Learning and Development

At a basic level, learning, which includes training and development, is needed to ensure that the workers recruited and selected are able to do their jobs well, and that they will be prepared for future jobs in the company. Providing the appropriate learning and development opportunities for employees will increase their satisfaction and help them perform at a higher level, better enabling the company to achieve its goals.

Employee orientation ensures that new employees know and understand company policies and procedures. When done well, orientation helps employees get off to a good start. In most companies, orientation introduces new employees to the history of the company, describes the culture, and informs employees about policies and procedures.

Recent research of employee orientation has shown that managing orientation differently may have greater value for the new employee and, ultimately, the company. For many companies, new employee orientation is only one part of a larger program referred to as onboarding. Onboarding refers to the hiring and integration process used to socialize new employees to the company. This process has become more important to employers in recent years as they have recognized the critical role of human capital in organizational success.

Training is the systematic process of providing employees with the competencies - knowledge, skills, and abilities - required to do their current jobs. Employees can obtain the KSAs on the job, by attending classes either online or in a classroom setting, by participating in role plays or simulations, or through a combination of these and other methods. In addition to training employees for their current jobs, companies also invest a lot of resources in developing employees for other jobs. Development prepares employees to take on additional responsibilities in different jobs, usually at a higher level.

Both training and development help an organization equip its workforce to gain a sustained competitive advantage.

[mariamcdonald]

Can you share the study you referred to? About the 500 publicly traded companies returning more to their stakeholders? Thanks!