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Okay folks, I’d like to talk a bit more about in-house training. But before I do I just wanted to take this opportunity to announce that Antal recently won two awards at the Global Recruiter Asia Pacific Awards in Singapore – for Best Overseas Operation, and Best ‘Association of Professional Staffing Companies’ Member. We were also Highly Commended for our In-House Training – so hopefully what I say should be helpful!
As I’ve said in previous columns, I write these HR tips from a broad perspective, hopefully to cover all different types of businesses that you manage. I appreciate that you may not have tens of thousands of RMB to spend on training budgets, but you don’t need to bring in specialists in order to provide an added value to your staff – it can come directly from you. You have been brought over here to do one (or no doubt several) of a number of tasks – to build, improve, and enhance the business you run; to increase revenue and market share – so you clearly already have a fair share of the knowledge yourself. Then look at the team you have around you and ask yourself what skills they have that they could share with the rest of the team. For example, as part of our initial induction here at Antal, we nominate senior staff within the business to provide training on the areas at which they are specifically strong. It’s not rocket science but it works. It also allows new recruits to hear anecdotes and experience from those doing the training. Having trained staff in over ten countries myself, this is an area that is constantly touched upon by those in class. They not only hear the theory of what they should be doing, but invariably they will hear real stories of what can go wrong. This is always of great interest!
With any and all training you need to have a structure in place. The classic formula is that you say what you are going to cover, you cover it, and then you say what you have covered. However, the next steps are as important as the training itself. Spending a day in a seminar room covering how to use the IT systems is all well and good, but retention of that information will be minimal (even with a great trainer), if there’s no follow up.
If you have picked your “Top Guns” within your team to share their experience and knowledge with the new recruits on their induction – make sure they themselves are comfortable at training, as for many it can be a daunting prospect. It is advisable (language permitting) to sit in each and every session that you are offering, and it’s also a good idea to have a back up where possible.
Once completed, you should allow your new team members the opportunity to provide candid, confidential feedback. Over the years I’ve found that people aren’t comfortable doing this in the confines of the classroom, but prefer to take it away and maybe mull over that evening. How about you set up a suggestion box somewhere in the office? They can then return their thoughts at their own time.
As the manager, it is your sole responsibility to ensure that your team knows the basics – period. Over the years we have realized that some staff take to reading or video tutorials better than perhaps a more-interactive face to face environment, so you need to be able to replicate all that is done in the classroom either online, or in old-fashioned manuals.
This is never truer than in a multinational company, where all staff need to be aware of the global brand values, products and services. Fortunately these can easily be shared through a company intranet. At Antal, we house all of our intellectual property in this manner, including all of our training documents, so no matter what time zone, our staff can access the information they need. On our intranet, we have typed (and where necessary translated) manuals, videos, and audio files, as well as a range of PowerPoint presentations to cover any topic on which a recruiter may need assistance.
Once all your newbies have gone through the induction stage, they will then, knowing the Chinese, be looking for the ‘next steps’ – what courses can they do to enhance what they now know. At Antal, as a sales-driven business, we have put together a very simple but effective training program lasting 30/60/90 days. At each monthly milestone, the individual has to hit certain KPIs in order for them to then move onto the next level. Any longer than a month then a task can seem arduous, causing staff to lose focus and direction. Keep it in short sharp bursts. All this learning is tracked in personnel files, and re-visited at probation time. As I have mentioned previously, facts are critical when promoting staff or letting them go. It takes away the emotional element.
Now all of this has centered on what should be done by you and your team for your new recruits, without spending any of your budget. Next issue, we will focus on additional training in order to retain staff.
Sarah Jones is Head of Operations at Antal International, winner of “Best International Recruitment Agency” at the 2012 Recruiter Awards.