Advantages and Disadvantages of On-the-Job and Off-Job Training and Development - Essay Example

Advantages and disadvantages of on-the-job training and development compared with off-job training and development “A number of studies have shown that results of education training affect overall performance of an organization such as productivity, turnover rate, absence rate and organization commitment, etc” (Lin et al. 2011, p.927). Training of the employees is an essential part of human resource management. When an employee joins an organization, he can be considered as a raw material. Training convert him from a raw material to finished good. In other words, training is necessary to fine tune the capabilities of the employee so that the organization may benefit from that. “Training and education are not only seen as the way of helping individual to become more adaptive in their work, but also of providing more knowledge and skills” (Marchington & Wilkinson, 2005, p.52). In an ever changing business world, training is necessary to update and knowledge and skills of the employee. Even if an employee may have previous experiences, it is difficult for him to excel in a new company without proper training. “Training is a learning process that involves the acquisition of knowledge, sharpening of skills, concepts, rules, or changing of attitudes and behaviours to enhance the performance of employees” (Introduction Of Training, 2007). Torrington et al (2007) have pointed out that “Training and development has a role to play as do reward systems to maximise effort” (Torrington et al, 2004, p.7) Training is broadly classified in to two; one the job training and off the job training. On the job training, is training provided during the regular performance of duties whereas off the job training provided away from the employee’s usual work environment and the employee will stop their usual duties/work during the training period” (Training, n. d). On the job training may give more emphasize to the practical aspects whereas off the job training may give more emphasize to the theoretical aspects. An employee should have knowledge about both theoretical and practical aspects of his profession and therefore both on the job and off the job training are necessary to empower the employee so that he could meet any challenges in his profession. Both on the job and off the job training have some advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, there are certain cases in which on the job training would be better than off the job training and vice versa. Judicious use of on the job and off the job training may improve the productivity and efficiency of the employees and the organization. This paper analyses the advantages and disadvantages of on the job and off the job training and the instances in which these training methods can be used effectively. On the job training vs. off the job training According to Hutchins, et al. (2010), “Trainers select learning methods based on source quality, motivation, and accessibility, but these differed based on which learning methods were chosen” (Hutchins, et al. 2010, p.599). Youths coming out of the colleges and schools may not have any idea about the functioning of an organization. They may have ample knowledge about the theoretical aspects of the functioning of business and organizations. However, in an organizational setup, practical knowledge is more important than theoretical knowledge. According to Yamauchi et al. (2009), “technical change induces both on-the-job and off-the-job training, and controlling for technical change makes returns to on-the-job training even larger” (Yamauchi et al. 2009, p.1633). For example, for a data entry profession, a candidate with good typing skills would be more useful to an organization than a computer professional with less typing skills. In order to enhance the typing skills of that candidate, the organization needs to provide him on the job training. He may not require off the job training since he might have good theoretical knowledge about the computer packages. At the same time, suppose an organization wants to shift one of its sales guys to the data entry department. That guy may not have much knowledge about computer software. In such circumstances, he needs training in computer application software, and off the job training would be the better option. Off the job training is normally used to educate the employee about the do’s and don’ts of the organization, organizational behaviour, culture, objectives etc. Through these trainings, the organization makes the employee aware of his roles and responsibilities in the organization. Off the job training is better to cultivate the awareness about the competitors, developments in the external business world, new products and innovations, challenges etc in the minds of the employees. No knowledge can be referred as a perfect one if the employee fails to update it. For example, a computer professional who joined an organization a decade before may have less theoretical knowledge than a computer professional coming out from a current institution. New knowledge is bursting virtually in every second from all corners and the constant updating of this knowledge is necessary for an employee to meet the current challenges. Off the job training is the only way to get such theoretical knowledge about the new developments. The following illustration makes the importance of training clearer. (Introduction Of Training, 2007) In the current extremely globalized business environment, business operates mostly at international level. In other words, awareness about cross cultural business or international business is necessary for the employees. Outsourcing and offshoring are some of the modern business strategies used by many of the organizations. As part of these strategies, employees may be forced to work in foreign countries with different cultures. It is necessary for the employees on deputation to foreign countries to know more about the languages, environments, social and cultural setups, communication channels etc of the target country. “Research indicates that individuals with such personal characteristics as adaptability, flexibility, and tolerance for ambiguity are more successful on international assignments than are individuals without these characteristics”(Tu & Sullivan, 1994). Only off the job training can develop those characteristics which are necessary for international assignments. Some of the other major advantages of off the job training are: “(1)specialists can be used to instruct the employees; (2) training can be more concentrated; (3) it is more suitable for theoretical instruction; (4) it can be less stressful. The disadvantages of off-the-job training are: (1) there may be no direct link between the training and the job; (2) it can be artificial; (3) trainers may not know the specific conditions of the employment; (4) it is usually more expensive; (5) employees cannot work whilst they are being trained (Off the job training, n. d) Off the job training can provide an opportunity for the employee to stay away from the boring organizational environment. A temporary break from the busy organizational environment will rejuvenate the employee in many ways. Off the job training provides an opportunity to the employees to release their job stress considerably at least for a temporary period. Moreover, the relaxed environment away from the organization will encourage more learning since the pressure for performance will not be there in the case of off the job training. It should be noted that in the case of on the job training, the employee may not be free from the pressure of improving his performance. Off the job training would be more expensive than on the job training even though it brings ample returns both the employee and the employer. Off the job training require the services of professional trainers, food accommodation to the trainers and the participants, training materials, travelling etc. All these things can cost a substantial amount to the organization. In the case of on the job training, the cost would be less since it is conducted in the organization itself with the help of the professionals from the same organization. Goudie (2010) has pointed out that “It’s cheaper to have someone working right away than paying them for even a day of training. If the job is fairly simple and the new hire is fairly intelligent they should catch on quickly” (Goudie, 2010). In other words, on the job training will help the organization to exploit the services of the employee right from the moment he joins the duty. No wastage of working hours will occur in the case of on the job training as in the case of off the job training. “On the job training (OJT) often involves two people, supervisor or manager and his employee; hence, a very effective method of training. The training is usually conducted the employee’s workplace but benefits both the parties” (Advantages of on the job training, n.d). At the same time, it should be noted that the productivity of the employee at the time of off the job training would be zero as far as an organization is concerned. On the other hand, on the job training fulfils two purposes at the same time; empowerment of the employee and the exploitation of the employee for productive work. Moreover, “On the job training or internal training will create increased sense of commitment on the part of the employees” McKenna and Beech, 2001, p.127). “Advantages of on-the-job training include a unique training period specifically catered to an employee’s job, particularly if the job requires special equipment that is used on-site” (The Benefits of On-the-Job Team Training, n. d). it is difficult to educate a machine operator about the functioning of the machine using off the job training methods. On the job training (OJT) provides real hands on experience to the employee so that he could remove all his doubts about the functioning of the machine on site itself. From an employer's prospective, OJT can be an advantage in that it can increase the productivity of workers. Well-trained employees will be better at performing their jobs no matter what type of job they hold. Another potential benefit of OJT is that it can help workers form closer relationships and build a sense of teamwork and trust (Advantages of on the Job Training, 2011). Team work is one of the major characteristics of the current organizations. It helps both the employees and the employers in many ways. The basic lessons of team work can be provided through on the job training. Fresh employees may not have proper ideas about the functioning and importance of team work. Moreover, each organization may have specific norms for the effective functioning of employees. The work climate of PepsiCo need not be the same in Coca Cola. “On the job training can be integrated in to the way work is designed and controlled in an organization” (Redman and Wilkinson, 2008, p.126) Conclusions Both on the job training and off the job training help the employees and the employers in one way or other. On the job training helps the employers to exploit the productivity of the employee straight away. It helps the employees to know more about the practical aspects of their profession. Off the job training concentrates more on theoretical aspects and employees will get general awareness about their profession, internal and external developments in the business circle etc. Off the job training is expensive than on the job training. Judicious use of off the job and on the job training will help the employees to be empowered with all the aspects of their profession. References Advantages of on the Job Training (2011). Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_7736667_advantages-job-training.html Advantages of on the job training (n. d). Retrieved from http://freshnews-today.blogspot.com/2011/02/advantages-of-on-job-training.html Goudie E. (2010). Advantages of on the job training. Retrieved from http://www.helium.com/items/1945234-advantage-of-on-the-job-training Hutchins, H.M., Burke L.A and Berthelsen A.M. (2010) Missing link in the transfer problem? Examining how trainers learn about training transfer. Human Resource Management, July–August 2010, Vol. 49, No. 4, Pp. 599– 618. DOI: 10.1002/hrm.20371 Introduction Of Training, (2007), Retrieved from http://traininganddevelopment.naukrihub.com/training.html Lin Y., Chen S., & Chuang H (2011). The Effect of Organizational Commitment on Employee Reactions to Educational Training: An Evaluation using the Kirkpatrick Four-level Model. International Journal of Management Vol. 28 No. 3 Part 2 Sept 2011 Marchington, M. & Wilkinson A. (2005). Human resource management at work CIPD Publishing, 2005 McKenna E and Beech N (2001). Human Resource Management: A Concise Analysis of Theory and Practice. Publisher: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 1 edition (28 Nov 2001) Off the job training, (n. d). Retrieved from http://www.blacksacademy.net/content/3682.html Redman T and Wilkinson A (2008). Contemporary Human Resource Management. Publisher: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 3 edition (9 Dec 2008) Torrington D, Hall L and Taylor S. (2004). Human Resource Management. Publisher: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 6 edition (7 Dec 2004) Training (n. d). Retrieved from http://www.learnmanagement2.com/training.htm Tu H. & Sullivan S.E. (1994). Preparing yourself for an international assignment: a few simple steps can help make the overseas assignment a successful one for the manager as well as the firm. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_n1_v37/ai_14922926/ The Benefits of On-the-Job Team Training (n. d). Retrieved from http://www.zeroonezero.com/corporate-medical-training/introduction/corporate-training/group-team-training/corporate-on-job-training-group.html Yamauchi F, Poapongsakorn N & Srianant N. (2009). Technical Change and the Returns and Investments in Firm-level Training: Evidence from Thailand. Journal of Development Studies. Date: November 1, 2009. DOI: 10.1080/00220380903012748 Read More