9.3 (49) Appraisal and training methods used in business

10/10 Key Term Tests - Appraisal and Training methods

1. Induction training - this is the initial training to familiarise new recruits with the systems of a business 
2. On the job training - takes place when employees receive training as they are working at the place of work - often skills based
3. Off the job training - takes place away from the job at another place e.g. a business training cent re or a college - often legal requirements or training on training others
4. Appraisal / performance review  - assessing how effective an employee is working
5. Training - a range of activities giving employees job related skills and knowledge
6. Competitive market - all businesses compete for the best resources to make the best products.  For the best companies to achieve the best results they need high calibre people.  All the best companies are competing for these people so if a company recruits and selects tehm it would be in their intrest to apprais, train and retain them.
7. Labour turnover - the proportion of people that leave a company as a percentage of those that work in the business over a year.  High labour turnover affects profits and quality as well as morale and teamwork.
8. Mentoring and coaching -  one to one training methods used to improve the performance of people who may be struggling in their job role or new to the business
9. Job shadowing - employees are encouraged to shadow senior colleges to understand what their job consists of before they consider applying for it
10. Job rotation - training the employee in a different job role so that they may consider them if an opportunity arises in the future or they are bored of their current job,

Lesson objective for this week

• Understand the advantages and disadvantages for different types of training
• Understand how and why a business uses a staff appraisal / performance management system

In the news: British Gas Services is part of British Gas which is owned by Centrica Group.  They carry out household instillation and servicing around the UK and Europe.  It is the UK's largest supplier of fuel and is not directly involved with supplying gas but is responsible for installing and maintaining gas appliances, such as boilers and cookers.  Customers are always looking for the best deals and customer service is key to keeping customers as is technical knowledge as BGS staff deal directly with British Gas customers.  For this reason the British Gas Academy was created where BGS employees are trained.  The BGS Academy trains both new recruits and established employees who need to be updated.  New staff are taught about the gas industry and British Gas and its policies and procedures.  The training also covers communication and problem solving skills, how to listen to customers and deal with them politely. BGS also has an apprentice system where new recruits work alongside experienced employees to learn 'on-the-job'  All employees regularly attend refresher courses to update their skills. The training needs are identified at te regular review meetings that each employee holds with his or her manager.  You can see the British Gas Academy website here  

Summary 

• Employees need to be trained not just in the work they do but also in how to deal with customers
• It is not just new employees who need to be trained: all workers need to have their skills updated on a regular basis
• The performance management meetings allow a business to check on how well the employee is doing his or her work and what additional training is needed
• Objectives are often set for the employee to reach before the next performance management meeting.  Wage increases might depend upon reaching these objectives - how do you think that would work in schools? 

Did you know... that in 2007 British Gas Services had more than 4.5m contracts to service central heating systems and made a profit of £151 million

Group activity 

Discussion Discuss which type of training is better - 'on-the-job' or 'off-the-job'

Web-based activity Research on the web how companies conduct their performance management, or appraisal.  Produce an information sheet or booklet giving practical advice to businesses new to performance management.

Typical exam questions on Appraisal and Training

1. Which company owns British Gas?
2. What type of work is undertaken by British Gas Services
3. Give TWO reasons why British Gas Services employees receive training
4. What is the name of the centre where BGS staff are trained?
5. Why do experienced employees also have to receive training?
6. Give an example of 'off the job' training.
7. How does the apprentice system of training work?
8. What is performance related pay?
9. Explain how training can motivate staff at BGS.
10. Give two reasons why businesses hold performance management meetings

Nine mark question