Introduction to Induction Training Program Research
Background to the Research
The study of the induction training program is focused on the nature of the induction program at the XYZ Company. The study also considers the effects of the current program to the performance of the employees. Glass is a very fragile product, and therefore its manufacturing process has to be carefully planned. Recently, the standards of glass manufactured have dropped, and also their packaging is poor. Additionally, the number of accidents in glass manufacturing has increased in comparison to previous years. This research tries to identify the relationship between this poor performance and the induction program in use.
Training new employees are very important to the organization because it helps prevent frequent staff turnover. It also helps in identifying the best working relationship between the management and the employees (Armstrong, 2006). The main reasons why the HR department should conduct an efficient Induction Program are as follows. First, the company is in a position to explain to the new employees on its culture regarding performance and regulations. In addition to regulations, socialization in the company is enhanced by this program (Vonnegut, 2009). Secondly, various managerial issues are discussed, such as the procedure of payment and also the mode of payment used by the company. Induction training sets up employees in the organization and gives a detailed introduction to the work environment (Clement, 1995). Further, induction training enables new employees to become useful members of the company. As a result, short term staff turnover will be reduced, and productivity improved (Vonnegut, 2009).
This research will identify the type of induction program at XYZ Company. The research will also focus on identifying the effects of the induction program to the employees’ performance.
Objectives of the Research
The aim of this research is to identify the form of Induction Training Program in Company XYZ. The research, therefore, seeks to evaluate the different methods of induction. Secondly, the research seeks to explore the method of induction that is more effective. The third objective of this research is to investigate the importance of a proper induction training program for the company. Lastly, this research seeks to identify the flaws in the current induction program.
Relevance of the Research to the Organization
The research conducted is very important because it explores areas that can explain the high staff turnover in company XYZ and also explains ways in which the company can improve performance. Proper induction program might also reduce the high number of accidents in the company.
Identification of the Research Needs
This is a broad area of research, and therefore a lot of information in the form of data is required. Most of the literature required in the research was obtained from the internet and library. The employees provided essential information through interviews questionnaires. Money for travelling as well as time for the research was essential for the successful outcome of the research.
Research Approach
The research on the induction training program of company XYZ used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The interviews were preferred to the questionnaires because they are more detailed. Also, the available literature in this field was analyzed. Handbooks provided to new employees in the company were also reviewed.
Research Findings and Analysis
Introduction
This chapter describes the analysis of the data collected. The research findings are also discussed. The findings relates to the problem question that guided this study. The analysis of data was aimed at describing, exploring and identifying the relationship between poor performance and lack of proper Induction Training Program.
The questionnaires administered to the employees of XYZ Company were returned and the findings analyzed. These questionnaires comprised two sections. The first section comprised of demographics data including age, sex, years of experience, and the training offered by company XYZ. The other section compared the Induction Training model available to the performance of the company.
Data Analysis Method
Qualitative data analysis method was used in this research analysis. This method was used because it offered explanation on the data presented by the questionnaires. This was also the best method to use in the research analysis because not all the participants answered the full questionnaire (Powell and Renner, 2003). The analysis was then compared to the available literature on the importance of the Induction Training Program to validate the method and the research findings.
Discussion of Findings
Sitting by Nellie
Although it was not the main aim of the research, the type of the Induction Training Program available the company was very important in comparison of the program and XYZ’s performance. Based on the number of respondent, XYZ has a highly informal Induction Program.
Informal Induction is the kind of induction training being practiced at XYZ. The experienced workers teach the new employees on how to handle their task as opposed to the use of professionals to perform this task. According to Armstrong (2006), employees are likely to get used to the norms of the company when the process of socialization is smooth. This is because good relationship with fellow worker is very important to many. However, XYZ does not use this informal induction because of its benefit in getting new workers familiarized with their work soon enough but it is because it is cheaper. Another evaluation showed that this method has the effect of slowing down the working performance of the employees. Additionally, employees felt uncomfortable performing tasks that they were not paid for. Also new employees were observed to carry on the mistakes of their tutors.
In addition to this, 50% of the experienced employees noted that some areas of production in the company lacked trained personnel to correctly introduce and teach the new employees. As a result the new employees had to train themselves or were introduced by others with little knowledge of the operations of that line of production.
Use of Company’s Handbook as a Form of Induction Training
New employees noted that on their first day in the company they were issued with the company’s handbooks to familiarize themselves with the working conditions and regulations of the company. More than half of the participants of this study acknowledged that they never led the handbooks. Even those who claimed to have led the book had little knowledge on the regulations of the company pertaining to the production precautions and safety. Further, most participants could not remember where they kept their handbooks since the first day. In fact, most of them acknowledged to have lost it within the first two days. A quick analysis revealed that very few employees knew what the handbook’s use was and its importance on the working environment of the company.
Participants were asked whether they thought the handbooks were enough to fully introduce them to the company. 99% of the respondents claimed that the books were ineffective. The reasons why they found the books unproductive is because they were not offered ample time to go through the books. In addition, most of the respondents found the handbooks boring. Some suggested that their experienced instructors discouraged the use of the book because it contradicted the normal operations of the company.
Knowledge of the Induction Training Program
Another research objective was to determine the knowledge the employees of XYZ have on the Induction Training. Most of the research participants had little knowledge of the program. Most of them were not aware of the induction program. Further, most of the employees were not conversant with English and this could be the reason why they failed to identify the type of induction training program used to introduce them to the operations of XYZ.
Performance of the employees is dependent on the team work of the employees. Most of the company’s employees lacked basic communication skills. It was hard for the experienced ones to effectively introduce the new employees to the company because either the experienced or the new employee could not freely communicate in English.
Introduction the Production Layout
Almost all the respondents identified that the new employees were not informed of the production layout. In fact, most of them were only familiar with the line of work of their instructors. Despite this, the management required them to be conversant with the whole production cycle.
About half of those who participated indicated that on a number of occasions they had been posted on positions they were not introduced to. In fact, even the experienced group identified that they were not familiar with most operations of the company. On the other hand, almost all the respondents identified lack of knowledge of the production cycle as the main cause of accidents in the company.
Lack of proper introduction to the working environment in XYZ is seen as the main Cause of low performance and many accidents in the company. In fact, those responds who indicated to be victims of accident in the company indicated that they were not familiar with the regulations of the activity they were undertaking at the time of the accident. Further, very few employees in the company knew the precautions and safety measures to take during their operations.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Discussion of the Results
The research identifies that company XYZ uses a very poor Induction Training Program. These could be the main reason why the company recently went into receivership due to failure to meet the production regulations. In fact, the company might be closed soon due to the poor performance both in production and marketing. The company uses the ‘sitting by Nellie’ form of induction training where the more experienced employees teach the new employees on the requirements of the company. Although this method saves on recruitment cost as opposed to the use of professionals to train the employees, the experienced workers unlike the trained professionals might fail or forget to introduce some important aspects of the working environment. Furthermore, an induction trainer should always be available to give new employees guidelines such as their details so that the new employees can remain in touch with their trainer in case they need clarification. In addition, the trainer should constantly check the progress of the new employees to ensure that the induction program is useful (Armstrong, 2006).
Another major finding of the research is that handbooks are issued on the first day to new employees. These handbooks might be more resourceful than the experienced workers. However, many participants found the handbooks boring and were not interested in learning what was contained in them. In fact, most of them lost the books after the first few days having not gone through them. In addition, very few employees of the company can speak and read English conversantly. The fact that the handbooks are all addressed in the language makes them useless to most employees. For this reason, most employees are not aware of the company’s regulations as well as the safety measures as the management of the company tends to believe.
In conclusion, the research was a success because it thoroughly studied the induction training program used by the XYZ Company. Further, all the research objectives including the limitations and the nature of the current induction training have been identified. The research also went ahead to discuss the comparison between the current induction program and the performance of the company. For induction training program to fully benefit the employees and the company, advanced planning must be properly done (Armstrong, 2006).
Recommendations
This research recommends that further studies should be taken to identify the most efficient form of Induction Training Program. Also the research should focus on what can be done to improve the current Induction Programs in companies such as XYZ. These studies should mostly focus on the cost of the program to the company and its effects on the employees’ performance. Further, it is important to identify whether the failure of XYZ to remain competitive is in anyway associated to the poor induction program identified by this study.
List of References
Armstrong, M 2006, The handbook of human resource management in practice. London: Kogan Page.
Clement, M 1995, Getting the Most from a Mentor. New Teacher Advocate, 3(2), pp.7.
Powell, E.T, & Renner, M 2003, Analyzing Qualitative Data. Web.
Vonnegut, M 2009, Recruitment, selection and induction. London: John Wiley & Sons.