How do you manage new employees who criticise your training methods, complain to senior staff and take the induction into their own hands? What training strategies will win back control and keep it? By Sarah Fletcher.
How do you train after the staff have criticised your methods?
We are a manufacturing and distribution company with over 2,000 products (some of which are very different) so I try to find a balance between introducing the product range to employees without bombarding them with too much technical information too soon, and training them in the order entry system and the various processes surrounding it.
I usually talk to them about the products initially and then we do a system familiarity - using the various enquiries etc and then we start entering orders in the system - first in test and then into live. I also sit them beside other team members during this time as well, listening in on calls etc. We revisit products again after some time entering orders and bring in a bit more detail about the product. After about four weeks, we start taking calls and give them plenty of time to enter each order between calls etc. Our training plan lasts six weeks.
I have the processes beside me for each step and refer to them as we go but sometimes I can tell the trainee isn't interested or confused because they have no context yet to apply the processes.
I created this training plan after I was appointed to this position towards the end of last year. It was applied to one new person and seemed to work quite well, but then I had two new people starting on the same day. That same week the team leader was away and I was required for a project which meant I was out of the office for three days in their first week (I spent Monday and a half day each on Wednesday and Thursday with them). I was out of the office for the whole of their second week (project) and third week (I got married).
When I returned from my honeymoon I was pulled into two meetings on my first morning back. My manager's manager said the new staff had said I hadn't adjusted the training for their specific background and that I needed to work on making my training specific to the two of them. My manager then took me into another meeting and said they had felt like they couldn't ask me questions and that I was too brisk. And I probably was, given the stress I was under. When I came back to them, the plan went out the window as they had clear ideas of what they wanted to do next and how, so I just followed their lead and gave them the training they requested, as they requested it and tried to squish in the extra bits around that and the ongoing project work that I was still being pulled out for. And then it was Christmas.
My questions:
How do I ensure the training continues to a level my manager expects when I am pulled out for project work? I am involved in a company-wide project which started last year and will continue until November and it will demand more and more of my time. My manager has indicated that she doesn't have the resource to fill my role from the CS team if someone were to leave and I was in the midst of the project. I would have to find a means of managing both.
Melanie Baanders
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I realised that I needed to do some additional training myself - a teaching qualification did not mean I could teach adults. As a result of the training I attended, I learned some good planning practices and some good tips on learning styles and catering for those. I also learned about the roles that an organisation, a manager, a trainer and the learner have in the learning process - the trainer isn't responsible for the whole thing.
Subsequently my training approach has changed - I'm not afraid to experiment a bit and I have more confidence in myself. The tips that people gave me were re-enforced by the training I had so altogether I knew I had a good basis to my training.
My manager has been very supportive and employees have more confidence in me.
In hindsight, I would have asked for help sooner. I think I needed to speak up and say "Hey, am I doing the right thing here?" rather than assuming that everyone thought I'd just know what to do and do it perfectly.
If you are new to a training role, you need training yourself in how to be a trainer. Knowing the material is vital, of course, but that alone won't make you a good trainer. In addition to this, find your boundaries. As a trainer, you are responsible for providing the best learning environment you can, being organised, on time and giving relevant and practical training. Motivating people to come to the training is the role of the manager. Following up and ensuring skills are put into place is the responsibility of the manager. Re-enforcing new behaviours and skills as valued is the role of the organisation. And the learner is not a sponge - they can't sit and absorb ... they too need to be active learners. So as a new trainer, don't be too hard on yourself.
Any other learning points?
Of the four learning styles I learned about, I excel in three and am good at the fourth. The four learning styles were Activists, Pragmatists, Reflectors and Theorists. Activists like to learn through "doing" and prefer not to have restraints and guidelines. They learn best by tackling a problem head on and like to work with other people.
Pragmatists like to follow instructions step by step and they like to know the real world application of what they are learning. They also like to have a plan so they know ahead of time what they will be doing and they like the plan to be stuck to.
Reflectors like to take their time and think through what they are learning. They like to observe first and think ahead on the implications of what they are learning before they actually try it for themselves.
Lastly Theorists like to understand the theory behind what they are learning. They like to explore associations and relationships between things. They like to refer to process documents and manuals - they like to read through them and then work out answers for themselves as much as possible.
I have to remember that I need to cater to them all in my training as not many people are in the same position as me. Now I am approaching a training a group of company managers in a new computer system in July with confidence. I know I can do this well.
As far as catering to them, it's a matter of incorporating things into your training that will appeal to all. In group situations, have a plan available, provide time for reflection, have group discussions, debates or some other group work and provide additional reading material or web sites for theorists to pursue at their leisure.
For me, my role is mainly one on one training in our computer system and products so for the Activists - I put them on the test system pretty much straight away and start working through all the different scenarios. For Pragmatists, I take each area step by step and give them time to master each step. For Reflectors I demonstrate the system for them, giving them time to think about it and ask questions and then give them the opportunity to practise. Lastly for theorists, I have print screens of the system, all the process documents and lots of information on the products.
For planning we were given a good example of a session plan and then we practised using it for a training example from our own work. It has space for the Learning Objectives, the Activity Time, Method & Resources, Content and Notes. Prior to any training, we have a check list to use: identify training needs, know who the attendees will be, identify the learning objectives, identify who is providing the training, identify the time schedule for the training, identify if the attendees should be involved in the planning, identify the training methods to be used, identify the "musts" and the "maybes" of the content, identify the practical requirements - where, when, parking, refreshments etc and identify how the training will be assessed - during, immediately after and the ongoing assessment on the job. Some of these aren't applicable to all training but it is a pretty comprehensive list.
How to deal with this grievance - advice offered by members:
- Nik Kellingley says it’s crucial to show employees how the training is relevant to their jobs
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