Hi,
I am a corporate trainer from Coimbatore, with an experience in training for nearly around 14 years and about 60 companies, primarily in manufacturing units (HYUNDAI, TITAN, LMW, etc.). My exposure to training basically is on behavioral aspects which primarily focus on team building and teamwork, and of course in most areas of management. Many times even team building has to be custom-made to suit the needs of the industry; failing which the training will not be effective. For example, in a project construction, there is a lot of understanding required between the site HR and corporate HR. They hardly get to see each other but need to work as a team. Similar challenges are almost present in every industry which need to be primarily understood by the trainer. Often the organizations that want their professionals and executives trained treat training as a ritual, and hence the ROI becomes a factor of mockery, invariably blaming the HR department and the trainer.
Now, regarding measuring the ROI on training, as most trainers are expected to keep the participants completely sporty and delighted, eventually the results are not felt/there is a huge pep-up of energy for the next few days, and the feedback is too good for the day. But is that all true?
The behavior that needs to be measured has to be listed. Say, Areas of behavior change expected:
- Analytical ability
- Pointing out mistakes at work clearly and not the person
- Attitude towards quality of work/productivity
- etc.
The same needs to be measured by the superiors and peers over a period of 3 months. Kindly see the attachment below.
HR PRACTICES TO SUSTAIN EFFECTS OF TRAINING:
INTRODUCTION:
In many organizations, the effectiveness of a training program is difficult to be evaluated at the shop floor. However, the training was focused on delivering certain expected behavioral changes, and the same needs to be measured. In the first one week to a month, the enthusiasm and the energy of the program are felt by the seniors who monitor the staff who had undergone training. However, the energy slowly wanes and creates a feeling of hollowness, making the organization wonder whether such training programs are essential. The failure to harness the best of the employee is a major flaw in the system. There are small work practices that can keep the enthusiasm and the behavioral changes alive. Such practices are given below for the benefit of Murugappa group.
HR Practices:
Say, we expect a behavioral change relating to better teamwork/quality of work life, the following factors can be observed:
Factors for evaluation Week 1 Week 4/month 1 3 Months later Training needs
- Trying to be more friendly with peers and superiors
- Willingness to take tough jobs and share the workload of a peer without complaining
- Commitment to honor the work taken
- Better quality of work done/concern for the quality of work and work environment
- Being more participative and suggestive
- Sense of pride and happiness towards work
The degradation can be seen if evaluated on a 5-point scale (of 5 - changes felt are very good, 4 - changes felt fairly good, 3 - changes are fair, 2 - no changes, 1 - negative effect) over a period of three months. In order to sustain the changes, there must be appreciations and acknowledgments towards the changes that are seen and exchange happiness in making the values remain.
Some Practices in my client organizations:
1. Attendance incentive for being present for three months consistently without a single leave - Rs 500 given with appreciation.
2. Incentive for tool maintenance by the operator and for good production practices is evaluated by the supervisor and the tool room supervisor, and the prize is - Rs 1000/- for the best operator every month, and the appreciation is kept on the notice board. For consistency, a double increment at the end of the year of service.
3. For housekeeping and cleaning of the machinery every day while leaving the shift evaluated by the supervisor and the next shift operator - an incentive of Rs 500/- for the best operator every month.
4. For reaching productivity as scheduled with nil rejects and less than 2% rework is rewarded with a family holiday pack for 2 days on a weekend worth Rs 10000/- if consistent for a period of 3 months.
5. There are many such practices which include gift vouchers for a dinner/movie tickets for two/small gift packs which have something useful for the family.
Note:
Given above are some practices which have been very effective. In case of absenteeism after a long holiday, double the wages are paid for being present on the last working day before holidays (Say Pongal) and being back on the opening day. However, the selfish ones would try to defeat every system employed. But it is the conscious and continuous effort by the HR dept, required in bringing the necessary/expected work environment with expected values. It is a never-say-die attitude that is required to handle manpower resources and get the desired results by the HR.