On_the_Job_Training

10.2 OJT In my opinion, orientation and training methods are very important and are also the heartbeat of a company. My grandfather had an old saying that goes like this “your business is as only as strong as its strongest employee.” I believe that he was exactly right. Having strong employees that are trained properly, effectively, and correctly will ensure that any business has the potential to succeed. DAY ONE: If I were designing an orientation/training program, there would be several stages. Over a three day period, I would introduce them not only to each other but to the company as a whole. The first day of my orientation and training program, I would have the employees meet all within the same room. This would begin at an early hour in the morning while employees are their freshest and sharpest. I would start this portion of the OJT by giving a small speech which welcomed everyone and outlined each part of the three day event. I would also want to hand deliver an itinerary that outlines each part of the three day event as well. In that itinerary, each employee could find a detailed description of the three day event that outlines the time frames for each. After giving my welcome speech and hand delivering the itineraries, I would then instruct each employee to take one hour to walk around and get to know each other. This would be a no stress break that would allow the employees to get familiar with each other and grab some breakfast from a table and a cup of coffee. In my opinion, people tend to bond over food and in that type of atmosphere. Next, we would rejoin in the conference center to reconvene and discuss the remainder of the day and the next two days as well. I would instruct everyone at this point as to the next part of the orientation which would include the history of the company, the branches of the retail chain, and all of the mottos, philosophies, and stances of the chain. Now for this portion of the day, I would have previously created a power point presentation that outlines all of this in an interesting way with graphics that appeal to the eye. Speaking from an experienced person’s point of view, this process can become boring if the material is not presented in a way that is attractive and cutting edge. I would keep this portion short and to the point in order to not lose the employees focus. Also while speaking about the history and future of the company; I would want to allow the employees to take a look at some of the merchandise that they would be selling. I would have previously set up a room so that we could all go around looking and familiarizing ourselves with some of the newest products. We would then break for an hour lunch. After returning from lunch, I would instruct the employees that the remainder of the day was going to be spent in a fun manner. By this I mean that we would be doing exercises to improve customer service skills and ways to handle every situation that may occur. We would spend the remainder of the day performing previously choreographed exercises that allow the employees to imitate both being the customer as well as the employee. In these exercises, we would mock real life situations that would allow the employee to see both aspects of the check out process. We would use these mock situations to learn the value of customer service, the correct approach to customer service, and what is considered acceptable. This would conclude our day one. DAY TWO: On day two, employees would have a full schedule which includes mainly cash register and cash handling training. We would have previously set up stations that include cash registers and mock situations that would mimic real everyday situations that employees would encounter. Because this would be such an important part in the orientation process, this would be the part that would last the longest. This process would be done in two different scenarios. The first scenario would be computerized. The employees would enter their own passwords which would allow them to access a real life cash register on the computer screen. A slowly generated program would teach and illustrate each function on the keyboard along with which buttons to push in which particular situation. After each section, there would be a quiz to take to ensure that the employee retained the information in order to correctly check out each customer fairly, accurately, and kindly. After a small break for lunch we would then reconvene to access the computers once again for some training. During this training we would test our knowledge of math and money. An illustrated program would walk each employee through a tutorial and real life situation of giving correct change, taking payments such as credit and debit cards, and even voids in the case of a mistake. This program would teach each employee the standard in which the company expects when dealing with their customers. At the end, each employee must complete a math and money test which totals to be a grade B or higher. Upon completion of this, the employee would then be awarded competition and would be allowed onto day number three. DAY THREE: On day three we would start bright and early as soon as the centrally located store opened. This would be called shadow and learn day. Each employee would be assigned to an associate as well as a manager. According to the size of the orientation class, some employees may have to double up in order to be correctly paired up. By shadowing what an associate does from start to close be easier learned when done hands on and by a check off list. Each team would start their morning routine and when every task was correctly and appropriately finished, the team would then check it off of the duties list. In the mid day/ lunch time, the duties list would include the tasks that were to be done at that time and in which order to take lunch. After each task is completed the team may check off those for the mid day as well. The evening checklist would include duties as well as prep and closing procedures. After shadowing and getting hands on experience with the morning, midday, and afternoon duties, the closing duties would begin. Because in a retail store these duties can be some of the most important, there would be a closing check list to be completed in addition to the first checklist. The closing checklist would give a detailed description of each expected task. After the completion, they should be checked off allowing each to be done in a timely manner. Lastly, each employee would learn how to prep the store for the next day. By creating an orientation and training program that allows each employee the opportunity to experience every situation that they may in an actual real life situation, they may feel more comfortable when it comes to customer service. By boosting confidence in every employee and in the ability to perform the duties required, employees can then really focus on their customer service skills. They are the face that is seen first when it comes to customers. In that aspect, every employee must feel confident enough to perform their job with no hardships or issues. They must be able to proficiently walk the customer through the whole buying process. First with the selection, second with the fitting, and lastly with the paying and bagging. This must be done with professionalism and kindness from start to finish. The new employee or associate must understand that each customer must be treated with respect and kindness. They would also understand that they are to go to any lengths to make a customer happy. This would of course be if the proper measures had been taken in advance. Hopefully with this three day training, all of those goals would be met and maybe much more. There are several ways that this could be tracked in order to make sure that it is in fact an efficient and effective process where employees can learn the most. For example: statistics could be kept in order to make accurate records are kept. Usually, the numbers do not lie, In this case as well.