Following some probing questions it came to light that, besides hourly pay, he did not offer much to attract and retain loyal and dedicated employees. Through professional consultation, he came to realize that even if he paid higher wages to new “trained” employees, the problem would persist because employees want more than wages from their work place. They want:
? Organization and professional management
? Information regarding the business and its customers
? Recognition for their role in the company’s success
? Acknowledgement of their individual capacities and contributions
? Positive discipline / fairness
? A say in the way the business is run.
The restaurant operator realized that until then he had treated his employees as “plate carriers” and this is exactly how they had behaved and performed. He was ready to change his mode of operation: he diverted his focus to the needs of his employees, re-structured his organisation, planned new operational strategies, a human resources strategy, training and development guidelines, disciplinary rules and regulations.
He communicated and shared these in a meeting with his employees and handed out the employee handbook prepared for that purpose. He also reminded them of their responsibilities towards the business, the customers, and themselves (taking charge of their own training, development, and work performance). They were more than pleased when he asked them to express their opinions, make comments and suggestions.
He was surprised at the immediate transformation that took place. He began receiving excellent reviews from his customers, the employees worked as a team, their motivation skyrocketed and he never had to replace them! All this was accomplished by extending the previous concept of training to that of training and people development.
Training and Development represents a complete whole that triggers the mind, emotions and employees’ best work performance. It is not only business managers and owners who must do this shift in thinking, but Human Resources Directors and Training Managers (whose title should be “Training and Development” Managers). By their actions, they should offer a personal example, coaching and guiding all the people in an organisation to think “beyond training” and invest efforts in people’s:
? Professional development
? Personal development.
Contrary to what some managers think; people do not quit a place of work as soon as they have grown personally and professionally through training and development programs – at least they do not do so for a long while. They become loyal to their employer and help him/her grow business-wise, which offers them more opportunities. They chart their own course for career advancement within the broader framework of organizational growth.
References:
http://www.mapnp.org/library/trng_dev/methods/slf_drct.htm. For additional information about self-directed learning
http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~rouda/T1_HRD.html. A perspective
on improving organizations and people
Appendix
? Informal and Formal Training and Development
o Informal Training and Development
o Formal Training and Development
o Formal, Systematic Training and Development
? Self-Directed and “Other-Directed” Training
o Self-Directed Training
o Other-Directed Learning
? Cross Training
? Employee Motivation
? Workplace Example