Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Training Calendar

Training Calendar

Training calendar shall be submitted to Partner and upon approval shall be circulated to all HODs and concerned. The Training Calendar must be prepared in close consultation with all HODs so as to ensure no overlapping dates appear in the training calendar vis-à-vis normal functioning of the organization.

Training Calendar shall consist of following information:

· Program details
· Dates
· Duration & Timings
· Type of Program -External/Internal
· Faculty
· Participants Profile
· Follow up sessions

Training Budget

Training Budget

HR Department will submit at the beginning of each financial year the budget for Training & Development activities to Board of Partners. The budget will include:

· Report on last years training activities including efficacy.

· Training Man days achieved and budget for current year.

· Training costs budgeted for external programs.

· Internal training programs and costs.

· Capital investments including training equipment planned.

· Segment & skill wise training calendar for the year.

· Trainers developed during last year and planned for current year.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Trendy Training Techniques

Success in any field doesn’t just happen. It requires careful and detailed planning. The businessman doesn’t make hazardous or off-the-wall investments. A lawyer spends days getting ready to present a case to a jury.

Training is no different. However, before you begin planning your session, let’s take a look at the learning process. This will help you in your auxiliary job as trainer. This background information will aid you in developing a session plan, because it will discuss how adults learn. Causing student learning is what being an instructor is all about. Let’s take a look at a simplified version of the Psychology of Learning.
Psychology of Learning

Psychologists say that certain things must exist within the individual for learning to take place. He/ She must go through certain logical steps to learn. The characteristics of learning, laws of learning and psychology’s rules of learning will be discussed in this context.
Characteristics of Learning

Learning has a purpose. Most people have a pretty definite idea of what they want to do and achieve

Learning comes through experience. Learning is a very individual process and must be done by the participant himself - the instructor cannot do this for him

Learning is multifaceted. A trainer who thinks his job is only to train a participant’s muscle or memory is wasting his own and his student’s time

Learning is an active process. The more actively a participant is involved in the class, the greater his chances are for both learning and remembering
Laws of Learning

The five laws of learning are suitable for most learning situations. Keeping these laws in mind when planning a session lets the trainer creates a better learning atmosphere for the participants.

Law of readiness - A person learns best when he has the necessary background, a good attitude, and is ready to learn. He does not learn much if he sees no reason for learning.

Law of Exercise - Those things most often repeated are the best learned. This is the basis for practice and drill.

Law of Primacy - Primacy is being first, which often creates a strong impression. This means that the instructor must be right the first time. . This helps to provide a stable foundation for all that follows

Laws of Intensity - A sharp, clear, or exciting learning experience teaches more than a routine or boring one. This law implies that a student will learn more from the real thing than a substitute. Mockups, videotapes, interactive courseware, slides, charts, and any number of other training aids add sharpness and action to classroom instruction. Demonstrations, skits, and role playing do much to increase the leaning experience of students

Law of Recency - Other things being equal, the things learned last will be best remembered. The trainer must recognize the law of recency when planning a good summary. He should repeat, restate, or reemphasize the training objectives. He also repeats important information the participants need to remember
Psychology’s rules of Learning

The objective of training is to have participants learn something, and remember what they have learned. Instructor’s constantly employ many different psychological principles of learning. This section presents principles of learning, established by psychologists, which are useful for training. Some of these principles have been followed by more experienced instructors for years. All should be useful to the instructor who wants to be effective and successful.

Stimulate Students - Unpleasant things may be learned as easily as pleasant things. The worst stimuli are those which cause little or no feelings. It is better to have rewarding conditions than unpleasant conditions, but either is better than neutral conditions

Recognize Individual Differences - What your students can do is important in determining what can be learned and how long it will take. The ability to learn changes with age. It reaches a peak around 16 years of age, then begins to decline steadily for most people. An instructor should be more patient if he is trying to teach older or slower students
Understanding and Repetition Aid Retention - People remember what they understand better than what they try to memorize. Practicing a task over and over won’t help unless the reason for learning is understood by the students. However, remember that a lot of drill is still very important in getting facts across, in reinforcing them, and in creating performance habits.

First and Last Impressions Are Retained - The order of presentation is very important. Points or objectives presented at the beginning and end of the class are remembered better than those given in the middle. So, if four objectives are given during an hour, the two most important points should be given first and last

Showing Errors Can Aid Learning - Showing how errors happen can lead to increases in learning. Showing not only “what to do” but “what not to do.” This can be critical in teaching safety points. This doesn’t mean teach “the wrong way” to do something, just show what could go wrong

Rewards Aid Learning - Irregular or unexpected rewards are better then expected or constant rewards. Rewards that are always given at the same time (answering a question, when finishing a project, grading an exam, etc.) sometimes seems phony. Unexpected rewards provide tremendous encouragement and motivation and keep students “on their toes”

Exact Repetition Effective - Repeating the facts over and over helps memory just as much as using new examples each time.

Fear Is Effective In Small Doses - The use of a moderate fear appeal is better than a strong fear appeal. “No stress produces no learning.” However, too much stress is likely to turn off the students. A good instructor finds the right balance.

Success Begets Further Success - Knowledge of how well they are doing leads students to greater learning. So does telling them how the lesson will help them. Tell your participants when they are doing well

Belongingness” and “Satisfiers” Aid Learning -
Just repeating facts does not always lead to learning. Two things are necessary - “belongingness” and satisfiers.” Belongingness means that the things to be learned must belong together. They must show some connection or order. It has been shown that just saying the word “right” when the person is making the correct response is a satisfier. This helps speed up the learning process. The word “wrong” is an annoyer or “punishment” and is not as effective.


Why Evaluation of Training

Training cost can be significant in any business. Most organizations are prepared to incur these cost because they expect that their business to benefit from employees development and progress. Whether business has benefited can be assessed by evaluation training. There are basically four parties involved in evaluating the result of any training. Trainer, Trainee, Training and Development department and Line Manager.
*The Trainee wants to confirm that the course has met personal expectations and satisfied any learning objectives set by the T & D department at the beginning of the programme.
*The Trainer concern is to ensure that the training that has been provided is effective or not.
*Training and Development want to know whether the course has made the best use of the resources available.
*The Line manager will be seeking reassurance that the time hat trainee has spent in attending training results in to value and how deficiency in knowledge and skill redressed.
The problem for many organizations is not so much why training should be evaluated but how. Most of the organizations overlook evaluation because financial benefits are difficult to describe in concrete terms.

Principles of Training Evaluation

Principles of Training Evaluation:
*Training need should be identified and reviewed concurrently with the business and personal development plan process.
*There should be correlation to the needs of the business and the individual.
*Organisational, group and individual level training need should be identified and evaluated.
*Techniques of evaluation should be appropriate.
*The evaluation function should be in place before the training takes place.
*The outcome of evaluation should be used to inform the business and training process.

Training evaluation - science or art?

Training evaluation - science or art? Essentially, there are two schools of thought about training evaluation, those who believe in the importance of scientific, quantitative and conclusive analysis, and those who believe in the value of subjective, qualitative and action-oriented exploration. The former school support ROI analysis, use of experimental and control groups, and, above all, the elimination of extraneous or even contributing variables. This is mainly because they want proof of the value of training itself (and, possibly, to control or curtail its costs if they are high in comparison to other options). At this point we should ask ourselves is this what busy line managers want, is it really sensible to exclude variables that might contribute to increased training impact, and do we really only want a snapshot about training taken at some arbitrary point? Those who want to use evaluation to improve training and to reinforce its effect on participants' learning belong to the latter school of thought. They want to improve the transfer of training back to work (one of the biggest leakages in any training effort). They are ready to use interviews, small group surveys and feedback, and critical incident analysis deliberately to involve participants in renewed or new learning about the original training. Subjectivity and the inclusion of variables from activities related to the training (for example, promotion following management training, or changes in wider performance management practices introduced alongside appraisal training) are not a problem, because they assist in the interpretation of the rich data gathered. This school is interested in evidence of ongoing training impact, and what it may point to. It seems to me essential to recognise that the difficulties and costs of proving or quantifying the value of training increase over time, but the benefits of using evaluation to reinforce the original training remain high at all times.

Training Evaluation System

Why Training Evaluation

Training is always done with specific objectives. Hence, evaluation of training is very important. It is important because:
*It tells us about the quality of training and the effect it has created on the learners.
*Systematic evaluations also help us in pointing out the weaknesses of the training program so that in future such things can be taken care of.
*It also indicates the extent to which learners have learnt from the program and *The extent they have transferred their learning into their daily job.

For the evaluation to be effective, it is very important that training objectives are carefully thought and framed, the principal significant questions should be:

To what extent the identified training needs objectives achieved by the programme?
To what extent were the learner’s objective achieved
What did the learner’s learn?
What commitment have the learners made about the learning they are going to implement on their work?

This model is referred from Kirkpatrick’s model of training evaluation.
Step 1 REACTION

It indicates the feedback of the participants with regard to the coverage, deliverability, content, presentation and duration of the program. (annexure 1 attached)
Process

*A feedback form will be circulated to the trainees at the end of the training program to gather their individual feedback / comments.
*The training feedback questionnaire will cover all the domains mentioned above.
*Trainees would rate each and every domain on ______ scale.
Step 2 LEARNING

The purpose of this stage is to obtain information on the amount of learning by the trainees. Getting feedback in an organized manner helps in correct and valuable evaluation.

We can evaluate a trainee learning by the following ways:

1. Personal action plan
2. 180 degree feedback
Process

All the trainees will be asked to answer the following the questions and would be asked to reply them while at work:

What was your learning out of the session: we would know the extent to which an employee has learned out of the training.

How will you implement the learning on actual work? – this is also an employees personal action plan.
support you require from your senior mangers for implementing the same.

180 degree feedback is done by giving a feedback form to the trainee juniors, trainee himself and his reporting senior. This feedback will be collected after receiving PAP from the trainees and therefore questionnaire will be based on the trainee PAP which he/she submits. The questionnaire will be prepared by Trainer or Assigned evaluator
Step 3 TRANSFER

It is very important to give time to learners to reflect their learning on their work place.
Process:

1. During this phase 3 months time will be usually given to trainees to actually reflect the same
at the work place.

2. Follow ups are regularly done by Trainer or Evaluator.

3. At the end of three months 180 degree feedback will be repeated and same questionnaire
which was filed earlier will be filled again by the same employees.
Step 4 RESULTS

Evaluation at this level consists of an attempt to measure aspects of the effects of trainee’s job behavior –whether on productivity or efficiency of trainee’s department.
Procedure:
Scores of 180 degree which was taken in Phase2 and 3 will be at the final evaluation.

The deviations would reflect the success of the training imparted.

Positive deviation would reflect the improvement in an employee behavior or efficiency

Seven Question Before Training

Seven questions to ask before beginning a training program
Here are seven real-world questions to ask yourself while planning a training program. Scroll down for an example for each question.
1. Does anybody really need this training?
2. Does everybody really need this training?
3. How much will this cost per person, and what are the economies of scale?
4. How can I measure the success of this program quantitatively?
5. How can I measure the success of this program qualitatively?
6. How quickly will this training become outdated?
7. How will this training affect retention?
1. Does anybody really need this training?You've just installed the latest version of Microsoft Word for 10 employees. Do they need to be trained for it? Or can they figure it out on their own? Keep in mind, oftentimes employees may be confident they can manage without formal training, but there may be aspects they aren't considering (in this case, there could be word-processing or graphical functions they're not aware of).
2. Does everybody really need this training?You're about to open another unit of your up-market restaurant, and plan to send your waiters to an all-day workshop on customer service and interpersonal skills. Should your kitchen hands go? You may need to look at the overall goals of your business or organisation. If you own a restaurant and your selling point is going to be customer service, you may want to train the whole staff. If turnover among kitchen hands is sky high, and customer service isn't your first priority, you may be able to forgo the training for the kitchen hands (though keep in mind the commitment you show by providing training may reduce turnover in the first place).
3. How much will this cost per person, and what are the economies of scale?As a high school superintendent, you want to keep your staff up to date with the latest in teaching methods. There's a great conference that the 20 teachers in your high school are interested in attending, but it's 500 miles away. Will it pay to send them there? What kind of a discount can you get for 20 people? Sometimes, costs simply make a training program prohibitive for all parties; you may have to train 10 teachers now and 10 at the end of the semester.
4. How can I measure the success of this program quantitatively?As the HR director for a large corporation, you're concerned about the ability of several of your employees to interact with the media and with community groups. You're considering bringing in a media-training specialist to practice skills such as dealing with reporters' tough questions. You may want to think of creative ways to measure the outcome quantitatively. Can you measure the amount of media attention (i.e. in column-inches) your company was receiving before and after the training? Can you measure the ratio of interviews to stories written about your company before and after training? Are there other measures you can use?
5. How can I measure the success of this program qualitatively?Using the example from question four, think of ways to measure your outcome. Rate all newspaper clippings and broadcast reports (positive coverage, negative coverage, neutral coverage) before and after the training to measure the success. Have trainers or other employees evaluate the interviewing ability of your trainees before and after. Look for other measures.
6. How quickly will this training become outdated?The hospital in which you work bills itself as an advanced medical center on the cutting-edge of health technology. You learn of a new medical test that can save time and money for doctors and nurses. What can you do to find out if this is a passing fad or a method with staying power? Will it pay to train every nurse and every doctor in the new procedure if by the time you're done it is out of vogue?
7. How will this training affect retention?Your insurance company has hired lots of new employees straight out of college and has told them throughout the process that it likes to "promote from within." Are you providing managerial training to these employees? Do they know how to conduct interviews and how to draw up budgets? Make sure your company goals and your training mesh, or your employees will go somewhere where they really are being groomed for top spots.

On-the-Job Training


It is the responsibility of supervisors and managers to utilize available resources to train, qualify, and develop their employees.

On-the-job training (OJT) is one of the best training methods because it is planned, organized, and conducted at the employee's worksite. OJT will generally be the primary method used for broadening employee skills and increasing productivity. It is particularly appropriate for developing proficiency skills unique to an employee's job - especially jobs that are relatively easy to learn and require locally-owned equipment and facilities.

Morale, productivity, and professionalism will normally be high in those organizations that employ a sound OJT program.

An analysis of the major job requirements (identified in the position description and performance plan) and related knowledges, skills, and abilities form the basis for setting up an OJT plan. To be most effective, an OJT plan should include:

*The subject to be covered;
*Number of hours;
*Estimated completion date; and
*Method by which the training will be evaluated
Advantages

Training an employee in their own working environment, with equipment they are familiar with and people they know can help they gain direct experience to a standard approved by the employer .

Employee may find that they have more confidence to use the equipment if they are supervised and guided as they feel they are doing the job right.

Employee may feel more at ease being taught or supervised by people they know rather than complete strangers .

Managers or supervisors can assess improvement and progress over a period of time and this makes it easier to identify a problem intervene and resolve problems quickly .

This type of training is also productive, as the employee is still working as they are learning .

As training progresses and the employee begins to feel more confident, this confidence would allow them to work at a higher standard and ultimately be more productive .

Training "on-the-job" would also prove an opportunity to get to know staff they might not normally talk to.

Mentoring or training on-the-job can work our very cost effective .
Disadvantages

Teaching or mentoring is a specialisation in itself, unless the person mentoring or training has the skills and knowledge to train, this would mean that the training would not be done to a sufficient standard.

The person teaching or mentoring may not be given the time to spend with the employee to teach them properly, which would mean substandard training has been achieved and learning has only been half done.

The trainers may posses many bad habits and pass these on to the employee being trained.

If the trainer has been given limited time to train the employee, this would mean that the skill or knowledge has not been fully understood.

If a trainer has been brought into the company externally they might not be familiar with the equipment fully or layout and this would waste time.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Remedial Training

Remedial training is arranged to overcome the shortcomings in the behaviour and performance of old employees.Some of the experience employees might have picked up appropriate methods and style of working.Such employees are identified and correct work methods and procedures are taught to them.Remedial Training should be conducted by Psychological Experts.

Refresher Training

When existing technique become obsolete due the development of the better technique,Employee have to be trained in the use of new method and technique.With the passage of the time employees may forget some of the method of doing work.Refresher Training is designed to revive and refresh the knowledge and to update the skills of the existing rapid changes in technology and work method.Refresher Training or Re-Training programmes are conducted to avoid obsolescence of knowledge and skills.

Promotional Training

Promotional Training
It involves training of existing employee to enable them to perform higher level job.Employees with potential are selected and they are given training before their promotion, So that they do not find it difficult to shoulder the higher responsibilities of the new positions to which they are promoted

Safety Training

Effective dissemination of safety information is essential for a successful Injury and Illness Prevention Plan. Indeed, experience has shown that training of employees is the single most effective means of reducing injuries and illnesses in the work place. This training should include general safe work practices as well as specific instruction on control of hazards unique to each employee's job assignment.
Types of Training Many types of training may be used to communicate safety-related information to employees. Training may vary widely with respect to instructional method, setting, subject matter, etc.
Classroom instruction, which involves the presentation of general or specialized safety information to a group of employees in a classroom or conference setting.

Job-site safety meetings, which are informal gatherings of small groups of employees, usually for the purpose of discussing safety matters related to the work being performed in the immediate area (e.g., "tailgate meetings" on job sites).

On-the-job training, in which a single or small number of employees receive personalized instruction from their supervisor.

Written instruction or training materials.
General Safety Training General safety training refers to instruction or guidance, which is of general applicability and not related to specialized trades or procedures. Examples include office safety, fire safety, and general hazard awareness. EH&S is responsible for conducting regularly scheduled sessions on general safety. Supervisors must ensure that employees are made aware of the requirement for and availability of general safety training.
Training by Supervisors Job-specific safety training sessions dealing with an employee's unique job assignment must be developed by each supervisor. It is the responsibility of each supervisor to understand his/her employees' job tasks and related hazards. Supervisors will be provided health and safety training, which should be used in conjunction with experience and education to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the nature of hazards to which employees under their immediate direction and control may be exposed. EH&S should be consulted to determine the appropriate level of training required for specific assignments.
Frequency of Training As a general guideline, employees should be provided with safety-related instruction:

Upon reporting to work;

Prior to assignment on a new job assignment for which training has not been previously provided;

Whenever new substances, processes, procedures or equipment which represent a new hazard are introduced into the workplace;

Whenever the supervisor receives notification or obtains knowledge of a new or previously unrecognized hazard.

In addition, the frequency requirements for specialized training, as described in the various Hazard Control Programs, must also be met.
Retention of Training Records Records shall be kept on file for at least three years within the department of the individual who provided or coordinated the training. Alternatively, if a training record is forwarded to Environmental Health and Safety, EH&S will assume responsibility for retaining that record.

Job Training

Job Training
It refers to the training provided with a view to increase and knowledge and skills of an employee for improving performance on the job.Employees may be taught the correct methods of handling of equipments and machines used in jobs.Such training helps to reduce accidents,Waste and inefficiency in the performance of the job.

Orientation/Induction Training

New employee orientation effectively integrates the new employee into your organization and assists with retention, motivation, job satisfaction, and quickly enabling each individual to become contributing members of the work team
Most employers provide orientation programs for new hires and training programs for both current and new employees. These programs have different purposes. Orientation programs typically deal with the assimilation of employees into new working environments while training programs generally concern “hands on” job or functional skills development.
Orienting employees to their workplaces and their jobs is one of the most neglected functions in many organizations. An employee handbook and piles of paperwork is not sufficient anymore when it comes to welcoming a new employee to your organization. The most frequent complaints about new employee orientation are that it is overwhelming, boring, or that the new employee is left to sink or swim. The result is often a confused new employee who is not productive and is more likely to leave the organization within a year.

With an ongoing labor crunch, developing an effective employee orientation experience continues to be crucial. It is critical that new hire programs are carefully planned to educate the employee to the values, history and who is who in the organization. A well thought out orientation program, whether it lasts one day or six months, will help not only in retention of employees, but also in productivity. Organizations that have good orientation programs get their people up to speed faster, have better alignment between what the employees do and what the organization needs them to do, and have lower turnover rates.
Purposes of Orientation Employers have to realize that orientation isn't just a nice gesture put on by the organization. It serves as an important element of the recruitment and retention process. Some key purposes are:
1.To Reduce Startup Costs
Proper orientation can help the employee get "up to speed" much more quickly, thereby reducing the costs associated with learning the job.

2.To Reduce Anxiety
Any employee, when put into a new, strange situation, will experience anxiety that can impede his or her ability to learn to do the job. Proper orientation helps to reduce anxiety that results from entering into an unknown situation, and helps provide guidelines for behavior and conduct, so the employee doesn't have to experience the stress of guessing.

3.To Reduce Employee Turnover
Employee turnover increases as employees feel they are not valued, or are put in positions where they can't possibly do their jobs. Orientation shows that the organization values the employee, and helps provide the tools necessary for succeeding in the job.

4.To Save Time For Supervisor & Coworkers
Simply put, the better the initial orientation, the less likely supervisors and co‑workers will have to spend time teaching the employee.
5. To Develop Realistic Job Expectations, Positive Attitudes and Job Satisfaction
It is important that employees learn as soon as possible what is expected of them, and what to expect from others, in addition to learning about the values and attitudes of the organization. While people can learn from experience, they will make many mistakes that are unnecessary and potentially damaging.
The main reasons orientation programs fail:
The program was not planned.
The employee was unaware of the job requirements.
The employee does not feel welcome.
All new employees should complete a new employment orientation program that is designed to assist them in adjusting to their jobs and work environment and to instill a positive work attitude and motivation at the onset.

A thoughtful new employee orientation program can reduce turnover and save an organization thousands of dollars. One reason people change jobs is because they never feel welcome or part of the organization they join. The most important principle to convey during an orientation is commitment to continuous improvement and continual learning. That way, new employees become comfortable with asking questions to obtain the information they need to learn, problem solve and make decisions.

A well thought out orientation process takes energy, time and commitment, however it usually pays off for the individual employee, the department, and the organization. One such example is Mecklenburg County's (North Carolina) success in revamping its employee orientation program, to live up to its credo of employees being the organization's greatest resource. In 1996, as part of a larger initiative to redesign services to meet customer needs, the Mecklenburg County Human Resources Department staff made a smart decision- they viewed new employees as part of their customer base and asked their customers what they wanted.
Employees were asked what they wanted and needed from orientation. They were also asked what they liked and didn't like about orientation. New employees were asked what they wanted to know about the organization. Additionally, the organization's senior management were asked what they believed was important for employees to learn when joining the county payroll.

Using feedback collected from employees, Mecklenburg's HR training staff first realized that meeting employees' needs required more than a half day session. Trusting employee feedback, the trainers crafted a one-day orientation that gave employees what they said they wanted and what senior management believed employees needed to know. Essentially, the mix includes the topics that lack excitement-W-2s and various policies and procedures-but it also includes details that let the employee know something about the organization.
Implementation Tips
Human Resource professionals and line managers first need to consider key orientation planning questions before implementing or revamping a current program:
What things would new employees need to know about this work environment that would make them more comfortable?

What impression and impact would I want to make on new employees’ first day?
What key policies and procedures must employees be aware of the first day to avoid mistakes on the second day? Concentrate on vital issues.

What specific things can I do to ensure that new employees will begin to know their co-workers without feeling overwhelmed?

What special things (desk, work area, equipment, special instructions) can I provide to make new employees feel comfortable, welcome and secure?

What positive experience can I provide for new employees that they could discuss with their families? The experience should be something to make the new employee feel valued by the organization.

How can I, as the supervisor, ensure that I will be available to new employees on the first day to provide personal attention and to convey a clear message that they are important additions to the work team?
Remember, first impressions are crucial. Here are some tips for putting your best foot forward.
Begin before the new person does. Send an agenda to the new associate with the offer letter so the employee knows what to expect. Stay in touch after he or she has accepted the position to answer questions or help in other ways. Also, make sure the new person's work area is ready for the first day of work.

Make sure everyone knows the employee is starting and encourage them to come to say hello before orientation begins.

Assign a mentor or partner to show the new person around, make introductions, and start training. Let the mentor have sufficient notice so he or she can make preparations.

Start with the basics. People become productive sooner if they are firmly grounded in the basic knowledge they need to understand their job. Focus on the why, when, where, and how of the position before expecting them to handle assignments or big projects. Don't overwhelm them with too much information.
Provide a list of frequently asked questions with a contact person/department, and phone number or extension.

Plan to take them to lunch. The first day on the job the new employee is left in the lurch. This is a good time for the manager/supervisor to take the employee to lunch; include other co-workers, making sure the employee is at ease.

Give the new person some responsibility for his or her own orientation. Offer opportunities for self-directed learning, under appropriate supervision.

Keep the new person's family in mind. A new job means adjustment for the entire family, especially if they have relocated. Do what you can to ease the transition and help them feel comfortable in the community.

Ask for feedback. Find out from former new hires how they perceived the orientation process, and don't be afraid to make changes based on those recommendations. You can send an evaluation two to four weeks after the employee has started, saying something such as: Now that you have been with the company awhile, did the orientation meet your needs? After they have been working there awhile they find out what they should have known but did not. At Mecklenburg County, one of the trainers, Allyson Berbiglia says, "We recognize that we have to continuously improve orientation to meet the changing needs of our customers. What works now may not serve our employees well next month or next year."