Although small companies may not need to have specific training programs, in order to grow and maintain consistency within a business, more concrete programs need to be put in place. Carter Cleaning Company should update their orientation program, identification of tasks performed by employees and use specific training techniques to accomplish their goal of growing their business and maintaining consistent employee results. To standardize employee behavior and performance, and have the ability to measure an employee's success in these areas, there must be rules and guidelines to follow. The purpose of this paper is to explain specifically what Carter Cleaning Company should cover in their new employee orientation program, explain why a job instruction sheet will help their counter person in the performance of their job, and describe specific training techniques the company should use to train pressers, cleaners/spotters, managers and counter people. The purpose for these changes is to increase employer and customer retention as well as standardize all aspects of the different jobs when they begin to expand to more cleaning sites.
The Carters have progressed from a small company whose policies and procedures were scattered and unfocussed to a company who now needs to implement more formal orientation, training policies, and procedures to ensure job consistency and employee and customer retention. Dessler (2013) gives a brief synopsis of some of the difficulties encountered because of lax policies, such as lack of adequate employee training leading to jobs being done incorrectly and orientation leading to disgruntled employees. The purpose of an employee orientation is to begin the process of helping a new employee become emotionally attached to the company. An employer should make an employee feel welcome and at ease to be part of the team. An introduction and short icebreaking exercise could go a long way to put the employee at ease. A friendly tone of voice can go a long way to ease a new employee’s nervousness. An employer should make sure an employee has the basic information to function effectively in the company. Providing them with information such as email access, phone access, an employee handbook which outlines personnel policies, a benefits packet, safety regulations, and a review of expected work behavior helps ease a new employee into the preliminary non-job specific mind set. This can be done with handouts, links to short online orientation videos, checklists, etc. Employee orientation should help the new employee understand the overall organization such as its past, present, culture, strategies, and vision. One way that my organization handles this is to schedule a meeting where different department heads speak about specific accomplishments and tasks involved in the day-to-day running of the company, as well as an opportunity to ask questions about the company. Lastly, the orientation process can start the employee’s socialization into the firm’s culture, values, and ways of doing things. This can be done via a tour of the facility or at least the new employee’s immediate work environment, as well as an introduction to key people in the department.
One of the Carters’ goals is for their employees to behave in a courteous way to customers when they arrive and when they leave, perform certain tasks in a certain order to facilitate the work flow, and to sell additional services where possible. Because of this sequential necessity, a step-by-step training process is the very definition of job instruction training. A job instruction sheet has steps and key points to follow. This helps an employee stay on task and they are less likely to forget a step. For a counter person, the list could be created as follows: Steps | Key Points | 1. Greet the customer with a “Big Hello” | Smile | 2. Collect the garments from the customer | Inspect for damages or stains and immediately bring to the customer’s attention | 3. Place the garments in a nylon sack | Make sure customer’s clothes are not mixed in with other customer’s clothing | 4. Write up a ticket and give to customer | Ensure customer’s name, telephone number, and date are clearly noted on all copies | 5. Notify customer of additional services or seasonal cleaning opportunities | Provide correct details, pricing, and timing | 6. Make a courteous farewell comment | Say “Have a Nice Day,” Drive Safely,” or “See you next time” |

Each type of employee has specific duties to fulfill, and some are more technical than others. All jobs essentially require some level of on-the-job training. For the pressers and the cleaners/spotters, they could benefit from the coaching or understudy method. Because these skills are more technical, having an experienced worker train the employee can provide immediate evaluation and correction of the required tasks. Because of the similarities in skills level, these employees could participate in job rotation. Even though this is usually used for management trainees, in this small company, having employees who can stand in for others can be beneficial in case of illness or emergencies which might arise. For managers, coaching or the understudy method would be appropriate. Company culture and policies can be taught by an existing manager who can mold the new manager to meet Carter Cleaning Company’s needs. A management trainee can also benefit from job sharing. By knowing and performing each job, a manager becomes more valuable, not only in understanding the overall workings of the company but also as a temporary replacement if someone becomes ill. For a counter person, coaching would be a good tool to demonstrate the type of behavior required for someone who will be meeting each customer face-to-face. A more seasoned employee can demonstrate what level of friendliness and familiarity is expected by the Carters. Because of the standardized tasks, job instruction sheets are particularly helpful to keep the counter person on track and not forget any of the steps involved.
The Carters have learned through trial and error that they now need to implement more standardized policies and procedures as it pertains to employee orientation, task identification and training techniques. They need to improve in these areas to facilitate consistent employee behavior, improve employee retention, and maintain great customer service. Employees need to know company expectations and culture by way of a formalized orientation program. This will help in the start of employees becoming emotionally attached to the company, as well as making them feel welcome. This provides the employee with basic information about the company in order to function effectively. With an understanding of the organization’s past, present, culture, strategies, and vision, this helps maintain ongoing consistent expectations and behavior. The Carters can use a job instruction sheet for all their positions to ensure that all tasks are accomplished in an efficient order. This tool helps employees stay on task and serves as a reminder to check each step of the process involved in doing their job.
Specific training techniques differ for each job description in the Carter facility. All jobs require some level of on-the-job training, but for the Carter employees, the pressers and the cleaners/spotters could benefit from the coaching or understudy method where they can shadow an already experienced employee. For managers, coaching or the understudy method would be appropriate, as well as job sharing, which helps the manager understand the overall company. For a counter person, coaching could demonstrate the type of behavior required for someone who will be customer facing. This position would also benefit greatly from a job instruction sheet due to the standardized steps of this position. By implementing these different training techniques, the Carters can improve their chances of meeting their goals of standardization, retention and business growth.