People
Do we have an HR system that complies with relevant laws and best practices?
Do we understand the legal context of terminations?
Do we conduct proper reference checks for new team members?
Do we have a formal induction process, including our culture?
Do team members know what is expected of them?
Is there formal monitoring of performance?
What is the plan for dealing with poor work performance?
How do we help team members grow and develop?
Does compensation motivate people to optimum performance?
Employment procedure
Do our HR policies and practices comply with all relevant employment laws and by-laws?
How well do we understand the legal context of termination of employment?
Do we conduct reference checks when hiring for positions of trust and responsibility?
Do we have a fair and consistent approach to termination of employment?
Does our exit procedure incorporate a check to ensure all company property used by the team member has been returned?
Performance management
Do we have a formal, documented induction process?
Does our induction process include awareness of the business culture - the way we do things here'?
How effective is the induction process in making new team members productive quickly?
Do team members know what is expected of them in terms of role and responsibilities, and the standards to which they must perform?
Do we monitor team member performance?
Do we provide feedback to our team members on their performance?
Do we have an exit interview process that assists us in determining the real reason a team member is leaving?
Do we have a process for systematically dealing with poor work performance?
Training & development
Do we develop the skills of our people in line with the needs of the business?
Skills base
Do we use position descriptions to guide the recruitment process?
Do we have an interview approach that objectively helps us identify and select the best person for a position?
Do we know if each team member has the necessary skills, to the necessary degree required to carry out their role?
Reward scheme
Does our compensation structure motivate people to optimum performance?
Do we reward people in line with their contribution to the business?
How market competitive is our reward system?
Do we use recognition as a way of motivating and thanking people?
Human resource adequacy
Do we have a human resources strategy for your business that links your people needs to your overall business strategy?
Overview of training and development
Do we provide opportunities for our team members to grow, develop and increase their contribution to business success?
Having previously agreed upon a development plan, it is necessary to source the various pieces of training required by each team member or team group. Proposed sources can be both internal and external.
TIME TO COMPLETE: 2-5 days depending on the size of the business and what is already in place.
Process
Step 1 - Define the training and development needs of the business
Agree upon a development plan for all team members to improve their skills so that they are better able to undertake their roles. All skills development should feed into the overall business plan.
NOTE: Develop A Skills Enhancement Program is a separate piece of work. This should be carried out before you go about identifying appropriate training and development opportunities.
Step 2 - Identify training sources (in-house or external) and select the ones that you'll recommend
Investigate internal and external programs that can appropriately deliver high-quality, timely, and cost-effective learning solutions.
If you decide to use outsourced training programs keep in mind the need to ensure there is a fit between performance expectations and the firm's culture. Generally, programs need to be tailored to your firm to meet these expectations.
Internal training programs may appear to be cost-effective but may not be when you consider the time required for people to develop course material and implement the training. Consider on-the-job training, often the best form of internal training.
In either case, don't assume courses must be delivered in person. There are now many interactive CD or web-based courses that can be far more cost and time-efficient than personal attendance. Research industry associations and other relevant sources.
Step 3 - Develop a training effectiveness assessment form
Create evaluation forms to be used after each training session to assess the success of the outcome. The evaluation forms should ascertain:
- Was the training useful?
- Did it address the needs identified?
- What could be added?
- What should be changed or removed?
Deliverables
An individual plan for each team member's training and development. Each plan should include:
Name of team member and responsible manager
- Training need identified
- Skill(s) addressed by the training
- Identified training provider and method
- Cost of training
- Proposed timing
- An inventory of all training, source, time to deliver, method, cost, and expected frequency of delivery.
- Training feedback form template and responsible person for gathering, collating, analyzing and acting on feedback gathered,
Do's
Involve employees when mapping out their development plan.
Tie individual learning plans back to the overall business plan.
Think broadly about the form training can take - it is not just personally delivered courses.
Act on feedback received - it is very annoying to feel you've wasted money and time on training.
Don't's
Go overboard. It is easier to train three people than it is 30 as you are much closer to the people and can help them on a day-to-day basis so don't design complicated training programs for very small businesses.
Get sidetracked by supposedly more pressing issues. There is nothing worse for an employee than having training cancelled because a supervisor has not got time for them.