other learning devices are configured for training purposes.
They also have the responsibility for the entire learning process, and its environment, to
ensure that the course meets its objectives and is measured and evaluated to understand how
learning impacts performance.
Training specialists plan, organize, and direct a wide range of training activities. Trainers
consult with training managers and employee supervisors to develop performance
improvement measures, conduct orientation sessions, and arrange on-the-job training for
new employees. They help employees to maintain and improve their job skills and prepare
for jobs requiring greater skill. They work with supervisors to improve their interpersonal
skills and to deal effectively with employees. They may set up individualized training plans
to strengthen employees’ existing skills or teach new ones. Training specialists also may set
up leadership or executive development programs for employees who aspire to move up
in the organization. These programs are designed to develop or “groom” leaders to replace
those leaving the organization and as part of a corporate succession plan. Trainers also lead
programs to assist employees with job transitions as a result of mergers or consolidation,
as well as retraining programs to develop new skills that may result from technological
changes in the work place. In government-supported job-training programs, training specialists
serve as case managers and provide basic job skills to prepare participants to function in the
labour force. They assess the training needs of clients and guide them through the most
appropriate training. After training, clients may either be referred to employer relations
representatives or receive job placement assistance. Planning and program development is
an essential part of the training specialist’s job. In order to identify and assess training needs,
trainers may confer with managers and supervisors or conduct surveys. They also evaluate
training effectiveness to ensure that employees actually learn and that the training they
receive helps the organization meet its strategic goals and achieve results.
An Employee Relation: An organization’s director of industrial relations forms labour policy,
oversees industrial labour relations, negotiates collective bargaining agreements, and
coordinates grievance procedures to handle complaints resulting from management disputes
with employees. The director of industrial relations also advises and collaborates with the
director of human resources, other managers, and members of their staffs, because all aspects
of human resources policy such as wages, benefits, pensions, and work practices may be
involved in drawing up a new or revised work rules that comply with a union contract.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 17